October 13 (SeeNews) - Canada's Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) said that during the third quarter of 2020 it achieved strong gold production from both of its mines in Bulgaria - Chelopech and Ada Tepe, based on preliminary data.
"Ada Tepe continues to deliver impressive performance, producing 30,000 gold ounces in the third quarter. Production was higher than planned as a result of higher gold grade and higher volumes of ore treated," DPM said in a statement on Friday.
The Chelopech mine continued its consistent track record in the third quarter, producing some 49,800 ounces of gold and 9.2 million pounds of copper. Gold and copper production at the mine was as expected.
As a result of strong operational performance year-to-date at both operations, DPM is on track to achieve the higher end of its 2020 guidance for gold production, the company said.
DPM's 2020 guidance range envisages a gold output of 257,000-299,000 ounces and a copper production of 35-40 million pounds.
A total of 2.3 million tonnes of ore were processed at the Chelopech and Ada Tepe mines in the January-September period of this year, out of which close to 1.7 million tonnes were processed at the Chelopech mine aloneл
According to DPM's statement, the Ada Tepe mine produced approximately 92,600 ounces of gold in the first nine months of the year.
The Chelopech mine, in western Bulgaria, contributed 141,500 gold ounces and 28 million pounds of copper produced during the January-September period.
"To date, DPM has not experienced any material disruptions to its operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," the company noted adding that it continues to ensure the security of its inbound and outbound supply chains.
In 2019, DPM achieved record-high gold concentrate output of 230,600 ounces from its two Bulgarian mines, as Ada Tepe reached full operating capacity in September 2019.