Perth, April 5, 2006 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Avoca Resources Limited (ASX: AVO) is expected this week to commence dewatering its promising Trident gold project at Higginsville in Western Australia as the Company readies for first gold production by the end of the year.
Addressing the 2006 Gold Conference in Perth today, Avoca Managing Director, Mr Rohan Williams, said dewatering was due to start today or tomorrow, ensuring the current mine start-up schedule remained on track.
He also announced Avoca would probably first mine the recently discovered high grade Athena Lode within the pit on which underground development work has commenced.
"We are expecting to commence mining at a rate of approximately 70,000 ounces of gold per annum but believe the project can sustain production rates moving to 100,000 ounces," Mr Williams said.
The Athena Lode is only 10-15 metres distant from the Western Lode which Mr Williams said "contains some of the most spectacular hits seen for quite a well" in the province.
"Athena is a very sweet part of Trident's lode system and our initial mining plan is expected to be impressive in terms of ore grade."
The Trident project has a current resource of 500,000 ounces with first mined ore to be toll treated.
Mr Williams told the Conference that the Definitive Feasibility Study for Trident, incorporating the more recent Athena Lode drill results, should be completed by August this year.
"Significantly, Avoca is well leveraged to the improving gold price" he said.
Contact
Rohan Williams
Avoca Resources
TEL: +61 8 9226 0625
Kevin Skinner
Senior Consultant
FIELD PUBLIC RELATIONS
231 South Road
MILE END SA 5031
Tel: (08) 8234 9555
Fax: (08) 8234 9566
Mob: 0414 822 631
kevin@fieldpr.com.au
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