Agnico Eagle Finland Oy announced today that on February 1, 2016 the Kittilä Mine in northern Finland achieved a major milestone when it produced its one millionth ounce of gold.
“Producing one million ounces of gold is a significant and historical achievement for Agnico Eagle Finland and a proud moment for all employees at the Kittila mine”, said Ingmar Haga, Managing Director of Agnico Eagle Finland.
The Kittilä mine is the largest primary gold producer in Europe. Construction of the mine began in 2006 and the first gold was poured on January 14, 2009. Agnico Eagle Finland Oy is a subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957.
The mine employs more than 400 employees and approximately 300 contractors’ employees. About 55% of its employees live in the municipality of Kittilä and over 90% in the Lapland region.
History of Kittilä Mine
The story of Kittilä Mine started in 1986, when the road between Kittilä and the village of Pokka was being reconstructed and a piece of rock with visible gold nuggets was found after a road cutting explosion. Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) undertook an exploration program to explore the potential deposit.
In 1998, Ministry of Trade and Industry sold the claim to a Swedish junior company Riddarhyttan Resources Ab, which continued exploration in the area. In spring 2002 Agnico Eagle became interested in the deposit and by 2005 it had purchased all capital stock of Riddarhyttan. The feasibility study was completed in June 2006 and construction of the mine was commenced immediately.
The first doré bar was poured on January 14, 2009, and the mine achieved commercial production in spring of the same year. At the beginning, ore was mined from two open pits until they were closed in November 2012. Now ore is mined exclusively from the underground mine.
In the end of 2014, the expansion of the concentration plant was completed. Current reserves consist of 4.4 million ounces of gold. With current reserves and at current production volumes the mine is expected to operate until 2035.
Further information
Ingmar Haga, Managing Director of Agnico Eagle Finland, tel. +358 40 700 3518, ingmar.haga@agnicoeagle.com
Mikko Korteniemi, General Manager, tel. +358 40 743 4191, mikko.korteniemi@agnicoeagle.com
Video material on gold pouring
By clickin the following link, you may download video material on gold pouring for your use: http://klaffi.com/public/vt249m_Kittila_miljoonas_unssi_DL/. Shots are long and they should be edited as required by the editorial content.