Blanket Mine Q1 Gold Output Falls 4,000 Ounces; Seven-Day Shifts and New Ball Mill Ahead
Q1 2026 gold production at Blanket Mine fell to 14,767 ounces from 18,671 ounces in Q1 2025 due to mining sequence, equipment availability and ground conditions. Caledonia plans a seven-day shift, contractor appointment and a new ball mill to support full-year guidance of 72,000–76,500 ounces.
1. Q1 2026 Production and Challenges
Blanket Mine produced 14,767 ounces of gold in Q1 2026, down from 18,671 ounces in Q1 2025, reflecting mining sequence through lower-grade areas, equipment availability issues and difficult ground conditions that temporarily constrained access to higher-grade zones. Plant performance remained strong with 202,217 tonnes milled and high processing circuit availability.
2. Operational Improvement Initiatives
Caledonia has appointed a contractor to accelerate mine development into higher-grade ore sources, is implementing a revised shift system expanding operations from six to seven days per week, and will commission an additional ball mill in Q2 2026 to increase milling capacity and support production growth.
3. Full-Year Production Guidance and Outlook
Management remains confident in the full-year production range of 72,000 to 76,500 ounces, expecting output to be weighted towards the second half of 2026 as operational measures take effect by stabilizing mining areas, improving equipment uptime and restoring access to planned ore sources.