Westgold Resources plans Meekatharra processing expansion

Westgold Resources Limited has released a Scoping Study for the Meekatharra Expansion Plan (MXP), a brownfields project designed to increase processing capacity at its Meekatharra hub in Western Australia. The plan aims to raise throughput from 1.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 2.9Mtpa by the 2028 financial year, representing a roughly 61 per cent increase.

The expansion is intended to address growing processing constraints caused by increased ore supply from the Bluebird–South Junction underground mine and the Murchison open pit program. Once commissioned, the MXP is expected to add approximately 47,000 ounces of gold production annually and could produce between 1.5 and 1.8 million ounces of gold over its lifetime.

Estimates for the project's capital requirement range from $65 million to $100 million, with an estimated payback period of nine months. The project will leverage existing infrastructure and previously procured long-lead equipment, utilizing a parallel crushing and single-stage semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) milling circuit integrated with current recovery systems.