The Tabakoto underground mine is scheduled to produce about 470,000 mt of ore in 2012, at an average grade of 4.34 g/mt, with approximately 60,000 oz of gold recovered by the process plant. This repre-sents 41% of Tabakoto’s estimated gold production for 2012. The other 59% will come from open-pit mining.

Commenting on the start of production at the Tabakoto underground mine, Avion’s COO Andrew Bradfield said, “The com-mencement of production ore mining from the Tabakoto underground mine is a mile-stone for Avion. It is an important step in the company’s goal of achieving 4,000 mt/d of process plant capacity in 2012. This increase in capacity is anticipated to achieve a run-rate of 200,000 oz/y of gold by the fourth quarter of 2012.”

Avion also announced it started to mine ore from the Djambaye II open-pit. Approximately 574,000 mt of ore at an average grade of 3.92 g/mt gold, for approximately 66,000 oz of gold, are scheduled to be mined from the pit in 2012. Ore from the Dioulafoundou and Segala NW open-pits will provide the remainder of the 2012 mill feed for the company’s 2012 production guidance of 140,000 to 150,000 oz of gold.