GOLD: Equinox begins stockpiling ore at Aurizona mine

[caption id="attachment_1003724119" align="aligncenter" width="513"] SAG and ball mill installation has begun at the Aurizona gold mine in Brazil. (Image: Equinox Gold)[/caption] BRAZIL – Equinox Gold of Vancouver has begun stockpiling ore from the open pit Aurizona gold mine in the Maranhao state in preparation to resume production. Construction at the project is on time and on budget to pour gold by the end of this year and ramp up to an annual average of 136,000 oz. Overall the project is 60% complete, says the company. Concrete work is 82% done, plans construction is 51% complete, engineering is finished, and the EPCM activities are 75% complete. Total pre-production costs are estimated at US$146 million. The new SAG and ball mills are on site and being installed as part of refurbishing the 8,000-t/d mill. The deposit contains 1.4 million oz. of gold in measured and indicated resources of 28.3 million tonnes grading 1.57 g/t gold. The inferred resource is another 6.0 million tonnes at 2.79 g/t containing 535,000 oz. of gold. The Aurizona project has a life of mine all-in sustaining cost of US$754 per oz. Construction progress at Aurizona is documented in a photo gallery on Equinox Gold’s website at www.EquinoxGold.com.