Desert Gold Provides Barani Mine Construction Update
Desert’s Barani plant has been delivered, with commissioning delayed to Q4 2026 due to logistical hurdles.
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (DAU) confirmed the delivery of its 200 tonnes per day (tpd) gravity processing plant and 650 kVA generator to the Barani Site in Mali. The company updated its construction schedule due to ocean-freight delays, regional fuel-supply constraints, limited construction materials, and seasonal weather. Plant commissioning is now targeted through late October 2026, with initial gold recovery pushed to the fourth quarter of 2026.
Hydrogeological surveys confirmed water availability on-site, with three of four boreholes showing positive flow rates; the final report is pending. Site infrastructure upgrades, including access routes and camp improvements, are ongoing. No security, safety, or community incidents have been reported in 2026. The current construction program focuses on the initial 200 tpd gravity plant. The larger 1,200 tpd scenario from the November 2025 PEA is not part of the current phase.
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (DAU) has delivered its processing plant and generator, marking a crucial physical milestone that confirms the utilization of capital deployed in the February 2026 financing. However, the commissioning timeline has slipped from the mid-July 2026 target announced in May 2026 to late October 2026, delaying initial gold recovery to Q4 2026. The delay is attributed to known regional logistical and weather challenges, which are consistent with the company's prior commentary on execution risks in Mali.
The update does not alter the fundamental economics of the November 2025 PEA, which cited a $61M NPV and 57% IRR at $2,850/oz, or the initial $20.4M capital requirement. The news is incremental and expected in the context of a pre-production development stage, introducing no new market-moving catalysts or changes to the capital allocation strategy.
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (DAU) is a West African gold explorer and developer focused on the Birimian greenstone belt. Its flagship SMSZ Project in Western Mali is fully permitted and covers 440 km². The project hosts the Barani East and Gourbassi deposits, with a November 2025 PEA outlining a 10-year mine life targeting approximately 36,000 tonnes per month throughput.
The Tiegba Project in Côte d'Ivoire covers 297 km² and is in early exploration. It has never been drill-tested but shows strong gold-in-soil anomalies and structural analogies to the nearby Bonikro-Agbaou mine complex. Management brings more than 15 years of West African experience, with prior roles at Centamin, Barrick, and Avocet.