Allied Nevada Gold Corp. of Reno said last week that delivery of a large Hitachi excavation shovel for its mine expansion project near Winnemucca is about a month behind due to the tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.
The mining company expects the equipment to be in place in the third quarter. As a result of the delay, the company expects to mine between 180,000 and 220,000 ounces of gold this year from the Hycroft mine near Winnemucca.
Mining costs could be higher for a few months, Allied Nevada executives say, since the company is using a mining contractor to haul crushed ore in order to free up other equipment.
