Sunshine clears another Mt Moss hurdle ahead of mid-2027 first gold

Mt Moss refurbishment remains tied to mid-2027 first gold

Sunshine Metals Limited (ASX:SHN) has cleared another stage in the restart of its Mt Moss processing facility, reporting that refurbishment remains on track for commissioning and first gold in mid-2027. The company says construction is expected to begin in October or November 2026 once the remaining designs, tenders and contracts are finalised.

The work so far has been less about putting new machinery in place than making the existing operation usable again. Sunshine has removed all magnetite-associated processing equipment, emptied a ball mill and stripped its liners, drives and bearings. It has also relocated mill feed hoppers while scanning and assessing the foundations beneath the mill area.

Existing infrastructure is being tested for reuse

Water and tailings pumps are being assessed and reconditioned, while the company is evaluating mobile plant, fuel storage tanks, generators, electrical switchgear and other fixed equipment. Roads and earthworks have been rehabilitated, and the 30-room camp and site office complex are being recommissioned.

That emphasis on assessment matters because the release provides no new production forecast, project cost or financing detail. Sunshine Managing Director Dr Damien Keys said the company remains “on track and on budget” to commission the facility in mid-2027, but the announcement does not quantify the budget against which that statement is being measured.

Engineering, procurement and permitting move toward construction

Detech Engineering has completed the plant’s detailed piping and instrumentation diagrams and finished its assessment of the mill foundations. Sunshine has begun ordering long lead-time items, including the elution circuit and gold room, and is preparing tenders for CIL tanks, launders and platforms.

Environmental work is progressing alongside the engineering program. Waste rock characterisation drilling has been completed on existing mine dumps, water and receiving-environment runoff data are being updated, and sampling of open-pit water and site bores is under way to assess potential process-water sources. A revised ERC submission is nearing completion, while PRCP activities are advancing, according to the company.

The next operational test comes in October, when Sunshine expects to finalise civil and steel-fabrication tenders covering CIL tank foundations, the fine ore bin, mill foundations and structural steel. Existing structural elements, including feed hoppers, conveyors and miscellaneous beams, are scheduled for refurbishment by November. Until those decisions are completed and construction starts, the mid-2027 target remains a project timetable rather than an operating result.