Czech speciality chemicals company Draslovka says it will expand its Carlin sodium cyanide handling facility in Nevada to handle increased NaCN inflows from Tennessee to meet the needs of the largest gold production hub in the US under a new multi-year contract.
Draslovka said NaCN supply to Nevada Gold Mines would be 100% US-produced at its Memphis plant. Sodium cyanide played a “critical role in gold extraction with the global market for regular supply of the chemical increasingly tightening on the back of continued gold demand and high barriers to new production capacity”, Draslovka said.
The company acquired US-based Chemours Mining Solutions in 2021 for US$521 million to secure the world’s largest solid sodium cyanide production plant in Memphis.
Nevada Gold Mines majority owner Barrick Mining’s commercial and supply vice president Jimmy Richards said the contract with Draslovka ensured “responsible supply” of NaCN to the world’s largest gold complex, forecast to produce about 1.5 million ounces of gold this year.
“Draslovka has shown the commitment to safety, quality and security of supply that reflects the standards of Nevada Gold Mines,” Richards said.
Draslovka CEO Pavel Bruzek Jr said North America was a strategically important market for the company.
“With this contract we have increased our footprint and will continue to do so to further build out our position,” he said.
“The global NaCN market has been tightening for years due to a lack of new production capacity, which has only become more strained due to unprecedented demand for gold.”
