Oceana Gold has started milling at its Haile Gold Mine in the United States late last week, right on schedule.
CEO Mick Wilkes said in a statement the milestone represented a special moment in the history of Haile as the historic goldfield was re-established with a world-class modern mining operation in Lancaster county, South Carolina.
"From the start of the year [2016], we established a firm timeline of key milestones we have achieved throughout the year, culminating in the start of milling ore at year-end as planned."
Oceana had established a strong team in South Carolina, including technical experts from across the business to carry out commissioning activities and transition to operations.
Achieving the important benchmark in just 15 months since taking ownership of Haile was a true testament to the leadership and dedication of the team, Mr Wilkes said.