Perseus Mining is set to commission its Sissingué gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire after introducing crushed ore to the mill and the CIL plant last week.

Sissingué is the company’s second gold mine.

Perseus Mining managing director and CEO Jeff Quartermaine said: “ We are looking forward very much to starting gold production later in January 2018 and to seeing Sissingué ramp-up to full-scale production and positive cash flow by the end of the March quarter.

“Sissingué is estimated to produce 358,000oz over its mine-life.”

“At that point, Perseus will be transformed from a single mine, single country business to a multi-mine, multi-jurisdiction operation and we will be well on the way to achieving our goal of producing in excess of 500,000oz of gold per year from late-2021 from our three West African operations, namely Edikan, Sissingué, and Yaouré.”

The estimated cost for full development of the Sissingué mine and infrastructure was $107m, including operational readiness initiatives.

Sissingué is estimated to produce 358,000oz over its mine-life, according to the updated life of mine plan published in March last year.

The report estimates that the mine will produce approximately 80,000oz annually for the first 3.25 years, and around 70,000oz per annum over the full five-year lifespan.