The move is part of company’s plan to enhance the mine’s design capacity of 63,000 tonnes run-of mine (ROM) per month by November 2013.
Under the expansion, the company has completed the commissioning of the permanent ventilation shaft required to reach the targeted capacity and has also opened the planned mining outlay of nine road production sections.
Continental chief executive officer Don Turvey said the Penumbra project is further establishing itself as a model project from design, through development and now aiming for steady state production.
"Experience gained during the Penumbra project execution will stand us to good use when we commence development of De Wittekrans in the near future," Turvey added.
Additionally, the company has is also establishing mining sections to improve capacity, and add a drill-and-blast section to the two continuous miner sections during November 2013 that is expected to offer additional flexibility to maintain the planned production rate.
According to the company, the ROM production for July and August 2013 grew 35% to an average of 26,787 tonnes per month, compared to19,895 tonnes per month produced during the second quarter of 2013.
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