Name and Location
Côté gold mine, Ontario, Canada.

Client
Iamgold.

Project Description
The proposed project includes the construction, operation and eventual reclamation of an openpit mine in Chester and Neville, in the district of Sudbury, in north-eastern Ontario.

Openpit mining operations will occur at an ore production rate of about 60 000 t/d.

Overburden and mine rock stripped from the openpit will be stored in an adjacent mine rock area with a capacity of 20-million tonnes.

A low-grade ore stockpile area will be built to accommodate about 17.5-million tonnes of low-grade ore, which will serve future processing purposes.

Ore will be processed using conventional whole-ore cyanidation for gold recovery, followed by in-plant cyanide destruction.

A tailings management facility (TMF) will be built with a storage capacity of about 260-million tonnes.

A reclaim pond will also be built towards the central east end of the TMF, with a minimum capacity of 2.9-million cubic metres a year.

The ore processing plant will operate on extensive recycled wastewater derived from the TMF and mine water.

Excess TMF and mine water that cannot be used for recycling will be discharged, after being processed in a secondary polishing pond, into either the Mesomikenda or Bagsverd lakes, for which discharge locations are currently under investigation.

Côté Lake will be drained to build the openpit. Several retention dams and 7.9 km of watercourses will be built to realign the Mollie river around the proposed openpit and Bagsverd Creek around the proposed TMF.

Côté has an estimated mine life of 15 years.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
The construction phase is proposed to start after completion of the federal and provincial environmental assessment processes and a feasibility study that is scheduled for 2017, as well as the issuance of applicable federal and provincial regulatory approvals and permits.

The start of construction will also depend on economic feasibility. The operation phase is predicted to start about two years following the start of construction and continue for 15 years. The decommissioning phase is predicted to last about two years.

Latest Developments
Iamgold has received federal environmental approval from Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna to proceed with its Côté mine project, as the Minister has found that the project is “unlikely” to have significant adverse environmental effects.

The Canadian Environmental Agency’s environmental assessment report includes several conclusions and recommendations, the proposed mitigation measures, the significance of any adverse environmental effects and the follow-up programme that Iamgold will have to comply with for the life of the project.

In terms of environmental approval, Iamgold will have to secure regulatory authorisations from departments such as Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Transport Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
IAMGOLD, tel +1 416 594 2881 or emailcotegold@iamgold.com.