GOLD: New Gold makes first pour at Rainy River mine

ONTARIO – Toronto’s First Gold has made the initial gold pour at its Rainy River mine 80 km south of Kenora. The doré bar contains about 500 oz. of gold and 600 oz. of silver. [caption id="attachment_1003720354" align="alignleft" width="328"] The ball and SAG mill installation at the 21,000-t/d Rainy River mineral processing plant. (Credit: New Gold)[/caption] The first ore was fed to the mill on Sept. 14, 2017, and since then about 290,000 tonnes have been treated. There were four planned down days during commissioning, but the average processing rate was almost 14,000 t/d or 67% of the 21,000-t/d nameplate capacity. "Our team is proud to have delivered on all of the key project milestones since the beginning of 2017, however, the first gold pour is a particularly special one for New Gold and its stakeholders," stated Hannes Portmann, New Gold president and CEO. "This achievement is reflective of a true team effort as it would not have been possible without the commitment and resilience of our workforce as well as the strong support of our local communities and indigenous partners. Thank you." The Rainy River mine has proven and probable reserves of 103.8 million tonnes grading 1.18 g/t gold and 3.0 g/t silver – or more than 3.9 million oz. of gold and 10.0 million oz. of silver. Visit www.NewGold.com for additional information.