Gold miner Lihir Gold Ltd
(ASX:LGL) says it produced 294,000 ounces of gold for the June quarter, taking the half year production to a record 612,000 ounces up from 556,000 in the six months to December 2008.
Lihir says the strong result was due to record production at Lihir Island in PNG, increased output at Mt Rawdon in Queensland and a full six month contribution from the Bonikro operation in West Africa.
Looking ahead the miner says production in 2009 remains on track to be in the range of 1 to 1.2 million ounces, inline with previous guidance.
Lihir says production in the current quarter will be significantly below the June quarter due to routine scheduled plant maintenance at Lihir Island.
Total costs per ounce for 2009 are expected to be maintained below $400 an ounce.
Lihir Gold posted a profit in 2008 after a loss the year before.
