Canadian mining company reopens two New Brunswick zinc mines

Canadian mining company reopens two New Brunswick zinc mines

Canadian mining company Blue Note Metals Inc. (TSX.V:BNT) will invest $48 million over the next 12 months to revive two dormant zinc mines in northern New Brunswick.

Company officials, accompanied by Premier Bernard Lord and other provincial government officials, announced that they expect to have the Caribou and Restigouche mines back in operation by the spring of 2007, producing 100 million pounds of zinc annually.

Company president John Martin says he expects the mines will create 270 direct and indirect jobs in northern New Brunswick, which has been hit hard by mine and forestry closures in recent years.

The reopening of the mines is in response to growing demand for zinc on international markets, especially in China.

The Caribou Mine, located about 50 kilometres west of Bathurst, includes a fully developed underground mine 300 metres deep and a 3,000-tonne per day concentrator. It has been closed since 1998.

Restigouche, which has been shut down for years, is an open-pit mine.
© The Canadian Press 2006

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