Integra Gold has awarded Promec Mining with the contract to construct an exploration ramp to access the Triangle deposit on Integra’s Lamaque-South gold project in Val-d’Or, Quebec. All required equipment has been mobilized to site, and ramp construction is in progress. The surface infrastructure and ramp collar required for the ramp were completed in the fall of 2015 at a cost of C$5.6 million.
A drill rig prepares an early round for blasting at the start of Integra’s exploration ramp construction. Contractor Promec expects to advance the exploration ramp at a rate of 175 meters per month. (Photo: Integra Gold)
Integra’s budget for the ramp is approximately C$26 million, with work estimated to take 12 to 15 months. Ramp specifications are 5.1 m wide by 5 m high. Ramp development will reach an estimated vertical depth of 180 m, and Promec is projecting that the ramp will advance at a rate of 175 m/month. The Promec contract includes 420 m of lateral development in mineralized zones.
The contract also includes provision of an experienced underground workforce and a modern mining fleet, while Integra will supply the required construction materials. Promec has recently hired 65 skilled miners to complete the task.
Integra is fully funded to see ramp construction through to completion, and all necessary permits are currently in place.
The objective of Integra’s underground exploration program is to conduct close-spaced drilling from within the upper portions of the Triangle deposit, as well as exploration drilling to continue growing the resource base. The proposed exploration program will also include a bulk sample of more than 20,000 mt of gold mineralized rock required for reconciling gold content versus resource estimates, as well as to provide material for detailed metallurgical test work.
The ultimate size, location, and timing of the bulk sample will be determined using information gathered from the results of ongoing surface exploration drilling and from underground drilling as results become available.
Integra COO Langis St-Pierre said, “By awarding this contract to Promec Mining, an experienced Val-d’Or-based mining contractor with a long history of successful contract mining in the Abitibi, our Lamaque project enters an exciting and important new phase of its evolution. The transition to underground exploration at Triangle is an important milestone for Integra’s technical team and the company’s shareholders.”
