Brightstar Resources says construction at its Goldfields project in Western Australia remains on schedule and within its approved budget, targeting first gold in June 2027. The final major concrete pour in the primary crusher area is complete, concrete at the surge bin is finished and structural steel erection has begun there. Platework and welding on the carbon-in-leach tanks is under way, and earthworks and civil concrete have started at the liquefied natural gas power station.
Managing director Alex Rovira described the work as the transition from civil and concrete into structural, mechanical and piping. Near-term targets include completing concrete across the gold recovery, elution and reagents areas, starting structural steel at the grinding, classification and crusher areas, continuing CIL tank installation and initial pump testing at the borefields. The plant is a 1.5 million tonne per year facility built under an EPC contract with GR Engineering.
Site establishment has also started at the Lord Byron open pit, with mining mobilisation targeted for early in the March quarter of 2027. The project rests on a January feasibility study outlining about 75,000 ounces of gold a year for six years, about $1 billion in life-of-mine cash flow, a net present value of $606 million at an 8 percent discount rate and a 74 percent internal rate of return, at a gold price of $6,000 an ounce. The final investment decision in May was funded by a A$193 million equity raising and a US$120 million bond.
Goldfields cash flow is intended to help fund Sandstone, where a pre-feasibility study is targeted before the end of 2026. Infill drilling at Sandstone’s Bull Oak deposit returned 167 metres at 2.07 grams per tonne gold from 104 metres, including 10 metres at 25.0 grams per tonne. Sandstone’s resource rose to 3.6 million ounces on September 28, lifting the group resource to 5.2 million ounces.