British AAM commences full-scale gold mining at Gilar in western Azerbaijan

BAKU. May 19 (Interfax) - British company Anglo Asian Mining Plc. (AAM), engaged in gold, silver and copper mining in Azerbaijan, has begun full-scale operations at the Gilar gold deposit in the Dashkasan district in western Azerbaijan.

The first ore at the Gilar mine was extracted in March 2025, and the company has now launched full-scale mining. Operations are currently underway at Zone 4. Initially, the ore will be processed using agitation leaching to extract gold as Dore alloy, followed by flotation to produce copper concentrate. The company plans to mine approximately 2,000 tonnes of ore per day, the company's press service said.

Zone 4 reserves are estimated at 2.57 million tonnes of ore containing 1.47% copper and 1.78 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold.

With reserves exceeding 54,000 tonnes of copper and 255,000 ounces of gold, Gilar will play a key role in AAM's strategy to transform into a mid-tier copper producer, Anglo Asian Mining CEO Reza Vaziri said.

The Gilar deposit is located within the Gedabek contract area, approximately 7 km from the company's processing facilities.

After gradual ramp-up, monthly production at the mine is expected to reach 50,000-60,000 tonnes of ore. Overall in 2025, AAM anticipates mining about 400,000 tonnes of ore at Gilar.

According to its strategic growth plan, AAM aims to complete its transformation into a mid-tier diversified copper and gold producer by 2029. By then, copper will become the company's primary product, with forecasted annual production of approximately 50,000-55,000 tonnes in copper equivalent. The company plans to achieve these targets through commissioning four new mines at the Zafar, Gilar, Kharkhar and Garadagh deposits.

Anglo Asian Mining conducts precious metals mining at the Gedabek and Gosha contract areas.

The PSA-type contract was signed on August 21, 1997 and provided for the development of six deposits. Azerbaijan's share, represented by CJSC AzerGold in the contract, is 51%, while AAM holds 49%. The company currently holds development rights for eight contract areas in Azerbaijan.