Eldorado Gold has reported that its Skouries copper-gold project in northern Greece has entered the commissioning phase, marking the first processing of ore through the crushing circuit.
The company said this development signifies that the front-end processing systems are functioning as planned.
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The project is currently in the final stages of construction.
Eldorado Gold aims to begin producing copper-gold concentrate at Skouries in the third quarter of 2026 (Q3 2026), with commercial production scheduled for the following quarter.
These timelines are dependent on full-site energisation, integrated commissioning activities and completion of the site ramp-up.
Wet and dry commissioning activities are under way across multiple on-site circuits including grinding, flotation, concentrate handling and tailings management.
Systems are currently being transferred in stages from the construction team to the combined commissioning and operations team.
All 12 power transmission towers and their conductors have been installed following an eight-hour power outage on the transmission line to allow for the final tower installation.
Testing of the substation is complete; however, full energisation awaits final inspection and sign-off by the Greek power authority.
In the meantime, Eldorado Gold has installed additional generators to support commissioning and process plant activities.
The company has also announced that open-pit mining at Skouries is ahead of schedule, with a run-of-mine ore stockpile of around 3.4 million tonnes (mt).
Including underground ore, the total stockpile stands at around 3.9mt.
Eldorado Gold expects this stockpile to supply the plant through 2026, supporting a steady commissioning process and the first year of production.
Eldorado Gold CEO George Burns said: “Crushing first ore is an important milestone for Skouries and reflects the steady, safe progress being made by our team as the project moves through the final stages of construction and staged commissioning.
“While final site energisation remains subject to final inspection and sign-off by the Greek power authority, we are taking proactive steps to maintain momentum, including adding the supplemental generators to support commissioning readiness and activities within the process plant.”
Last month, Eldorado Gold produced the initial copper concentrate from its wholly owned McIlvenna Bay Project in east-central Saskatchewan, Canada.
