Sumatra provides updates on Tembang gold project

By Romel S. Gurky

ASX-listed Sumatra Copper & Gold plc said that portal access for the planned decline has been reached at the flagship Belinau underground mine at the company?s 100 percent-owned Tembang Gold-Silver Project located in Sumatra.

The company said in a statement Wednesday that ground support preparations are now underway with decline development on schedule to commence at the beginning of August 2015.

There is temporarily no road access to the project due to an illegal action approximately 6km from the mine-site by a small group of artisanal miners. ?Clearance of the obstruction is being managed by the police,? Sumatra said in the statement. ?The local community, which currently comprises 160 of the Tembang Project workforce, remain very supportive of the company,? it added.

Sumatra said construction of the carbon-in-leach (CIL) process plant and infrastructure has not been significantly impacted and the schedule remains on track for first gold pour during the fourth quarter of 2015.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak