Westgold Resources has commenced mining operations at the South Junction Lode within the Bluebird-South Junction mining complex at Meekatharra.
The company targets a run rate of 100kt per month by the third quarter of FY25, with recent drilling revealing intersections including 14.93m at 15.95g/t Au in drill hole 24SJDD029.
Sub-level open stoping at South Junction began in August, complementing ongoing drilling aimed at extending the lode system.
Key intersections include 6.83m at 15.31g/t Au in drill hole 24SJDD027 and 11.42m at 4.92g/t Au in drill hole 24SJDD029.
Two surface rigs are engaged in resource definition drilling targeting deeper extensions of the South Junction and Polar Star Lodes, around 800m below the surface.
Wayne Bramwell, Managing Director and CEO of Westgold Resources stated, "Drilling continues to unlock value and point to the potential scale of the Bluebird-South Junction mining complex at Meekatharra."
"The commencement of mining on the South Junction Lode is a company milestone, achieved in short order by a focussed team," Bramwell added.
Infrastructure upgrades are underway to support increased production, with drill intercepts extending the strike length and down dip depth of the South Junction Lode.
Recent drilling has intersected additional mineralised lodes, including the Polar Star Lode to the east, defined over 600m in strike length and still open to the south and down dip.
Westgold plans to release an updated Polar Star mineral resource estimate by the third quarter of FY25, alongside mining studies.
The mining complex is set to become the primary ore source for the nearby Bluebird processing plant.