This story originally stated that the mine had produced 11.1 million ounces of gold. This has since been corrected to 1.1 million ounces. We apologize for the error.

Monarch Mining Corporation announced on June 3 that it will be reopening the Beaufor mine, along with the Beacon mill in Val D’Or, Quebec, by June 2022.

The Beaufor mine, which according to the company has produced 1.1 million ounces of gold from ore with an average grade of 7.50 grams per tonne since the early 1930s, saw its production temporarily suspended in December of 2018, with the company citing low-grade ore, low gold prices and an inability to recruit qualified personnel. On June 27, 2019, the mine was placed on care and maintenance. Monarch has since taken the opportunity to undertake a “huge diamond drilling program of 42,500 metres in June 2020” to expand and define the resources at the mine, which yielded some high-grade results. The company also announced that BBA Inc. is scheduled to prepare a new resource estimate in the summer of 2021.

The Beacon Mill, which had also been under care and maintenance since Monarch acquired it in 2016, is also set to re-open, and is “fully permitted to process up to 1.8 million tonnes of tailings,” which Monarch saidis equivalent to about nine years of ore processing at full capacity.

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Jean-Marc Lacoste, president and CEO of Monarch, cited the positive results from the drilling as the major reason behind the decision to restart. “Following the release of our drill results last April, our technical team did their own internal compilation of the historical data and the drill results obtained to date, and they have given us the green light to proceed with the restart process. The next steps will mainly be to continue exploration, definition and development work, recruit the required personnel and purchase the equipment needed for production.”

Lacoste also announced that the company will be using a production ramp near the mine as an additional access point, on top of the traditional shaft that was formerly the only access point. Lacoste concluded by voicing his optimism for the mine’s future:  “Ever since the mine was temporarily closed in 2019, our goal has been to restart the mine with a view to creating long-term value and good-quality jobs in the Abitibi region. We still believe that the Beaufor Mine has excellent gold potential in the vicinity of the existing mineralized envelope and at depth, and we are confident of realizing its full potential.”