China Nonferrous Gold (CNG) says the Pakrut Gold Mine in February 2017 experienced high levels of snowfall that had not been seen for over 50 years with the electric pylons destroyed and extensive damage to plant and equipment. Due to the power supply to the mine site failing and the inability to access the mine, drainage work could not be commenced which resulted in the mine tunnels being flooded. The disaster brought material economic losses to the Pakrut Gold Mine and at the same time caused the project construction and production to fall significantly behind schedule.
However management reportedly made a number of important operational decisions to ensure development and construction could continue. In March, the roads were repaired to allow for traffic to return and site access to be restored. In May, temporary power supply was resumed. In September, underground drainage and dredging were completed. Damaged buildings and equipment were all repaired in October and normal power supply was restored at the end of December. With the joint efforts of the management team and all the staff, the facilities damaged by the snow disaster have now been fully repaired laying a good foundation for restoring production and completing all infrastructure construction works in 2018.
In April 2018, mining has reportedly already been started with 50,000 tons of ore produced and stored. The processing plant has resumed production and the smelting plant is also operating well.
Recall, the Pakrut Gold Mine produced the first gold ingot in January 2016 and processed 230,000 tons of ore and produced 162 kilograms of gold, which marked the point at which the Pakrut gold mine had officially entered the trial production stage.
Pakrut gold mine, located approximately 120 kilometers north-east of Dushanbe, is owned by China Nonferrous Gold (formerly known as Kryso Resources). The mine development is being undertaken in two phases, which are expected to cost $250 million in total.
CNG is a London Stock Exchange AIM-listed mineral exploration and development company, focused on projects in Tajikistan. CNG was granted an exploration and trial license over the Pakrut License area, covering 63KM2, in April 2004. The license area is located in the Tian Shan Gold Belt – the world's second largest known gold belt.
CNG's primary goal is to bring the Pakrut Gold Project, of which it has 100% ownership, into production. In January 2012, CNG was granted a full mining license for the Pakrut Gold Project by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. This mining license is valid until November 2030.
Total JORC Code-compliant resources of 4,808,000oz Au, assuming a 0.75g/t cut-off grade, have reportedly been defined at the Pakrut Gold Project. The Pakrut deposit remains open and is expected to yield further JORC Code-compliant resources over time, with substantial drilling programs ongoing.
The Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (BGRIMM) completed a revised Bankable Feasibility Study on the Pakrut Gold Deposit. This BFS continues to be optimized. Construction of mine infrastructure commenced in October 2011 and the underground mine construction commenced in September 2012. The production reportedly commenced in 2016.
In addition to the Pakrut Gold Project, CNG is focusing on three additional mineralized systems within the exploration license area – Eastern Pakrut, Rufigar and Sulfidnoye.
