Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX:AIS, OTC:ARSRF) marked a positive September quarter with production and plans at its four operating Australian assets performing according to schedule.
“We are very pleased that all operations are performing to plan,” Aeris executive chairman Andre Labuschagne said.
“A particular mention goes to the team at Jaguar that safely delivered an excellent final quarter of production and transitioned the operation to care and maintenance.”
Tritton meets targets
Tritton, a cornerstone asset for Aeris, had a robust quarter, surpassing production targets for copper, gold and silver.
The operations in New South Wales produced 5,200 tonnes of copper, 1,000 ounces of gold and 36,900 ounces of silver.
Notably, the Avoca Tank operation boasted impressive grades, averaging 2.5% copper in mined ore, while metallurgical recovery exceeded expectations.
Cracow and Mt Colin too
At the Cracow mine in central Queensland, gold production for the quarter met planned targets, coming in at 12,700 ounces.
This achievement was made possible by supplementing run-of-mine ore with low-grade stockpiles at the mill.
As well, the mining operations at Mt Colin in North Queensland performed to their planned targets, with 2,400 tonnes of copper produced and gold at 1,100 ounces.
Additionally, two processing runs were completed at Ernest Henry during the quarter, with processed tonnes surpassing mined tonnes, while stockpiled ore was also treated.
Bentley closure
Aeris also reported the successful conclusion of mining operations at Jaguar's Bentley deposit in late August, with the last ore processed in early September, and no safety incidents recorded.
This resulted in better production volumes than initially planned, leading to significantly higher metal production and the fulfilment of final zinc and copper concentrate shipments.
Site demobilisation.
The Jaguar zinc-copper operations have now transitioned to care and maintenance, with a small team of eight personnel remaining on-site to continue exploration planning.
Aeris believes the Jaguar tenements are highly prospective for base and precious metals mineralisation, with a number of walk-up drill targets already identified.
Mobile mining equipment from Jaguar will be reallocated to other Aeris operations to enhance capital efficiency.
Dewatering activities will continue, and the company is exploring opportunities to supply excess water to nearby gold operations.
Feasibility studies on restart options at Jaguar are set to commence in mid-October, with Aeris expressing confidence in the potential to re-establish Jaguar as a safe, profitable and highly productive operation.