Review of International Operations

Tarkwa Gold Mine

Technical short form report (PDF - 896KB)

		Implementation of Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to identify and realise cost efficiencies and increase the operation’s NCE margin Development of mining efficiency initiatives to optimise the cost and scheduling of our capital strip over the life of mine, and to reduce blasting costs Commencement of construction of a new tailings storage facility (TSF3) to accommodate future production growth Transition to owner maintenance for the bulk of the mining fleet
PRODUCTION: 22,415 kg (721,000 ozs) TOTAL CASH COSTS: US$536/oz

Mining activities around Tarkwa date back to the late 19th century. Gold Fields Ghana operated the underground mine which exploited the Main and West auriferous conglomerates (reefs) of the Banket Series of the Tarkwaian System. These reefs were mined from two vertical shafts, (Abontiakoon and Apinto), from 1993 until 1999.

In 1996 a prefeasibility study, followed by a positive feasibility, led to the approval for the development of an open pit heap leach operation to the north-west of the underground workings to exploit the outcropping and near-surface multiple conglomerate horizons of the Banket Series.

In 1998 the initial development was completed on Tarkwa Phase I, the 14.5 Mtpa open pit mining operation supplying 4.7 Mtpa of ore to the North Heap Leach facility. From 1999 to 2008 the Tarkwa operation expanded through another three phases, which included the acquisition of Teberebie from Ghanaian Australian Goldfields Limited and the recommissioning of the Teberebie open pit and heap leach pads to the current expanded capacity of the CIL plant.