Wet commissioning of the Bluebird plant started on October 16 and the pouring of the 11.76kg bar of gold dore effectively marked the commissioning completion.

The gold dore was drawn predominantly from gravity concentrates.

The plant is being optimised. At the moment it is operating at an average throughput of more than 200 tonnes per hour.

At full speed the carbon in pulp plant, which came with Metal X’s purchase of the Meekatharra Gold Operations and Nannine tenements, should process 2 million tonnes per annum.

Run-of-mine ore stocks total 281,548t at 1.24 grams per tonne gold. That consists of 91,465t of 1.68gpt high grade open pit ore and 190,083t of 1.03gpt low grade open pit ore.

CMGP has a host of historical open pit and underground mines.

Metals X has two gold projects already up and running – Higginsville Gold Operations and South Kalgoorlie Operations. It bought the two Western Australian operations from Alacer Gold Corp’s Australian business unit.

CMGP will be its third gold operation.

Open pit mining at CMGP started in June at the Batativia and Whangamata pits. There are plans to add the mining of the Reedy’s Pits – Jack Ryan, Rand and Callisto – to the production schedule along with some remnant mining at Bluebird and the Surprise group of open pits.

Australian Contract Mining started underground mining at Paddy’s Flat in August. Underground mining at Great Fingall has been delayed by permitting matters and the re-evaluation of a prior phase of open pit mining.

Plans to start mining on the Triton and Emu zones at Reedy’s in the fourth quarter are advancing.

Besides gold and tin, Metals X is also looking to add copper to its repertoire through the takeover of Aditya Birla Minerals.

On October 23 Metals X received Foreign Investment Review Board approval for its off market scrip bid for the company.

Aditya Birla’s board yesterday told shareholders to reject the “inadequate” Metals X offer that valued their company at $82.1 million.