Carnavale’s Gold Recovery Over 98% Boosts Kookynie Economy
Carnavale Resources is seeking a toll‑treatment or ore‑purchase deal for its Kookynie gold project after laboratory tests showed gold recoveries of 98‑99% at a 106‑micron grind size.
Metallurgical testing confirms high recovery rates
The cyanide leach trials, conducted with process water typical of Goldfields’ carbon‑in‑leach (CIL) plants, delivered recoveries of 98% from oxide material, 98% from transitional ore and 99% from fresh rock. Those figures suggest each mineralogical zone at Kookynie can be processed in a standard Goldfields CIL facility without special treatment.
Low cyanide consumption was also recorded – 0.44 kg per tonne for oxide ore and 0.35 kg per tonne for fresh rock. Gravity‑based recovery remained respectable, at 71% for oxide and 81% for fresh rock, indicating that a portion of the gold could be captured before leaching.
“The outcomes of the detailed metallurgical work have been outstanding, with gold recoveries above 98% using process water sourced from a Goldfields CIL plant,” managing director Humphrey Hale said. “These results confirm the earlier work by Carnavale and support the economics for the project.”
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Testing also showed no adverse impact on a conventional tailings facility, an important consideration for any new mining operation that plans to use a CIL circuit.
Project economics and development outlook
Kookynie lies about 60 km south of Leonora and 180 km north of Kalgoorlie, positioning it within trucking distance of existing processing plants in the Eastern Goldfields.
The resource now totals 855,000 tonnes at 4.4 g/t, delivering roughly 120,000 oz of gold – a 2.5% increase over the July 2025 mineral resource estimate.
Fresh rock accounts for about 85% of the contained ounces, while oxide and transitional material represent roughly 9% and 6% respectively.
After a 2025 update, the feasibility study doubled the net present value to $188 million and lifted free cash flow to $237 million, a 126% rise. Measured and indicated resources now comprise about two‑thirds of the total estimate, reinforcing confidence in the deposit’s size.
High‑grade, low‑capex projects like Kookynie can be brought online quickly and profit from existing infrastructure. Near‑perfect recoveries without excessive cyanide use reduce both operating costs and environmental risk, factors that investors and regulators weigh heavily.
For the testwork, composite samples were taken from diamond drill holes representing each mineralogical domain, and nine variability samples were selected to gauge performance across a range of gold grades.
Hale added that the ore’s “well‑behaved” nature and standard physical characteristics make it suitable for any typical CIL plant, reinforcing the case for a toll‑treatment arrangement with nearby processors.
The company has not yet announced a partner, but the strong metallurgical data should make Kookynie a compelling option for existing gold‑processing facilities looking to add throughput without major capital upgrades.
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