B2Gold announced it has poured first gold at its Goose open-pit and underground project in Nunavut, located within the company’s Back River gold district, marking the start of initial production at its first Canadian operation. 

First ore was processed on June 24 and the mill has been operating steadily at about 50 per cent of its nameplate capacity during this first phase. B2Gold anticipates a ramp up to commercial production during the third quarter of this year. 

“The commencement of gold production at the Goose mine marks an exciting step in B2Gold’s history, further diversifying and adding to the quality of the company’s existing global operating portfolio,” said Clive Johnson, president and chief executive officer of B2Gold, in a June 30 press release. “We look forward to many years of safe and successful production at the Goose mine, as well as further unlocking the value of the entire Back River gold district.” 

The company said its third-quarter efforts will centre on sustaining steady operations and progressively increasing throughput to achieve full design capacity. This will include synchronizing the remaining generators and verifying that all process circuits are functioning as intended. 

B2Gold estimated the project’s gold production for this year will fall between 120,000 and 150,000 ounces, and that average annual gold production for the first full six years of operation, from 2026 to 2031, will be around 300,000 ounces per year.  

The company said it sees “significant exploration potential” across the Back River gold district. B2Gold has a 2025 corporate exploration budget of US$61 million for this year, with US$32 million allocated specifically to Back River. 

In March, B2Gold said it was studying the installation of a semi-autogenous mill at Goose, in addition to the current 4,000 tonnes-per-day (tpd) ball mill, that could bring total milling capacity up to 6,000 tpd.