• Orezone produces first gold at new Bomboré plant on December 15
• $80 million facility targets 45% output increase by 2026
• Bomboré production forecast to rise to about 185,000 ounces in 2026

Orezone Gold Corp said it produced first gold on December 15 at a new processing plant at its Bomboré mine in Burkina Faso.

The $80 million facility is designed to optimise production at the mine and is expected to drive a 45% increase in output in 2026.

Bomboré produced 118,746 ounces of gold in 2024, while output in 2025 is forecast at between 115,000 and 130,000 ounces, reflecting a relatively modest production scale. Operations to date have relied on an oxide processing plant, but the new facility is designed to treat higher-grade ore.

The plant has a nameplate capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year. Based on current forecasts, its contribution is expected to raise total production at Bomboré to about 185,000 ounces in 2026.

“Commissioning is now complete, with mill throughput averaging 78% of nameplate capacity over the first five days of operation, resulting in first gold on December 15,” Orezone President and Chief Executive Patrick Downey said in a statement. “Commercial production is expected to be declared in early first-quarter 2026 and will mark a major milestone for Orezone, with total gold output at Bomboré set to increase by 45% to between 170,000 and 185,000 ounces in 2026. This will represent a significant inflection point for cash flow, supported by the company’s solid balance sheet and record-high gold prices.”

The company’s immediate focus is to ramp up throughput at the new plant. Orezone is also studying the development of a second, similar facility, which could lift annual production at Bomboré to between 225,000 and 250,000 ounces. No timeline has been set for the start of that project.

Orezone holds a 90% interest in the Bomboré mine, with the remaining 10% owned by the Burkinabe state.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou