QUEBEC - CAMPBELL RESOURCES of Montreal and NUINSCO RESOURCES of Toronto have been forced by groundwater problems to delay the startup of their Corner Bay copper mine near Chibougamau. Production at the 50:50 joint venture was to have begun by the end of 2007.
According to Campbell, groundwater is not an unusual occurrence in the Chibougamau camp. The inflow was encountered as development neared the mineralized zone. A consultant has been hired to help determine an effective grouting strategy. While production has been delayed for the short term, the water problem is not expected to have a long-term detrimental effect on the mine.
At a 3% Cu cutoff, Corner Bay has measured and indicated resources of 446,000 tonnes averaging 5.58% Cu and inferred resources of 1,441,000 tonnes averaging 6.76% Cu. Corner Bay ore will be trucked approximately 45 km and processed at Campbell's Copper Rand mill.
Following the extraction of a 42,000-t bulk sample, Phase II work includes mining an additional 500,000 tonnes of ore grading 4.5% Cu over the following three years. The Corner Bay deposit remains open at depth, where drilling has returned intercepts grading up to 9.27% Cu over 6.7 metres at 1,200 vertical metres, attesting to the potential for significant expansion of resources. An exploration drilling program is planned for 2008 to further test the extension at depth.
Additional information is available at either www.CampbellResources.com or www.Nuinsco.ca.
Comments