Gold Road Resources will commence early works on its Gruyere Gold project following a grant of Miscellaneous Licenses from the Department of Mines and Petroleum.
The project, around 200km east of Laverton in WA, will begin with construction of the Gruyere accommodation village and an access road from the village to the main site in December.
Last year the company’s Yamarna Belt find – the state’s largest gold deposit discovery in the last decade – recorded mineral resources of 5.1 million ounces of gold.
WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said at the time, “The Gruyere deposit is particularly important because it is the first major gold find in what industry and [the State Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme] EIS research indicates is a promising new mineral province, the Yamarna greenstone belt.”
The company is looking buy a second hand 600-person accommodation village, with purchase negotiations underway between two sellers.
All up, the works will cost around $18 million.
Gold Road managing director Ian Murray said gaining the Miscellaneous Licenses was a key step in getting the project closer to development, adding, as it “ensures tenure for the project infrastructure and allows us to start the preparatory state of construction in a timely manner”.
Murray said the company was in talks with four potential joint venture partners to bring the site into production, The West stated.
The project’s feasibility study is due for completion by the end of the year, with first gold to be poured toward the end of 2018.