Production grades and figures from Brigus Gold Corp.'s Black Fox Mine 75 kilometre east of Timmins are expected to rise through the third quarter, according to company estimates.
The throughput rate for the Black Fox Mill for the quarter is forecast at 1,950 tonnes per day (tpd), while gold production is slated to reach between 21,000 and 22,000 ounces. The latter marks a 15-20 per cent improvement over production levels of 18,028 ounces in the previous quarter.
Initial underground production has also begun, while ore will be intermittently produced from development headings through the end of the fiscal year as production faces are prepared.
Work is continuing to establish infrastructure to allow for steady state underground mining of 800 tpd.
These underground crews include 75 contract miners from Cementation Inc. and other contractors, as well as 20 employees of Brigus. It is expected that the Brigus workforce will gradually grow and replace most of the contract workforce by mid-2011.
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