The facility’s design parameters were provided by SGS South Africa and was manufactured by XKJ Solution Group division Henan Xingyang Mining Machinery Manufactory.
The plant’s equipment, structural steel footings and structural steel supports have been delivered to the site, and as of January 8 the final assembly and installation was under way. Power for the installation will be handled by a 250kW YTO diesel generator set.
Some elements there are already completed, such as the facility’s concrete foundation and reinforced slab. It also has installed the steel infrastructure and supports for upper vibrating feeder and primary crusher.
Its crews have placed the cylinder washing machine in place as well as a 10m ore conveyor between the feeder and washing machine. The work being performed now includes prepping steel structures to support the secondary crusher and the ball mill,after which the milling line will be complete.
Stellar AfricaGold currently has a 40ft (12.2m) shipping container on site for the placement of a Model 6S shaking table with a 30-60t/d concentrate capacity from the Knelson concentrator. It will later become Balandougou’s on-site gold room and will house a high-frequency smelting furnace.
The company has drilled a pair of 100m deep water wells to both eliminate water supply issues going forward and also to remove the high cost of water transport. Both wells are operational.Once the mill is running, it will recycle and reuse about 75% of the approximate 30,000L it will take to operate daily.
Final details are also being put into place at Balandougou; sleeping facilities, bathrooms, a kitchen and cafeteria are 90% complete. About 15,000 tonnes of material is also extracted and ready for processing once the plant is commissioned.
Construction should wrap up by the end of this month, with commissioning of the facility shortly after. Officials expect the bulk sample to take about four months to process.
After first holding a partial interest stake in the Balandougou project, Stellar AfricaGold increased its ownership to 100% last January.
