Advanced exploration

Agnico Eagle is currently assessing the feasibility of developing and operating an underground gold mine from the Wasamac deposit, located 15 km west of Rouyn-Noranda’s city center, between the Évain and Arntfield neighbourhoods. (Project description | wasamac-eng.agnicoeagle.com)

To complete this assessment, Agnico Eagle considers carrying out an advanced exploration program to improve the project's technical knowledge and confirm its feasibility.

Demands are pending for several permits required for advanced exploration activities. These include a ministerial authorization, a closure plan, surface leases, and municipal permits.

Depending on the time required to obtain the necessary authorizations and internal approvals, work could start during summer 2025 at the earliest, for a duration of around 3 years.

What is an Advanced Exploration Program?

Exploration activities focus on bulk sampling of ore via an underground ramp and exploration drifts. The recovery of a large-volume sample enables a more representative analysis of underground mineralization. The drifts would also allow the establishment of underground drilling platforms, minimizing surface activities.

The objectives of the Advanced Exploration Program are as follows:

• Confirm the deposit's gold content and improve knowledge of geological parameters;
• Validate the mining and production plan;
• Seize opportunities to optimize ore processing performance;
• Improve geotechnical knowledge and perfect the modeling tools the company will use to plan mining activities, such as workings stability, backfill strategy, and mining sequence.

The program involves building an underground access ramp and developing drifts to collect bulk samples totaling 40,000 tonnes of ore.

These activities will require surface storage of overburden and waste rock, as well as water management and treatment installations.

Metallurgical tests on ore samples taken during the program will be sent to an existing plant authorized to receive them.

The main infrastructures planned for the Advanced Exploration Program are:

• 1 ramp portal north of route 101/117;
• 1 underground access ramp;
• 1 ventilation shaft (fresh air);
• 1 waste rock pile with a total capacity of 850,000 m³;
• 1 temporary ore storage area with a capacity of 7,500 m³;
• 1 overburden storage area;
• 3 water storage basins and associated pumping stations;
• Contact water collection ditches around the site perimeter;
• Various temporary buildings (gatehouse, offices, drying rooms, garage, etc.).

These infrastructures would be mainly located on private land owned by Agnico Eagle. Leases will be obtained for the use of nearby parcels of public land.

Preparatory work has also begun, including geotechnical investigations on the site, the collection of baseline data (wildlife and aquatic inventories, etc.) and the preparation of the access road.

Here's a map of the projected infrastructures for the advanced exploration program (french only):

Environmental authorizations

Bulk sampling activities are governed by a number of regulations, and require various authorizations and permits.

The main authorization applications are required by the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) and the City of Rouyn-Noranda.

Yamana Gold Québec had previously submitted applications to the authorities for advanced exploration authorizations. These were withdrawn following the acquisition, in order to incorporate the changes envisaged by Agnico Eagle. Here are the changes made to the program:

• One access ramp instead of two;
• Optimized layout of on-site surface infrastructure;
• Surface blasting reduced by over 60%;
• Modification of the location of the sterile storage area to be closer to our other surface infrastructures;
• Review and adjustment of industrial wastewater treatment to ensure a more robust system adapted to needs.

Environmental authorizations ensure that proposed activities meet standards and that potential environmental impacts are minimized. The restoration plan defines measures to be implemented to properly restore the site following the shutdown of activities and provides a financial guarantee sufficient to cover the associated costs.

Anticipated mitigation measures

Preliminary mitigation measures were presented with the authorization applications. These will continue to be improved through field work planning and during future public consultations prior to starting the work.

It should be noted that information and consultation activities had been carried out by the previous owner. Agnico Eagle has taken into account the concerns and suggestions raised during these activities, as well as the commitments put forward by Yamana Gold, notably to carry out certain work only during daylight hours, from Monday to Friday, to reduce the visual impact with ground lighting and low infrastructure, to use dust suppressants, to minimize tree cutting as much as possible, and to build a new access road to the main site via Aldermac Road (built in 2022).

In addition, Agnico Eagle has committed to working with the Task Force to develop a Good Neighbour Guide, which will initially be implemented during the advanced exploration period. The progress of this work will also be shared at upcoming neighborhood consultation events.

Let’s keep in touch

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Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns about the Advanced Exploration Program. Your cooperation is invaluable. It helps us understand your expectations and concerns, and improve our practices.

For situations requiring immediate attention, please contact us by phone.

Telephone: 1 833 510-0330 (also available by text message)

E-mail address: relations.wasamac@agnicoeagle.com