LaRonde gold mine
The LaRonde mine, formerly Dumagami Mine, is located alongside the Trans-Canada highway in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region between Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'or, Quebec.
LaRonde's Penna shaft, also known as shaft 3, is believed to be the deepest single lift shaft in the Western Hemisphere, descending more than three kilometres (or 9800 ft) below the surface. It is estimated to have the longest potential lifespan of Agnico Eagle's six operating mines, estimated to be approximately 35 years once completed, from 1988 to 2023.[17] The lifespan is now expected to run until 2032.[18] The operation currently mines gold, zinc, copper and silver ores and employs 1,042 workers.[18]
The mine was renamed to the LaRonde Mine by company founder Paul Penna, to honour its first project manager, mining engineer Donald J. "Don" LaRonde (c. 1931–1986).[19][20]
Goldex
Employing 213 people, with an estimated mine life of 10 years (2008–2018); Goldex is an underground mine located just outside Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada. Goldex is unique due to its partnership with the Quebec government in the restoration of the nearby abandoned Manitou mine tailings site. Through an innovative approach, the tailings from the Goldex mine are sent through a 25 km long pipeline to the Manitou site where they neutralize the acidic waters in the area, the result of years of poorly confined tailings generated between 1942 and 1979 by the mining companies operating the Manitou project at the time. Not only do the Goldex tailings neutralize and help rehabilitate the site, but the system also eliminates the need for a tailings pond at the Goldex site itself.[17]
The mine is expected to run until 2032 and currently produces roughly 134,000 oz of gold per year.[21]
Lapa
Lapa, located about 11 km away from the LaRonde mine (see above), in the Rivière-Héva municipality of the Abitibi region in Quebec, Canada, is one of Agnico Eagle's smaller operations employing 192 people, with a 6-year mine life expectancy (2009–2015). The main headframe that is used at the Lapa mine was constructed almost entirely from a pre-existing headframe at LaRonde. The original headframe was dismantled, sand blasted and painted before it was installed at Lapa. Although Lapa may be a smaller operation in comparison to our other mines, it is one of Agnico Eagle's highest-grade mines, with reserve grades twice as rich as the company average.[17]
Kittilä
In the Lapland region of Northern Finland, Agnico Eagle's Kittilä operation has a life expectancy of 23 years (2009–2032). With 375 employees, this open pit and underground mine is one of the largest known gold deposits in all of Europe,[22][23] containing almost 4.9 million ounces of gold in reserves. Aggressive exploration is also currently underway; with the Kittilä mine serving notice that gold-mining is again a booming industry in northern Finland.[17]
Pinos Altos
Agnico Eagle's largest employer, with 972 employees, is the Pinos Altos mine located in the state of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. Pinos Altos began operation in 2009 and is expected to continue until 2026, resulting in an estimated 17 years of production. The open-pit and underground mining operation is in the mountainous Sierra Madre gold and silver belt of northern Mexico.[17]
La India
La India is an open pit mine is located approximately 200 km east of Hermosillo in Sonora, Mexico. It began production in February 2014 and has a mine life expectancy of 6 years.
Meadowbank
Meadowbank is an open-pit mine in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut with an 8-year life expectancy (2010 – 2017). Meadowbank is one of Agnico Eagle's most recent mine to begin operation, and has about 650 employees. In 2010 the first gold brick was poured at Meadowbank, which was also the first ever gold brick to be poured in the history of Nunavut. Meadowbank is also Agnico Eagle's largest producer, estimated to produce 430,000 ounces of gold in 2014.[17]
Detour Lake Mine
The open-pit Detour Lake operation is the largest gold producing mine in Canada with the country's largest gold mineral reserves.
Located within the northernmost Abitibi Greenstone Belt, the mine was originally owned by Placer Dome and operated primarily as an underground mine from 1987 to 1990. Production resumed in 2013 as an open-pit mine under the ownership of Detour Gold Corporation. Agnico Eagle acquired its interest in the Detour Lake mine on February 8, 2022.
Macassa Mine
With exploration beginning in 1931 and first production beginning in 1933, Macassa remains one of the world's highest-grade gold mines. The #4 Shaft production hoist, commissioned in 2023, has started a new chapter in the life of the Macassa mine, increasing production, improving working conditions, lowering unit costs and increasing exploration capacity.
