Customer Spotlight-Newmont Ghana Gold Limited

CAPE TOWN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Newmont Mining Corp the world's second largest gold producer, said it reached first million ounces of gold sales at its Ahafo mine in Ghana in 2008 and expects a similar performance in 2009.

Jeff Huspeni, Newmont's senior Vice President for African operations, told a mining conference in Cape Town the mine produced just over 520,000 ounces last year at a cash cost of $408 per ounce, the second-lowest in the industry.

"We are only in our second year of full production but in that year we achieved our first million ounces of gold sales," he said on Tuesday.

"We produced just over 520,000 ounces last year at a cash cost of $408 per ounce ... We expect a similar performance in 2009."

The Ahafo gravity circuit consists of two high capacity KC-XD48 concentrators and a Consep Acacia Reactor model CS4000. The circuit recovers free gold from the primary grinding circuit and the concentrates from the Knelson Concentrators reports to the Acacia Reactor for further upgrading.