(Ecofin Agency) - Located in Worodougou, 500 km from Abidjan, the Séguéla open-pit mine began operations in 2023. It is projected to produce an annual average of 133,000 ounces of gold over its 7-year lifespan. This estimate does not account for the mine's underground mineral resources.

Fortuna Mining plans to complete a 12,000-meter drilling program at the Sunbird deposit of its Séguéla gold mine in Côte d'Ivoire during H1 of 2025. The program, according to a press release dated December 16, will facilitate studies to determine the deposit's viability for underground mining.

Over the last two years, drilling has already confirmed 404,000 ounces of indicated and inferred mineral resources in the underground extension of the Sunbird deposit. The upcoming studies aim to evaluate whether expanding these underground resources–coupled with the potential of other deposits like Koula and Ancien–can justify an underground mining operation at Séguéla.

Fortuna extends Kingfisher deposit with drill intersect of 4.1 g/t Au over 15.3 meters at the Séguéla Mine, Côte d’Ivoire https://t.co/Ox38btff0f

— Fortuna Mining | $FSM $FVI (@fortunamining) December 16, 2024

Séguéla, which started production in May 2023, is currently planned as an open-pit operation. The project does not integrate underground mining in its initial plan. Including underground deposits could extend the mine's life or enhance its production capacity. Over its first six years of activity, Séguéla is anticipated to produce approximately 133,000 ounces of gold annually. Based on its existing ore reserves, the mine has a 7-year lifespan.

Côte d'Ivoire seeks to double its gold output over the next five years. Exploiting new deposits, such as the underground resources at Séguéla, could be key to achieving this goal. In 2023, Côte d'Ivoire's gold production reached 51 tonnes.

Emiliano Tossou