Didipio mine posts record gold output in ’15

The Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya set a record yearly gold output of about 127,000 ounces (oz) in 2015, according to OceanaGold Corp.

In a statement, the Australian firm said the output was more than the projected volume of about 105,000 oz to 120,00 oz.

OceanaGold said it was able to link Didipio to the power grid, helping the processing plant to achieve a record throughput of 3.58 million tons of material.

The firm added Didipio has also increased its ore stockpile to 16 million tons while underground work also “continued to advance well.”

The trend is expected to continue this year, with output projected to reach 130,000 ounces to 145,000 ounces, suggesting an increase of at least 2 percent from 2015. The gold output at Didipio last year was already 19.6 percent higher than the 2014 production of 106,256 ounces.

“The increase in gold production year-on-year was due mainly to a record throughput of 3.58 million tons of ore processed compared to 3.11 million tons processed in 2014,” the company said.