Gold major Newmont Goldcorp’s vision to create Quebec’s first interconnected “mine of the future” received a boost on Wednesday, when a C$3.5-million project to connect the Eleonore mine to a high-speed network was unveiled.
The project, which is to be delivered by non-profit organisation Eeyou Communications Network (ECN), entails 124 km of fibre-optic cable that will be laid from the Eastmain 1A link to the mine site.
The new high-speed connection is expected to be operational next year.
The government of Quebec, through the Société du Plan Nord, will invest C$1.75-million in the project.
"Newmont Goldcorp's Eleonore mine welcomes this commitment to innovation and investment in the Eeyou Istchee territory. This joint investment from our Cree partner, ECN, and the Société du Plan Nord will connect the mine to a fibre-optic network, providing far more bandwidth than we have today, and will support our vision of creating the first 4.0 mine in Quebec. With this technology backbone in place, new sustainable and responsible mining developments can consolidate the leadership role Quebec plays in Canada's mining sector and beyond,” commented Eleonore mine GM Sophie Bergeron.
Quebec Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Julien, who is also the Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region, said that the mining sector was entering a new era with mine 4.0.
“Today's funding will contribute to the Eleonore mine's competitiveness in the future: access to a reliable and high-performance telecommunications network is fundamental for the industry to modernise.”