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As IAMGOLD's Senior Vice President, Project Development, my
role is to bring projects to life. Once it has been determined
that a deposit can be mined profitably, the project enters the
development stage. This is the exciting period when we must
decide what has to be designed and built to achieve high
performance, optimum costs and minimum risks at the
operational level, while adapting well to a variety of local
cultures and environments. Once we mobilize for the
construction of a project, the human and financial resources
required are daunting, and proven project management skills
and meticulous attention to detail are critical to ensure
projects are completed on schedule and on budget.
Behind every successful development project is an outstanding
development team. The IAMGOLD team has the depth of
knowledge and experience needed to carry projects through to
completion, ensuring the most efficient use of time and
resources. Each new project provides us with challenges and
opportunities to improve our development model, therefore
better equipping us to anticipate and address future challenges.
The Essakane mine is a
case study in development excellence. When
the mine was gearing up for production, the Doyon mine in
the province of Québec was winding down. Several long-term
employees from Doyon, including the current General
Manager, Langis St-Pierre, relocated to Essakane where
their technical expertise was invaluable in training the plant
operators and supporting the start-up of the mine. This
resulted in Essakine ramping up ahead of schedule
and above design capacity.
Our Westwood development project, with an inferred resource of 3.5 million
ounces of gold and an estimated mine life of 16 years, is well on track to becoming an operating mine in
early 2013. Throughout 2010 we made good progress –
including the completion of the raise for ventilation and the
sinking of the shaft another 600 metres to reach a depth
of 1,063 metres. This year, we will sink the shaft another
500 metres and construct a surface waste silo enabling ore
development to begin at the end of 2011.
When you consider our achievement at Essakane and the
promising outlook for Westwood, it's clear that the hallmarks
of our development success are a proven business model and
a team with a passion for excellence.
Denis Miville-Deschênes
Senior Vice President,
Project Development
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