Kittila mines one of the largest known gold deposits in Europe, with reserves containing more than 3 million ounces.
The mine is located in the Lapland region of northern Finland, approximately 900 kilometres north of Helsinki and 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
Open pit mining began in 2008 from the Suuri pit and will move on to the Roura pit. This mining will last for about five years. Underground mining to extract the deeper ore began in 2010.
Kittila poured its first gold on January 14, 2009, and achieved commercial production four months later. The 3,000-tonne-per-day operation is expected to average 150,000 ounces of gold a year for at least 13 years.
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E
xpansion
A scoping study is underway to assess the economic feasibility of increasing the annual gold production rate by 50% to 100%, or as high as 300,000 ounces. This would require sinking a new shaft to access the deeper ore and expanding the Kittila mineral processing plant. The results of the study will be reviewed in early 2010.
1986
– Gold is discovered in the area, in a quartz vein exposed by a road cut, and is explored by the Geological Survey of Finland until 1991.
1998
– A Swedish exploration company, Riddarhyttan Resources AB, acquires the Suurikuusikko gold deposit from the Finnish government and focuses its efforts in this area.
2004
– Agnico-Eagle acquires a 14% ownership interest in Riddarhyttan and directs an extensive drilling program at the property.
2005
– Agnico-Eagle makes a successful bid for all remaining shares of Riddarhyttan.
2006
– Agnico-Eagle completes a final feasibility study, and begins construction of the mine, which is named after the nearby community of Kittilä.
2009
– First gold is poured on January 14. The processing plant achieves commercial production in May. Kittila celebrates its Grand Opening in June.