Westgold Resources Limited has released a scoping study for its Meekatharra processing hub in Western Australia, moving away from its previous plant capacity of 1.6 to 1.8 million tonnes per annum to evaluate a brownfields expansion targeting 2.9 million tonnes per annum by fiscal 2028.

The study outlines a capital-efficient expansion designed to remove processing constraints as output climbs across the company's Murchison operations. Mining at the South Junction Lode within the Bluebird-South Junction complex began in September 2024 to supply baseline ore, while Westgold also executed an ore purchase agreement in December 2024 to source 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes of gold ore per month from New Murchison Gold Limited’s Crown Prince deposit for the Bluebird facility.

“Meekatharra is the growth engine of Westgold's Murchison business. As Bluebird-South Junction continues to expand and the Murchison open pit program ramps up, the hub is increasingly moving from being mine-constrained to processing-constrained.” — Wayne Bramwell, Managing Director and CEO

The Meekatharra Expansion Plan involves installing a parallel crushing and single-stage SAG milling circuit integrated with existing downstream leach, adsorption and gold recovery infrastructure. The scoping study indicates an indicative capital cost of approximately $100 million, backed by a capital payback period of nine months.

“It utilises existing infrastructure and long-lead equipment already procured to increase processing capacity from 1.8Mtpa to 2.9Mtpa, without the capital intensity, execution risk or timeframe of building a new plant.” — Wayne Bramwell, Managing Director and CEO

The proposed plant upgrade is estimated to add roughly 47,000 ounces per annum of gold production once commissioned, lifting total life-of-mine production to between 1.5 million and 1.8 million ounces over a 10-year period, with all-in sustaining costs modeled between $1,968 and $2,406 per ounce.

Westgold plans to complete feasibility-level engineering and capital estimation work ahead of a potential investment decision for the Meekatharra Expansion Plan in late fiscal 2027, targeting commercial commissioning in fiscal 2028.

Read the full announcement: 2.9Mtpa Meekatharra Expansion Plan