Photo by: Duane Daws
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canadian gold miner Goldcorp on Thursday reported the first production from the Éléonore mine, in the James Bay region of Northern Quebec.
"Following a four-year development period I am pleased to announce first gold production at Éléonore, on schedule and in line with our capital cost guidance,” president and CEO Chuck Jeannes said, noting that the team achieved the milestone safely in partnership with the Cree Nation of Wemindji, the Grand Council of the Crees of Eeyou Istchee/the Cree National Government and local Quebec-based suppliers.
Located in what Goldcorp billed as one of the most attractive mining jurisdictions in the world, during its development stage the project created 2 000 jobs in the province, about 900 of which would be maintained as the company moved towards full production.
Éléonore was expected to ramp up to a design throughput of 7 000 t/d by 2018.
The first doré bar was poured on Wednesday, containing an estimated 70 oz of gold recovered from the gravity circuit.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the plant commissioning was under way with gold production from the leaching and carbon-in-leach circuit expected later this month.
Goldcorp added that the overall progress at the mine remained on track to declare commercial production in the first quarter next year.
Total gold production for 2014 was expected to be between 40 000 oz and 60 000 oz.
The project’s capital costs remained unchanged at between $1.8-billion and $1.9-billion.
Goldcorp’s NYSE-listed stock on Thursday closed up 1.68% at $23.60 apiece.