DRDGOLD has successfully completed and commissioned its new elution circuit and smelt house at the Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) Driefontein 2 (DP2) facility. This major milestone was marked by the pouring of its very first on-site doré gold bar—a massive 17-kilogram yield that represents years of planning translating into physical operating assets.
Up until this week, personnel at the Far West Gold Recoveries facility had to send their gold concentrate away for final processing, never seeing the final product. That changed on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, when a beaming plant manager proudly displayed the newly poured bar before it was transported under heavy security via helicopter.
Key Details of the Expansion & Vision 2028:
• Massively Increased Capacity: The newly commissioned DP2 extension is set to lift processing capacity from 500,000 tonnes per month to a staggering 1.2 million tonnes per month once fully ramped up.
• Extending Mine Life: At this expanded rate, the development is expected to extend the lifespans of the local operations by approximately 16 years, securing long-term economic stability and job security.
• R10 Billion Master Plan: This project is a key pillar of DRDGOLD’s R10 billion "Vision 2028" capital infrastructure investment programme. Comprising five distinct projects, the initiative aims to structurally reconfigure the company's throughput and production profiles across both the Ergo and Far West Gold Recoveries operations.
• Greener, Self-Sustaining Energy: To protect operational continuity and offset the high costs of electricity, the first phase of the expansion involved commissioning a 60 MW solar power plant and an integrated 187 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). Operating at Ergo, this massive green footprint now provides roughly half of the facility's power, significantly driving down both carbon emissions and operating costs.
This successful pour proves that DRDGOLD’s long-term investments are actively bearing fruit, fortifying the business's resilience and positioning South Africa's surface gold reclamation sector for a sustainable future.
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