Canada-headquartered Aya Gold and Silver has poured first silver from its expanded Zgounder mine, in Morocco, bringing the company closer to the start of commercial production in the coming weeks.
The expansion of the Zgounder mine is central to Aya’s strategy of becoming a tier-one, pure-play silver producer. Following a feasibility study in February 2022, which outlined plans for a 2 700-t/d expansion, the company has moved forward with increasing production capacity. The expansion, supported by a high-grade reserve estimate, is expected to quadruple output to 6.8-million ounces of silver a year post-expansion.
“With a full ramp-up planned for next year, we are encouraged by the strong operating indicators, overall performance, and continued optimisation of our deposit,” commented president and CEO Benoit La Salle.
Zgounder is already one of Morocco’s most significant silver assets, ranking as the second-largest silver mine in the country after the Imiter mine.