During April, B2Gold Corp. announced that a fire occurred in certain areas of the crushing circuit at the Goose mine. On-site emergency responders were deployed and immediately initiated response procedures. The fire was fully extinguished, no injuries were reported and no medical treatment was required. In early August, the company commissioned a new mobile crushing plant, which exceeded an average of 3,000 metric tons per day (mt/d) of ore from mid-August, while repairs to the fixed crushing plant because of the fire are being completed.
Phase 1 upgrades to the fixed crushing plant, which include the addition of a run-of-mine mass-flow bin and apron feeder, a new larger jaw crusher and rock breaker, are underway and on track to be commissioned mid-October, the same time repairs from the fire to the conveyor belt are expected to be completed. The Goose mine fixed crushing plant is expected to have an average daily capacity of 3,200 mt/d following the commissioning of the Phase 1 upgrades.
B2Gold plans to continue to use the new mobile crushing plant alongside the fixed crushing plant through October and as weather permits through the winter, to feed the mill and build a stockpile of crushed ore. A semi-permanent enclosure is being erected around the mobile crushing plant to facilitate continued operations of the mobile crusher during the winter months. Phase 2 upgrades to the fixed crushing plant are scheduled for the first half of 2027, at which time the fixed crushing plant is expected to be down for up to 10 weeks while upgrades are completed.
The company expects to build sufficient crushed ore stockpiles prior to the Phase 2 shutdown and utilize the new mobile crushing plant during the upgrade, so that mill operations are not impacted during the shutdown period. Phase 2 crusher upgrades include the installation of larger secondary/tertiary cone crushers, new surge bins with feeders to optimize crusher performance and upgraded conveyors to support higher throughput. Once complete, the Phase 2 upgrades are expected to increase average crushing capacity to design throughput of 4,000 mt/d.
While initially acquired to mitigate the impacts of the crusher fire, the new mobile crushing plant will remain on site and be used to provide long-term operational flexibility and additional crushing capacity beyond the completion of the fixed crushing plant upgrades. Third quarter of 2026 gold production is expected to be broadly in line with first quarter production levels, and fourth quarter of 2026 production is expected to be the strongest quarter of the year, driven by a full quarter of higher mt milled and strong mill feed grade.
“The successful commissioning of the new mobile crushing plant and continued advancement of the Phase 1 upgrades are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our operations, maintenance and project teams,” said Mike Cinnamond, president and CEO of B2Gold. “With the crusher repairs and upgrades on track, we remain confident in our ability to achieve 170,000 to 200,000 ounces of gold production at Goose this year and continue to position the site for improved long-term performance and operating flexibility.”
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