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Desert Gold is currently building a small 200 tpd gravity operation at its Barani East deposit in Mali, with first production now targeted for Q4 2026 even though the original commissioning schedule slipped. In this interview, I asked the CEO Jared Scharf about what has actually been built, what still needs to happen before first gold, how much this is all going to cost, and what could still go wrong.
TL;DR
Jared told me they are still targeting first gold from Barani East in Q4 2026, but the schedule has slipped from the July commissioning target discussed earlier this year. The 200 tpd gravity plant and generator are now in Mali, with site preparation and civil work underway, and the current plan is to commission through October and start processing material in November. The small plant is meant to generate early cash flow and prove the operating setup before Desert Gold moves toward the much larger 1,200 tpd gravity/CIL operation contemplated in the PEA, which shows roughly 113,000 payable ounces over a 10-year mine life, about US$20 million of initial capex, a US$61 million after-tax NPV10 and a 57% IRR at US$2,850 gold. The main issue now is execution. Construction costs have moved higher, the company has already missed one timeline, and it still has to prove reliable water supply, fuel logistics, plant performance and financing for the larger build in Mali. Jared also discussed ongoing exploration across the 440 km² SMSZ project and the Tiegba project in Côte d’Ivoire, but for the next several months the story is mostly about whether Desert Gold can finally commission Barani East, produce gold consistently, and show that the starter operation is more than just a small plant sitting in the Sahel looking photogenic.
