Morila Gold Mine

The Morila Gold Mine is an open-pit gold mine situated 180 km south of Bamako, near the community of Sanso, in the Sikasso Region of Mali. The operation is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti and Randgold Resources, who each have an effective holding of 40% through jointly owned Morila Limited, while the Government of Mali owns the remaining 20%.[1]

Morila
Location
Morila Gold Mine
Location in Mali
LocationSanso
RegionSikasso
CountryMali
Coordinates11°40′44.78″N 6°50′59.38″W
Production
Production342,000
Financial year2009
History
Opened2000
Closed2013 (expected)
Owner
CompanyAngloGold Ashanti (40%)
Randgold Resources (40%)
Government of Mali (20%)
WebsiteAngloGold Ashanti website
Randgold website

Apart from Morila, AngloGold Ashanti's also owns part of the Sadiola and the Yatela Mine in Mali. The production of its mines in Mali contributed 8% to the company's overall production in 2008.[2]

The mine was operated by AngloGold Ashanti, but operations were taken over by Randgold in 2008.[2]

History

The mine opened in October 2000.[3]

Mining at Morila, carried out in a single open pit, was completed in April 2009. The treatment of low-grade stockpiles, however, is expected to continue until 2013. Consequently, with the mining having ceased, the number of employees at Morila has fallen from 1,700 in 2008 to 1,053 in 2009.[1]

Randgold, the operator of the mine, has commenced a study to investigate the viability of a large agricultural business in the area, which could use some of the existing infrastructure of the mine after its closure and provide employment for the mining staff.[3]

The mine has been blamed for dividing the people in local communities in the region into those that have found well-paying jobs in the mine and prospered, while those that have not remain poor. A strike at the mine in 2004 was aimed at countering this issue, resulting in a promise by the mine owners to invest into the local communities after the mine closure.[4]

Production

Production figures of the recent past were:

Year Production Grade Cost per ounce
2003 [5] 794,000 ounces 7.56 g/t US$ 108
2004 [5] 510,000 ounces 4.44 g/t US$184
2005 [5] 655,000 ounces 5.41 g/t US$191
2006 [6] 517,000 ounces 3.88 g/t US$275
2007 [1] 450,000 ounces 3.36 g/t US$350
2008 [1] 425,000 ounces 3.08 g/t US$419
2009 [1] 342,000 ounces 2.47 g/t US$527
2010
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References
  1. Annual Report 2009 Archived 2011-09-12 at the Wayback Machine AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 27 July 2010
  2. Country report: Mali AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 26 July 2010
  3. Morila Gold Mine Archived 2009-11-09 at the Wayback Machine Randgold website, accessed: 8 August 2010
  4. Striking Gold Is No Bonanza for Small Mali Town MAC: Mines and Communities website, author: Lisa Bryant, published: 17 August 2005, accessed: 8 August 2010
  5. Annual Report 2005 Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010
  6. Annual Report 2006 Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010
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