Black Cat Syndicate has awarded the open pit mining contract for its Fingals deposit, part of the Kal East gold operation near Kalgoorlie.
Mineral Mining Services (MMS), the current contractor at Black Cat’s Myhree/Boundary open pit, secured the contract following a competitive tender process. The contract includes drilling, blasting and material movement at Fingals under a standard schedule of rates.
The Fingals open pit is expected to deliver approximately 2.2 million tonnes at 1.7 grams per tonne gold for a total of around 120,000 ounces, feeding into Black Cat’s 1.2-million-tonne-per-annum Lakewood processing facility.
The company noted that re-optimisation of the pit design is underway and is likely to result in a significantly larger final pit.
Mobilisation of MMS’s mining fleet has already begun, with machinery arriving on-site to prepare for full-scale operations.
A phase of grade control drilling, targeting the northwestern part of the Fingals pit, has recently concluded. Results from this campaign are expected to be received during the September quarter and will inform early-stage mining plans.
“We are pleased to announce a schedule of rates contract with MMS for open pit mining at Fingals,” Black Cat managing director Gareth Solly said. “MMS are the incumbent contractor at the Myhree/Boundary open pit and this will also facilitate a smooth transition to Fingals.
“With site activities gaining momentum, we look forward to ramping up at Fingals and also commencing underground development at Majestic in the coming months.
“These new mines will be the primary ore sources for our … Lakewood processing facility and will underpin production for years to come.”
Kal East continues to advance as a cornerstone gold project for Black Cat, with open pit and underground development converging towards sustained production.
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