Gold in them thar hills...
A project to mine gold near Tyndrum is reported to be making progress.
Australian company Scotgold Resources was granted permission in spring for a small-scale pilot plant to crush 2,400 tonnes of ore stockpiled at Cononish Mine,
It has now applied to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Planning Authority (LLTNPPA) for an extension to give it time to process the rest of the stockpile - around 4800 tonnes of material.
Scotgold were initially given permission to run the bulk processing trial (BPT) over a nine-month period, and the company hopes to secure permission for another year.
A statement from the firm said:“This initial BPT is progressing well and scheduled for completion within the permitted time frame.
“More importantly it has identified potential opportunities to further enhance the economics of the full-scale operation.
“As it will take some time to fully explore and assess these opportunities, and to make full use of the existing pilot plant, the company considers it worthwhile to extend the period of the BPT.
“Accordingly an application has been made to the LLTNPPA to extend BPT operations to the end of March, 2018.”
Scotgold launched the processing trial earlier this year, targeting a“first pour” production of between 400 and 600 ounces of gold during the initial trial and is seeking to persuade potential investors to back larger-scale production at Cononish.
It has estimated that several tonnes of gold could be extracted and last month, the first gold from the mine was sold at auction in Edinburgh.
It was sold in“rounds”stamped with the Scottish Gold Mark and a unique serial number, with the average price about £4,557 per ounce.