Porgera’s new milestone

THE Porgera mine in Enga province has underscored its world-class reputation this month when it processed its 100 millionth tonne of ore since the mill began operation in 1990.
Porgera executive general manager Greg Walker said the 100 million mark was reached in the early hours of July 14.
 “This is a tremendous milestone for Porgera,” he said.
 “It really shows what a great mine this is and how much it has contributed to Papua New Guinea.”
The first bar of gold at Porgera was poured on Sept 20, 1990 and since then the mine has produced more than 17.6 million ounces of gold. 
This production represents on average 12% of PNG’s total export earnings over the past 22 years.
The mine now produces around half a million ounces a year, placing it among the most-productive of the world’s gold mines.
After crushing and grinding the ore, to recover the gold-bearing supplied minerals, Porgera uses pressure oxidation (which requires large quantities of oxygen) to oxidise the sulphides and release the gold for extraction via cyanidation.
Cyanide tailings are neutralised using locally produced quicklime and combined with flotation tailings to ensure tailings are benign.
When production began in September 1990, the mill pro­cessed around 2,000 tonnes a day.
Following a series of upgrades, it now puts through an average of 17,500 tonnes of rock each day.
Walker congratulated all those who have contributed to Porgera’s production record.
“We could not have achieved this milestone without the support and assistance of our key stakeholders and partners, and I would like to thank them for that,” he said.
“This includes the mine landowner clans and families, the PNG government and the Enga provincial government, the Mineral Resources Authority and, of course, the communities of the Porgera Valley.
 “One of the other outstanding features of this mine is the dedication of our people.
 “We have a number of key personnel who have been with the mine since it first began production in 1990 that are still here today, continuing to help Porgera deliver its results.
“These include, among others,  Jacobus Lyambi  (maintenance supervisor), Elias Pealo (mill supervisor), Peter Ipu (maintenance supervisor),  Joseph Unagi  (electrical supervisor), Allan Pearson (electrical foreman), Ben McKelvie (machine foreman), Posi Puamonana  (equipment operator), and Jim Dempster (site services general foreman).”
Walker said that around 70 personnel who started employment with the mine in 1990 remained in service. 
“I think this says a lot about the dedication of our people, and their commitment to Porgera and PNG – they really believe in what they do, and it shows in our results!” he said.