EXPLORATION ’93 — Mines Gaspe marks 40 years

The Mines Gaspe operation of Noranda (TSE) reached a major milestone in 1993 — 40 years of operation.

Situated in the rugged interior of the Gaspe Peninsula near Murdochville, Que., Mines Gaspe operates a 3,200-tonne-per-day underground copper mine and smelter.

To commemorate the anniversary, Mines Gaspe hosted an open house and picnic during the summer for its 560 employees and their families, as well as several hundred former employees. The company’s celebrations coincided with the community of Murdochville’s 40th anniversary.

When mine construction began in 1952, Mines Gaspe’s ore reserves were estimated at 60 million tonnes. Exploration programs have since uncovered several additional large orebodies. To date, the operation has mined more than 135 million tonnes of ore and produced almost one million tonnes of copper anodes.

“Mines Gaspe’s success is due largely to the incredible spirit and determination of its people,” said Alex Balogh, president of Noranda Minerals. Balogh began his career at Mines Gaspe in 1955, as a supervisor. With fewer than five years left before its ore reserves are depleted, Mines Gaspe is facing a difficult challenge — how to keep the mine and smelter going.

“We need to find a new lease on life,” said Patrice Cayouette, mine manager. “Over the next two or three years, we will focus on three priorities that, if successful, will allow us to celebrate our 50th anniversary”. The first priority is to find new orebodies. In 1992, Mines Gaspe invited four geological experts from around the world to Murdochville. Working as a group, they analyzed and evaluated more than 7,000 exploration drill holes; the work revealed two new exploration zones. An aggressive drilling program, launched during the summer, has shown some encouraging results. A second priority is to modernize the smelter. Strategically located near two sea ports, Mines Gaspe’s copper smelter could profitably treat concentrate from around the world long after the mine is closed. The modernization project would increase the smelter’s capacity from 250,000 tonnes per year to 300,000 tonnes. But several government permits are needed. If successful, construction could begin as early as 1994.

The third priority involves recovering 30 million tonnes copper contained in oxide ore. Sulphuric acid sprayed over mounds of ore would leach the copper out instead of using traditional milling and smelting methods. This project must overcome several environmental challenges before a decision (not expected before 1996) to proceed is made.

— From a recent issue of “Horizons,” a Noranda Minerals employee newspaper.