ECR Minerals (ECR ) is implementing its production plan at the Raglan alluvial gold project this week, marking a key step as the company prepares to enter initial alluvial gold production.
ECR has profiled the site and identified priority locations for initial trenching.
These areas will be worked at successive depths as part of a broader programme designed to determine where gold grades are highest before progressing upstream across the property.
In parallel, ECR will re-analyse previously worked ground, particularly at deeper levels, where the company that - consistent with outcomes at the nearby Blue Mountain project - recoverable gold remains in situ.
During the early stages of production at the Raglan project, the operating team will assess and optimise the configuration of mining equipment, particularly the wash plant.
The objective is to maximise daily throughput while maintaining a high level of gold recovery.
The Blue Mountain project has been independently tested and showed a recovery rate of 91.7% gold into 0.40% of the mass, and part of the coming work programme at Raglan will be aimed at assessing whether it will achieve a comparable recovery rate performance.
Chairman Nick Tulloch and directors Andrew Scott and Chris Gibbs will be meeting in Queensland later this week to oversee the initial stages of mining and production activities at Raglan.
During the visit, the board members will meet with the operating team, review production progress based on early grade observations and meet with a prospective off-taker for gold production from both Raglan and Blue Mountain.
Raglan is a fully permitted, turnkey alluvial gold project located in central Queensland. The project includes a near-new 60 tonne-per-hour wash plant, gold room, water supply, accommodation camp and mobile mining fleet, enabling prompt mobilisation and a low-capex pathway to production.
With the operating team secured and all key infrastructure already on site, Raglan is expected to deliver ECR's initial gold production and near-term early cashflow. The project also provides a foundation for shared operational capability and equipment utilisation across the nearby Blue Mountain alluvial gold project.
"This week will mark an important moment for ECR. With our operating team secured and a production plan in place, several members of the board will be travelling to Queensland to oversee the implementation of our initial mining operations at Raglan,” said ECR’s chairman Nick Tulloch.
“This represents a major step forward as the Company transitions from a pure explorer into an operating gold producer. Raglan is a rare, turnkey alluvial operation with plant, permits and infrastructure already in place. Its anticipated operating parameters are considered to be consistent with other producing alluvial mines in Queensland and, with gold trading at historically high levels, we believe that the project has the potential to generate meaningful cashflow in due course. Importantly, Raglan also provides a strong operational foundation for our wider Queensland portfolio. Alongside Blue Mountain and the significantly sized Lolworth project, we believe ECR is well positioned for the year ahead, and we are excited by what lies ahead as we enter this next phase of the company's development."
View from Vox
This production milestone will coincide with exceptionally strong recent precious-metal prices, with gold currently trading above US$4,988 per ounce and silver having recently moved through US$100 per ounce, providing a highly favourable market backdrop as ECR enters its production phase. What a time to be alive.