Kittilä mine
The open pit at Kittilä
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kittilä |
| Lapland | |
| Country | Finland |
| Coordinates | 67°54′50″N 025°24′00″E / 67.91389°N 25.40000°ECoordinates: 67°54′50″N 025°24′00″E / 67.91389°N 25.40000°E |
| Production | |
| Production | 150,000 (est) |
| Financial year | 2009 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2008 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited |
| Year of acquisition | 2005 |
Kittilä mine, also known as Suurikuusikko mine, is a gold mine in Kittilä, in the Lapland Province of Finland. The mine is owned and operated by Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited and is located 36 kilometres (22 mi) north-east of Kittilä. Exploration began in 1986, and production started in 2008. The mine is composed of two open pits, with the proceeds of the operation funding an underground mining operation, accessed by a ramp from surface and utilizing both transverse and longitudinal long-hole stoping methods. The mine utilizes on-site concentrating to produce Doré bars for shipment off-site for refinement, and is scheduled to produce 150,000 ounces (4,300,000 g) of gold in 2009.
In 1986 gold was discovered near the town of Kittilä. The Geological Survey of Finland initiated exploration which resulted in a discovery of gold mineralization. Diamond drilling continued up to 1991, when exploration ended. In 1998 the property was sold to Svenska Platina AB, a junior mining company which was a subsidiary of Riddarhyttan Resources AB. Permitting for an open pit mine began in 2002, with a mining licence and permit secured in 2003. Agnico Eagle purchased a stake in Riddarhyttan (at the time feasibility studies suggested the resource was between 2—3.7 million ounces of gold) in 2004, with the remainder of the company being purchased in 2005. Diamond drilling continued in 2005, with an additional 460 holes drilled over 136,000 metres (446,000 ft). In September 2008 an additional 60 kilometres (200,000 ft) of drilling resulted in a gold reserve increase of two million ounces (5.7 million ounces total), over 18.2 million tonnes of ore, grading 5.12 grams per tonne. Excavation of the open pit began in September 2007 and ore production began in May 2008. Mining in the Suuri pit began at 2,500 tonnes (2,800 short tons) per day to be increased to 3,000 tonnes (3,300 short tons) by the end of 2009.
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