Condor Gold advancing to production.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Mining - Condor Gold Corp. soon to start drilling for gold

An advanced exploration program by Condor Gold Corp. in the Gogama mining camp has achieved success with a major gold deposit set to go into production.

The company has identified a high-grade setting of approximately 470,000 ounces of gold at their Jackrabbit Project southwest of the town in Chester Township along Highway 144.

Condor filed a closure plan for advanced exploration and production in February. The notice includes provisions for necessary rehabilitation work and gives financial assurance required to start operations.

"We expect to get our closure plan cleared within 30 days, which means in production by July or August on our high grade veins so we'll have cash flow and be doing a lot more drilling this year," says Condor chairman and CEO Alexander Stewart.

"There's a heck of a lot going on."

Borehole results this year from E-02-27 indicated two different gold horizons of highgrade veins and porphyry, which has potential for a huge open pit providing large tonnage but lower grade.

Condor expects to commence both underground and open pit operations.

"We're pursuing the two gold horizons," says Stewart. "The high- grade we will be going into production on and over the next two years we'll be testing up the big open pit potential which has large potential for industrial minerals."

The life of the mine is potentially decades, says Stewart, with 40,000 to 50,000 ounces of gold produced in the first 12 months of operation. Depending on the outcome of their further exploration programs, Stewart anticipates those figures being ramped up to 100,000 ounces.

The operation could create as many as 100 jobs down the road, says Stewart, with 40 to 60 jobs within six months.

Over the last two-and-half...