Eldorado Gold has produced the first copper-gold concentrate at its Skouries project in northern Greece, moving the development from construction into commissioning and operational ramp-up. The milestone follows the start-up of the project’s crushing, grinding, flotation, tailings thickening and concentrate thickening systems, bringing the processing plant into operation ahead of planned commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Eldorado reported that the Skouries ore stockpile has grown to more than 4.6 million tonnes, with material above reserve grade sufficient to provide more than seven months of processing throughput. The stockpile provides additional flexibility during commissioning by allowing the company to focus on plant stability, metallurgical recoveries and concentrate quality without immediately relying on full mining rates. Connection to Greece’s national electricity grid is expected during September, subject to final inspections, testing and installation of metering equipment.
Permanent grid power is another key commissioning milestone as the operation progresses toward steady-state production. Skouries is designed to produce an average of approximately 140,000 ounces of gold and 30,400 tonnes of copper annually over its mine life.
The project adds planned primary copper production to Greece at a time when Europe remains dependent on imported copper metal and concentrates. Copper requirements are expected to increase as investment expands across electricity networks, renewable energy, electric vehicles and data centres, increasing demand for the metal throughout European infrastructure. This has increased the relevance of new copper projects within Europe, where large developments have faced challenges progressing from permitting and financing through to construction and production.
With first concentrate now produced, Skouries has entered the operational stage of that process. The development still faces the commissioning challenge of bringing the processing plant up to its planned throughput while achieving targeted recoveries and concentrate specifications. The next operational milestones include the pace of commissioning, performance of the flotation circuit, connection to permanent grid electricity and progress toward commercial production. The existing ore stockpile gives Eldorado flexibility during this period as operating parameters are tested and refined. Once fully ramped up, Skouries is expected to become a significant new source of copper and gold in Europe, adding production from within the European market. The project’s next major milestone is commercial production in Q4 2026, following the transition from construction completion to commissioning and operational ramp-up.
