Kingsgate Consolidated has announced the first gold pour at its newly refurbished Plant #1 at the Chatree Gold Mine in Thailand.

This initial pour produced four doré bars, with the elution circuit and gold room functioning effectively.

The company is now looking to focus on growing throughput to finalise the commissioning of Plant #1.

Kingsgate managing director and CEO Jamie Gibson said: “We are delighted to acknowledge this important milestone, as we continue to ramp up operations at Chatree with gold and silver now being produced through two processing plants.”

Located in central Thailand, around 280km north of Bangkok, Chatree Gold Mine is wholly owned by Kingsgate through its Thai unit, Akara Resources.

The mine has a distinguished production history, having yielded 1.8 million ounces of gold and ten million ounces of silver from 2001 to 2016.

Kingsgate describes Chatree as a “world-class” asset.

Last month, Kingsgate announced that Plant #1 at Chatree received operational approval following a successful inspection by the Department of Primary Industries and Mines.

The mine operates as a large-scale, low-cost, open-pit venture with a processing capacity exceeding five million tonnes per annum across two plants.

Current reserves support a nine-year mine life based on a 1.3 million ounce gold reserve.

Furthermore, Kingsgate emphasises the exploration potential at Chatree.

An aggressive exploration programme is currently focused on the south-eastern corridor of the mine.

The company added that the year 2023 has been pivotal for Chatree, not only seeing the mine’s reopening after a six-year hiatus but also the company securing almost $150m in Board of Investment incentives.

Additionally, the mine was granted access to new special prospecting licence areas, further bolstering its operational prospects.