ASX-listed gold miner Classic Minerals has commissioned the processing plant at Kat Gap mine, its flagship gold mine in Western Australia.

With the commissioning, the plant can now begin processing bulk sample ore consisting of 6,504t of ore with an average grade of 6.06g per tonne.

Classic Minerals has used the blend of its modular-designed Gekko and conventional processing plant.

The smaller design is expected to be in line with the company’s operational objectives and its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.

At first, the stockpile from the bulk sample ore will be handled using a fixed crushing and screening plant.

It will be followed by a milling circuit with a ball mill, hydro-cyclones, gravity separation and concentrating equipment.

Gold can then be recovered using spinning concentrators and multi-gravity separators.

Furthermore, concentrate cleaning will be conducted using a single Butchart table separator with 100kg/h of capacity. This will be followed by concentrate dewatering and on-site smelting to produce bars of gold.

The company expects to have the first bar of gold smelted this month.

Classic Minerals CEO Dean Goodwin said: “We are thrilled to announce the successful commissioning of the Kat Gap Processing Plant. This milestone signifies a major advancement for the company and represents a new era as we begin processing our own gold from the Kat Gap mine.

“The modern plant design and modular approach demonstrate our commitment to efficiency, sustainability, and responsible mining practices.”

The Kat Gap mine is located 170km south of Southern Cross and nearly 50km south of Classic’s Forrestania Gold Project.

The mine is claimed to have 93,000oz of resources with gold mineralisation with shallow high-grade gold in its drill holes.

Early results showed 2m at 116g per tonne(g/t) and recent drilling claims indicate gold intercepts at 4m at 76g/t per tonne, incorporating 1m at 304g/t.