THUNDER BAY — North American Palladium's mine at Lac des Iles, north of Thunder Bay, has passed a production milestone.
The company reports that it achieved an underground production rate averaging 6,720 tonnes of ore per day in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2018. That was the highest production rate for any quarter since underground operations began 13 years ago.
Over the course of 2018, the average daily rate for ore production was 20 per cent greater than the previous year.
Total production of payable palladium during the year was 18 per cent better than in 2017.
The mine employs over 600 workers, and is one of only two primary palladium mines in the world.
"2018 was another year of steady growth and strong operational and safety performance for the Lac des Iles mine," said President and CEO Jim Gallagher.
Gallagher said operations this year will focus on expanding the underground mine to 12,000 tonnes per day by 2021.
The year has started with the continuation of a lengthy accident-free period at the mine. After experiencing a lost-time-free year in 2018, as of this week it had seen 478 consecutive days without a lost-time workplace accident.
