New underground mining equipment has been arriving at Pure Gold Mining’s Madsen gold project in Red Lake, Ontario, with the company recently taking delivery of a DUX DT-26N articulated truck.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pure Gold has continued to progress the construction of Madsen, with Pure Gold President and CEO, Darin Labrenz, saying at the end of March that underground development had commenced safely and ahead of schedule.

In the same update, the company said detailed engineering was on track to support the completion of the project as scheduled for late 2020.

“To date the company has placed equipment purchase orders representing approximately 74% of the long lead items by value, including electrical equipment packages, key gold room equipment, gravity and intensive leach systems as well as the new ball mill to provide for planned processing rates of 800 t/d,” Pure Gold said.

One of the more recent pieces of equipment to arrive in Red Lake is a 26 t capacity articulated dump truck from DUX Machinery (pictured). This underground four-wheel drive truck is well suited for hauling ore, waste and backfill on level and steep grades, according to DUX. It also has the highest power to weight ratio in its class the company said, adding that it permits efficient chute, side and end loading in narrow drifts with low headings.

From mid-December to late March, some 740 m of development had been completed at Madsen, with Pure Gold saying early initiation of ramp development through the company’s test mining program and, to date, a 50% improvement on development productivity from underground, had provided an opportunity to access key stopes ahead of schedule, optimise the mine plan, and provide a larger ore stockpile in advance of mill start-up.

Based on the 2019 feasibility study, Madsen is expected to produce an average of 80,000 oz/y at an all-in sustaining cost of $787/oz over a 12-year mine life. The operation will feature a combination of diesel and battery-powered load and haul equipment.