Côté gold project reaches 92% construction completion
Construction work on the Côté gold mine near Timmins is more than 90% complete.
Owners IAMGOLD provided a third-quarter progress update on the work earlier this month. The company indicated that construction work at the site is virtually complete, with commissioning teams now moving on site to conduct their work.
The mine, which is located halfway between Sudbury and Timmins, should begin gold production early next year. Employment on site peaked at an average of between 1,800 and 1,900 people in September.
"It is an exciting time for IAMGOLD as we near the finish line of construction at Côté,” sais company President and CEO Renaud Adams. “When Côté Gold comes online, the company will have a significantly higher production base and lower cost profile, providing a strong foundation of cashflow and growth opportunities in Canada."
On the construction side, the first phase of the tailings dam is complete and ready to store up to one million square metres of water. Commissioning of the main electrical substation and the connection to the provincial hydro grid and the substation was completed in the third quarter, and the substation was energized successfully and connections throughout the site are ongoing.
Main construction at the processing plant will wrap by the end of this month.
Mine development has reached down 364-metre bench level in the south end of the pit, and mining is already underway. In the course of digging out the pit, IAMGOLD has stockpiled 3.7 million tonnes of gold-enriched material.
The company is also using autonomous mining haul trucks. Ten are currently operating, with up to 14 commissioned.