In line with the provisional time schedule, the White Foil gold mine operated by COGEMA (AREVA Group) in Australia has just poured its first two ingots weighing a total of 12 kg.
Rémy Autebert, Manager of Mining Operations at COGEMA, says of the occasion: "Beyond the symbolism, this first pouring marks years of work and the success of our exploration teams and illustrates the skill of our international mining team."
The successful mining of the White Fall deposit opens a new chapter for COGEMA's mining venture on the Australian continent, fifteen years after it first started prospecting gold in Western Australia. The mine's production will increase from one tonne for the first year to two tonnes from the second year onwards until the exploitable resources have been depleted.
The White Foil deposit was discovered in 1996. Located about 20km west of Kalgoorlie, the mining capital of Western Australia, the site covers almost one kilometer. Exploitable deposits are estimated at about 7 tons.
COGEMA is part of AREVA's Energy Business. Employing almost 20,000 people, COGEMA and its subsidiaries supply utilities worldwide with a complete range of products and services linked to the nuclear fuel cycle from mine prospection to recycling spent nuclear fuel.