Porgera boasts unique composition

By ZARA KANU LEBO
THE Porgera mine in Enga sits as unique apart from the others in Papua New Guinea because most of its ore components comes out as free gold.
Free gold does not combine with other minerals. It is retrieved in its pure state.
Mining experts said such gold could be rapidly recovered in high amounts and with less energy using gravity concentration methods.
Superintendent for open pit mining, Ezekiel Nori, said: “Free gold coming out makes Porgera different from Lihir and Ok Tedi.
“A good component of our ore is free gold; that’s why we have our mills up top. Porgera gold is both free and refractory.
“Free gold makes up about 20 per cent of our recovery while the remainder form just about 80 per cent or less.
“Whatever cannot be recovered from the safe mill area runs down the pipeline for further processing.
“Restarting the mine will involve drilling into the rock using our two rigs now located there, giving us a more detailed understanding of what the ore is like down there,” Nori added.
Work had started on the western wing of the mine, where excavators were currently clearing out mud that had piled up over three years after the mine closed.