A BREAKNECK PACE Beacon

One of the first new mines to come into production last year was D’Or Val Mines’ Beacon mine, east of Val D’Or, Que. It cost this Hughes-Lang company $35 million to bring the mine into production last April. The deposit has reserves of 750,000 tons averaging 0.14 oz gold per ton. Prospector Peter Ferderber found the deposit back in 1980.

Underground exploration could increase reserves in the future, so D’Or Val has designed its shaft for the possibility of deepening it from the current 1,500-ft depth.

By late last year, the mine was producing about 450 tons of ore per day. The mill has the capacity to treat 750 tons per day. Total costs of producing gold is about $280 per oz. Beacon Notebook Location: ……. Val D’Or, Que. Major owners: ……. D’Or Val Mines Commodity: ……. gold Discovery date: ……. 1980 Production decision: ……. unavailable Start-up: ……. April, 1987 Capital cost: ……. $35 million Reserves: ……. 750,000 tons grading 0.14 oz gold per ton Mining method: ……. unavailable Mining equipment: ……. unavailable Production rate: ……. 450 tons per day Milling: ……. on-site, conventional cyanide Major contractors: ……. unavailable Status: ……. production