The steady hum of machinery filled the air as ore passed through the series of equipment at the Ore Preparation Plant (OPP) of the Pani Gold Mine in Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo Province, on 12 November 2025. The material entered the crusher, where it was broken down into smaller sizes, before moving along conveyors toward the vibrating screen, which ensures that all material meets the size specifications for the next stage. Throughout this process, automated control systems monitored and adjusted material flow to keep operations running smoothly.
The first ore crushing marked a key milestone confirming that OPP’s core facilities can operate under near-full-load conditions. This trial is part of C3 Commissioning, an operational test using real ore to verify equipment integration, process stability, and overall system readiness. Earlier stages—C1 and C2—validated the design and installation through documentation checks and static testing before the equipment was energized. C3 is the dynamic testing phase using actual material, while C4 will serve as the final optimization and performance-validation stage before the facility is declared ready for commercial operations.
With C3 completed, the technical team is now fine-tuning process parameters—from conveyor speed and crusher capacity to vibrating-screen frequency—to achieve the most efficient configuration ahead of C4 Commissioning. This process ensures the entire gold-production system operates stably and in full alignment with the design.
“This C3 milestone is the result of the team’s hard work and the support of our stakeholders,” said Boyke Poerbaya Abidin, President Director of PT Merdeka Gold Resources Tbk (MGR), the company operating the Pani Gold Mine, which recently listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange following its parent company, PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk. “We are moving steadily toward full operations, which will bring economic benefits, job opportunities, and social value to surrounding communities.”
This progress builds on a series of key milestones achieved by the Pani Gold Mine throughout the year. On 1 October 2025, initial mining activities began with the first digging. Only after the completion of the OPP construction was the first crushing carried out as an initial step to verify processing readiness. With the completion of the C3 stage, the Pani Gold Mine is now moving closer to its first gold production, targeted for the first quarter of 2026.
To ensure first gold production stays on schedule, MGR has taken various steps throughout project development, including signing a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) agreement with PLN to secure a renewable electricity supply for Pani operations. With ore reserves of 190 million tonnes containing 4.8 million ounces of gold—making it one of Indonesia’s largest primary gold deposits—the project is being developed to operate with stronger sustainability standards.
