PRECIOUS METALS

Mercury stalls gold production at Centerra's Oksut mine

Canadian-based gold miner Centerra Gold has temporarily suspended gold dore bar production at its Oksut mine in Turkey due to the discovery of mercury in the gold room of the adsorption-desorption recovery plant.

Petra Witowski
Mercury stalls gold production at Centerra's Oksut mine

It is unclear yet what impact the temporary suspension may have on the company's 2022 production guidance. Up to 17 March, the Oksut mine had already produced and sold over 54,000 ounces of gold this year.

The company is taking action to mitigate and prevent further exposure while cleaning mercury from the affected areas. In addition, Centerra has begun implementing the necessary safety protocols and protective equipment. This includes following the necessary regulatory reporting steps.

The company is evaluating potential technical solutions to remove the mercury in the gold recovery process, which includes a retort and scrubbing system in the plant, before production will be able to restart.

Centerra said the site will continue to mine ore, stack ore on the leach pad and process ore within the ADR plant into a gold-in-carbon form. This will then be stockpiled until the electrowinning process can restart.

Most large-scale and regulated mining companies do not use mercury in their mining operations due to the toxic impact it can have on the environment, as well as to human health. It is only used in certain regions of the world.

Toronto-based Centerra Gold is focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties, primarily in North America and Turkey. It is currently operating two mines, one of which is the Oksut mine in Turkey. The other property is the Mount Milligan mine in British Columbia, Canada.

On 18 March, Centerra Gold traded on the TSX at C$12.10/share, down 3.97% on the day. Its shares have steadily increased this year from the $9 mark.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the farming sector, brought to you by the Kondinin team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the farming sector, brought to you by the Kondinin team.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Investor Sentiment Report 2024

Survey revealing the plans, priorities, and preferences of 120+ mining investors and their expectations for the sector in 2024.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Mining Equities Report 2023

Access an exclusive, inside look on the quarterly mining IPOs and secondary raisings data and mining equities performance tables with an annual Stock Exchange Comparisons supplement.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence World Risk Report 2023 (feat. MineHutte ratings)

A detailed analysis of mining investment risks across 121 jurisdictions globally, built on 11 ‘hard risk’ metrics and an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2023: Social licence

Gain insights into social licence trends and best practices from interviews with 20+ top mining company executives and an industrywide survey.