According to CEO Benoit La Salle, the company had experienced non-recurring challenges at Zgounder, such as commissioning of the ball mill, which postponed some operational milestones to the fourth quarter. Due to the delay, it decided to lower its 2024 production guidance to 1.6-1.8 million oz.
“These temporary setbacks are now behind us, and our team is on track to deliver commercial production at Zgounder before year-end,” La Salle said, adding that the mine will be central to the company’s growth plans in the coming years.
Located in the central Anti-Atlas mountains, Zgounder is considered the second most important silver producer in Morocco. It currently holds approximately 8.6 million tonnes in reserves at 257 grams per tonne silver for 70.9 million oz.
After achieving commercial production in January 2019, Aya set out to expand the mine’s nameplate capacity from 700 tonnes per day to 2,700…


