HUMBOLDT – Lundin Mining Corp. President and CEO Paul Conibear said the company is looking to be a long-term success and pledged that high standards will be maintained for the Eagle Mine.
“Eagle Mine being successful – not just in the construction ahead of schedule or under budget – but to be able to look back in five, seven, eight, 10, 15 years and know this is an outstanding mine and being recognized in the international community that this is an outstanding mine and still being very welcomed by the community, those are our goals, factors for success,” Conibear said.
Conibear made the comments recently to a crowd of about 200 employees, government and business officials and residents who have supported the Eagle Mine. Those listeners were guests invited to a ceremony at the Humboldt Mill commemorating the transfer of the Eagle Mine project to Lundin.
In June, Lundin purchased the Eagle project from Rio Tinto for $325 million and the Toronto-based company will spend another $400 million through 2014 to get the mine and its Humboldt Mill into production by late 2014, earlier if possible. Full production is targeted for mid-2015 and is expected to last until 2022. Additional minerals to be extracted from the mine will include gold, cobalt, platinum and palladium by-products.
Conibear, an avid fisherman who enjoys spending summers at his cabin on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, said Lundin knows that as ownership changes, there’s a lot of uncertainty. He wanted to provide some information on what to expect on the project and from the new owners.
“I would like to state our commitment – our very heartfelt commitment – to the continuity of the high standards that have been set by Rio Tinto and the Eagle team here in regards to safety, environment, local contribution, employment and the overall standards that have been set here over a 10-year period of investment in quite an important mineral discovery,” Conibear said.
Conibear said Lundin Mining is a mid-tier base minerals producer, which produces copper, zinc, lead and nickel.
“We’re expert underground polymetallic miners and that’s exactly what Eagle needs,” Conibear said. “It’s polymetallic, it’s underground and it’s got certain nuances that either make it successful or make it challenging. We’re pretty good at that, we feel.”
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/589331/Long-view.html?nav=5006