Perseus Mining has named Byrnecut as the primary mining contractor for its proposed US$125 million, plus-100,000oz-a-year Yaoure underground gold mine in Cote d’Ivoire, which is expected to start commercial production in 2027.
Yaoure is Australian-based Perseus’ flagship West Africa mine and the new operation will be its initial foray into underground mining. The project will also mark Cote d’Ivoire’s entry into mechanised underground mining.
Byrnecut, also based in Australia, is one of the world’s largest specialist underground hard-rock mining contractors.
Perseus has Yaoure slated to produce about 210,000ozpa at AISC of about US$1100/oz over the next five years.
It said its final investment decision to proceed with the underground project took into account Cote d’Ivoire Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy “in-principle approval” last year.
The start of portal development in a few months remained contingent on final approval of the project’s environmental and social impact assessment by the country’s Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition and a formal ministerial decree.
Perseus said a key part of Byrnecut’s role would be training Ivorian miners in the skills and disciplines of underground mining, particularly safe working practices. Byrnecut has broad international experience, including in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali.
“While this represents a new phase for the Ivorian mining sector members of our technical team have considerable individual experience operating mines in underground settings throughout the world, with a strong commitment to human and environmental safety as well as training of our Ivorian workforce,” Perseus CEO Jeff Quartermaine said.
“With the inclusion of the CMA underground operation into the Yaoure mine LOMP [life of mine plan] we will materially extend the life of this mine.”
The Yaoure CMA underground project has a current measured and indicated resource of 7.4 million tonnes grading 4.16 grams per tonne gold, containing an estimated 966,000oz, plus 4.5Mt at 3.5gpt for 510,000oz inferred.