The mine, just south of Chibougamau, Que., was shut down in November last year so that a new mine plan could be implemented. Campbell spent about $3.6 million on underground development in early 2000, driving additional workings and converting stopes from shrinkage to cut-and-fill mining.
Campbell started milling development ore in early April, since which time about 2,000 oz. gold have been recovered. The company forecasts that Joe Mann will produce about 60,000 oz. by the end of 2000 and about 90,000 oz. in 2001.
The conversion to cut-and-fill, which demanded that Campbell build a hydraulic backfill plant for the operation, is expected to bring cash production costs down to about US$220 per oz. in 2001, from an average of US$270 between 1997 and 1999. New cut-and-fill stopes are proving to be minable at widths of 1.5 metres, which will cut down dilution and reduce unit production costs; shrinkage stopes had previously needed a minimum of 1.8 metres.
Wider mineralized zones in deeper parts of the mine, indicated by earlier exploration drilling, are now being defined by more closely spaced drill holes. Early results from these definition holes suggest that the first estimates of width will at least be confirmed.
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