Deep Potential Revealed at the Séguela Gold Mine in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

According to the Mining.com website, Fortuna Mining announced that drilling at its Séguéla open-pit mine in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire has enhanced the prospects for underground mining at the Sunbird deposit.

Hole SGRD2434 intersected 16 meters of ore at a depth of 688 meters, with a gold grade of 7.3 grams per mt. Hole SGRD2444 intersected 11.9 meters of ore at a depth of 448 meters, with a gold grade of 8.3 grams per mt. Other drilling results indicate that a second high-grade vein extends at least 900 meters downward from the bottom of the open pit.

Séguéla is the largest of Fortuna's four operating mines. The company invested approximately 13.5 million Canadian dollars in exploration at the mine this year, aiming to expand its scale. The mine is characterized by high grade, coarse gold grains, quartz vein type, and significant economic value.

Mohamed Sidibé, a mining analyst at National Bank Financial, noted in a report that the latest results "expand the underground potential of Sunbird, highlighting the high grade and deep extension features of the second vein, which may drive future resource growth and mine life extension."

Infill Drilling

Fortuna stated that an additional 40 holes totaling 15,088 meters at the Sunbird deposit are part of a plan to enhance the confidence of underground resources. Five rigs are being used to expand the ore body range and verify its extension. The ore body is not yet controlled at depth and along the strike.

Other announced results include hole SGRD2461, which intersected 11.9 meters of ore at a depth of 669 meters with a gold grade of 6 grams per mt, and hole SGRD2471, which intersected 9.8 meters of ore at a depth of 378 meters with a gold grade of 6 grams per mt.

The Séguéla gold mine commenced production in May 2023. Last year, the mine produced 137,781 ounces of gold, exceeding the company's previous six-year average production expectation of 133,000 ounces. Production is expected to increase to 147,000 ounces this year and reach 180,000 ounces in 2026.

Road Network

The mine is located approximately 500 kilometers northwest of Abidjan, the largest city in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, accessible via major highways to the regional city of Séguéla, and also reachable via a 40-kilometer unpaved road.

The updated resource estimate by Fortuna in December 2024 shows proven and probable ore reserves of 9.75 million mt at a grade of 3.38 grams per mt, equivalent to 1.06 million ounces of gold. Based on this, the Séguéla gold mine has a mine life of 5 years.

Sunbird is one of the six deposits in the project, along with Antenna, Koula, Agouti, Boulder, and Ancien, all of which utilize open-pit mining methods. There are over 30 target areas within the 620-square-kilometer Fortuna deposit.