[1].
The Ivory Coast mine was driven by strong plant throughput with runtime setting a record of 95.2% in October. This improved throughput, combined with cost-reduction initiatives, is expected to have a positive impact on per ounce costs compared to 2019.
Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow said Tongon had to overcome enormous obstacles to achieve this exceptional performance. Built and commissioned in the midst of a civil war, it has since operated in a very unstable socio-political environment and has been impacted by a broad range of problems, including a mill fire, recurring technical issues and an erratic grid power supply.