Manuka Resources (ASX:MKR) is on track to restart silver and gold production at its 100% owned Wonawinta facility in New South Wales in the second quarter of 2026.
The $18.9 million redevelopment in the prolific Cobar Basin will leverage an existing one million tonne per annum processing plant, extracting precious metals from both current open pit gold mines and stockpiles at Wonawinta and Mt Boppy, located 150km away by road.
The company aims to produce 19 million ounces of silver from Wonawinta's open pits and run-of-mine stockpiles, alongside 46,000 ounces of gold from Mt Boppy and Wonawinta/Mt Boppy stockpiles.
Under a 10-year mine plan, Manuka is targeting 13.2 million ounces of silver at an average cost of $35 per ounce.
Manuka brings a strong operational history to the project, having produced 382,000 ounces of silver between 2022 and 2023, with gold recovered at a rate of 0.23% per silver ounce.
To pursue additional upside, the company has launched a drill campaign at Mt Boppy, historically one of NSW's richest gold mines, testing down to 500m to identify extensions of high-grade mineralisation.
In a key management move ahead of production, Manuka appointed Rod Griffith as executive general manager of operations for Wonawinta and Mt Boppy.
Griffith, who brings over 30 years of mining and engineering experience across Australia and Indonesia, will oversee the plant upgrade and the restart of silver production.
At the time of reporting, Manuka Resources' share price was $0.14.