With practical completion achieved on schedule and within budget, the Higginsville design and construction project has been successfully completed with first ore going through the mill on 16 June 2008.

The Higginsville Treatment Plant commenced dry commissioning of the process facilities during the month of May, reaching this milestone maintains the focus of completing the facilities on schedule for handover to Avoca.

The final shipment for the Higginsville ball mill was delivered in April, completing the critical equipment deliveries and setting the site works up for on-schedule commissioning in June 2008.

Project management representatives visited Citic Heavy Machinery Company Ltd in China in January to view the fabrication progress of the ball mill, scheduled to leave China in February with the first shipment planned to arrive at Higginsville Treatment Plant in early March