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Mahdia Gold moves to open Omai again
The reopening of the Omai site for large scale mining operations has moved a step closer to reality with critical equipment already in the country.
According to Canadian-owned, Mahdia Gold Corporation, its joint venture partner began moving mining equipment from Georgetown to Omai shortly after the beginning of 2014.
An aerial view of the Omai pit.
“The equipment is currently being assembled and is scheduled to be operational this month. There is expected to be a short period wherein the machinery goes through its initial break-in period and operators familiarize themselves with the operating methods and new equipment.”
The company said that Mahdia is finally beginning its journey to becoming a major mining operation.
The Omai gold mine was most recently operated by Iamgold after acquisition from Cambior Resources. At the time it was built, in the early nineties, Omai was the largest gold mine in South America. In a period spanning 13 years, Omai produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold during a period when the price of gold was approximately US$300 an ounce.
Mahdia Gold has indicated that historical data suggests that Omai still contains significant gold deposits. In 2006-2007, after the 3.7 million ounces of gold was produced, the previous owners drilled the floor of only the Fennell pit with a total of 46 diamond drill holes (27,359 metres) up to a maximum length of 967 m. Additionally, other work was done that consisted of SG measurements, and significant geotechnical work. Iamgold had also created a 3-D Gemcom model of the Sill, Fennell Stock and mineralized zones, and used it to calculate the resource.
The second nearby pit, the Wenot pit was never drilled but it shares a similar geology which demands that Mahdia Gold undertake a full and comprehensive investigation including diamond drilling to establish the potential under the Wenot pit.
Since Omai closed operations, Guyana has been without a large-scale mining operation. Guyana Goldfield, another Canadian company is set to begin operations next year.
Despite the absence of large scale operations, gold declarations have been breaking records in recent years amidst a surge in the prices on the world market.
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