@Tradeahead on grades @Tradeahead @Scoobysnax They are currently mining using "eyeballs" to figure out where to begin and where to end. This invariably means that accuracy is not as good as it will be, once the Chrysos machine starts to deliver more exacting and quantitative measurements for what to mine and what not. Secondly, you should expect variations. It is nuggety or non-linear distributed, meaning it varies. if you look at the PEA it does not state 6gpt, and it never did. Test mining yielded that in some places, and from time to time we will see such grades, and at other times not. It averages out at less than that, but that is not news, that was expected ever since at least the PEA. Also, in the beginning a lot of preparatory work had to be completed, the M1 layers were reached only on 16th of may. Down the road we will find and access higher grade deposits, and down the road we will use oresorting to boost the output. In the following months NVO will improve its output, and it looks like it produced 2,1 million dollars in june, which is quite good really from BC. NVO is invariably on track to its 100,000oz/yr target from BC, and what more can you ask for???? The economics of 100.000oz at a monthly cost of 10,7 is pretty, pretty good.
@Tradeahead @Scoobysnax One way to think of a non linear distribution is to pick 20 random number representing grades, ranging from say 0,25 til 25, just to pick a range, and add all these numbers up and divide them with 20. What you get is the simple average, which will vary significantly from either extreme. I seem to remember having seen up to 34gpt in the very best BC samples, whereas others will have been low numbers. In the end it is the average that matters, and the more accurate the mining plan and grade control becomes, and the more experience mgmt. and crew becomes in targeting M1 and M2 in the best way possible, the more the average will improve, until it reaches the stage for what is optimally achievable. It is a process, and you need to give it time to play out. Things take time :o). At that, I find that things are progressing extremely well, along the scenario I had in mind.