Hillgrove Resources said April production from its Kanmantoo mine in South Australia met expectations, with 811 tonnes of copper produced.
The company has completed preparatory works at the Nugent project, with accelerated underground development commencing in late April.
“The mine plan for this month included stoping through a lower-grade section of the orebody,” Hillgrove chief executive officer and managing director Bob Fulker said.
“During the month, preparatory work was completed to allow the accelerated Nugent development to commence. This included independent firing and ventilation works. Going forward, we expect development will be greater than 700 metres per month across the deposits being mined.”
With first ore from Nugent on target to be processed in the December 2025 quarter, the project is expected to deliver a material uplift to plant throughput, copper production and revenue generation.
Copper production for the June 2025 quarter is set to exceed the 2952 tonnes (t) produced in the March quarter. The mine’s annual production guidance remains at 12,000–14,000t for 2025.
Kanmantoo production metrics show 100,000t of ore mined in April, with 802t of in-situ copper mined. Hillgrove reported 94.8 per cent of copper recoveries and 106,000t of ore processed in April. Ore graded at 0.81 per cent copper.
Hillgrove has contracted Redpath Mining to be the primary labour provider for the Nugent development, with PJL, who are longstanding onsite operators, to supply and maintain mining equipment.
The company raised $16 million to fund Nugent’s development in March 2025.
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