Champagne flows over gold at D’Or Val Mines ceremony

Officially opening its D’Or Val Mines gold mine near here this month was the Vancouver-based Hughes-Lang Group. About 650 people attending the ceremony saw D’Or Val Mines President Frank Lang, instead of cutting the traditional ribbons, break a bottle of champagne over a dore bar recently poured on site.

The D’Or Val mine, which went into production in April, poured its first gold bar (91% pure) on May 14. Cost of placing the mine into production was less than $35 million, including $6.5 million for the mill, Mr Lang said.

Current reserves at the mine site stand at 750,000 tons. Ore from the Discovery zone currently being mined is averaging 0.14 oz gold per ton, but the company is hopeful of increasing the grade to 0.2 oz, mine manager Daniel Gosselin said.

The mine shaft, sunk to 1,500 ft, supports seven levels. The capacity exists to deepen the shaft to 3,000 ft should further underground drill- indicated reserves warrant such a development.

The D’Or Val mill has a capacity of 750 tons of ore per day; the mine is currently supplying 450 tons per day. An additional 225 tons per day is being milled courtesy of the Hughes-Lang Perron mine project (a 35,000-ton sample, (see separate story) for a total daily milling rate of 675 tons. Cost of production is currently $280 per oz.

Credited with discovering D’Or Val’s Beacon orebody in 1980, is Peter Ferderber, who sits on the board of directors and who was described as “un gars en or” at the opening ceremony.

“Well, we’re here,” Mr Ferderber told the applauding guests. “It took a long time but we did it.”

Also attending the official opening were the member of parliament for the Abitibi region, Guy St- Julien; Quebec’s minister responsible for mines and the provincial member for the Abitibi region Raymond Savoie; the mayor of the Town of Val d’Or; company director Richard Hughes; and mine officers.

Gold bars poured by D’Or Val Mines, which contain a small amount of silver, are sold to the Royal Canadian Mint.