Selbaie shifting to open pit operation

Mining at the Selbaie copper-zinc-gold-silver property in northwestern Quebec will be shifting solely to open pit with the closure of the underground operations by the end of 1993.

Owner of the property, Billiton Metals Canada, says cessation of the underground operations will affect 250 workers.

In total, there are 550 workers at the Selbaie property, which sits 240 km north of Rouyn-Noranda, Que. The underground operations feed 1,650 tonnes ore per day to the mill, and the open pit operations 6,300 tonnes per day. Billiton says it has budgeted about $3 million this year for concentrator modifications, to allow for future use of the circuit now serving the underground mine. The company says open pit reserves are good for at least 10 years.

Billiton acquired a 100% interest in Selbaie in late 1992 when it bought out project partner BP Canada (since renamed Talisman Energy).