VANCOUVER, Dec. 20, 2018 /CNW/ - Equinox Gold
Corp. (TSX-V: EQX, OTC: EQXFF) ("Equinox Gold" or the
"Company") is pleased to report that the new crusher at its
Aurizona Gold Mine in Brazil
("Aurizona") has been energized and dry tested with the expectation
of putting first ore through the system in early January 2019.
The project is nearly complete and on schedule to achieve
commercial production around the end of Q1-2019.
- Crusher circuit including vibrating feeder has been energized
and dry tested
- Commissioning team ramping up and training programs are
underway
- Engineering and procurement activities are complete
- Tailings storage facility is complete
- Powerline sub-station upgrades are complete and awaiting final
verification by the state utility
- Ancillary buildings and facilities are complete
- At the end of November, processing plant construction was 90%
complete
-
- Concrete work is complete
- Structural steel erection is 96% complete
- Equipment and plate work installation is 86% complete
- Piping is 76% complete
- Electrical and instrumentation is 50% complete
- Pre-production mining is nearing completion
-
- More than 6.4 million tonnes of material moved
- 730,000 tonnes of ore stockpiled and ready for
commissioning
The construction team is focused on piping, electrical and
instrumentation. The main transmission line is ready to provide
full energization to all equipment, and site-wide distribution
circuits to local electrical rooms are being commissioned to enable
testing of individual equipment components.
Equinox Gold commenced full-scale construction at Aurizona in
January 2018 and pre-production
mining in April 2018. Approximately
US$116 million was spent at the end
of November 30, 2018, including
fiscal 2017 spending related to construction activities. The
project remains fully funded. In addition to existing cash
reserves, the Company has US$10
million remaining to draw against its US$85 million construction credit facility.
Construction progress at Aurizona is documented in a photo
gallery on Equinox Gold's website at www.equinoxgold.com and a
number of photos are included at the end of this news release.
On Behalf of the Board of Equinox Gold Corp.
"Christian Milau"
CEO & Director
About Equinox Gold
Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company with a
multi-million-ounce gold reserve base, gold production from its
Mesquite Gold Mine in California,
and near-term production growth from two past-producing mines in
Brazil and
California. Construction is well advanced at the Company's
Aurizona Gold Mine in Brazil with
the objective of achieving commercial production around the end of
Q1-2019, and the Company is advancing its Castle Mountain Gold Mine
in California with the objective
of ramping-up Phase 1 operations in early 2020. Further information
about Equinox Gold's portfolio of assets and long-term growth
strategy is available at www.equinoxgold.com or by email at
ir@equinoxgold.com.
Cautionary Notes and Forward-Looking Statements
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
This document contains certain forward-looking information
and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable
securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements").
All statements other than statements of historical fact are
forward-looking statements. The use of the words "expectation", "on
track", "around the end", "underway", "awaiting", "nearing",
"ready", "enable", "objective", "advancing" and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include,
but are not limited to, statements regarding construction
activities underway at Aurizona, anticipated production from the
Aurizona Gold Mine and Castle Mountain Gold Mine and the growth
potential of the Company. Although the Company believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or
information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on
forward-looking statements since the Company can give no assurance
that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from
those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the
risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Company's
periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and
assumptions made with regard to the Company's ability to complete
construction at Aurizona and achieve production, and the timing to
achieve production; the Company's ability to advance Castle
Mountain and achieve production, and the timing to achieve
production; the Company's ability to successfully operate Mesquite;
and the Company's ability to achieve its expected growth and
production potential. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements
contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news
release and the Company does not undertake any obligations to
publicly update and/or revise any of the included forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of additional information, future
events and/or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable
securities laws.
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SOURCE Equinox Gold Corp.