West Red Lake Gold Moves Closer to Restart of Red Lake's Madsen Mine

West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. has provided an update on its restart readiness activities, including its in-progress bulk sample at the 100%-owned Madsen Mine project in the Red Lake Gold District of Northwestern Ontario.

Bulk Sample Advancing Toward Completion

"With test mining underway, bulk sample stockpiles building on surface, and the mill set to initiate campaign processing in the coming weeks, we have achieved many key operational milestones at the mine site," said Shane Williams, President and CEO.

The bulk sample program includes plans to mine at least 10,000 tonnes from six stopes. The Company has prioritized extraction based on grade, tonnage, and ease of access. The targeted stopes are in the 1099/1100 area of the Austin resource, the 1407 area of the McVeigh resource, and the 987 area of the South Austin resource. As of now, 3,380 tonnes of bulk sample material have been brought to surface.

Independent engineering contractors, Entech Inc. and Soutex Inc., have been engaged to audit the mining and processing phases. "We hired Entech and Soutex because we want the results of this bulk sample to be further substantiated by third-party independent review," Williams added.

Mill Commissioning and Processing Readiness

The Madsen mill is scheduled to restart later this month following a 28-month maintained dry shutdown. The commissioning process will begin with 3,000 tonnes of legacy low-grade material before transitioning to low-grade material mined by West Red Lake Gold.

Each stope’s material will be processed individually to allow full reconciliation calculations between expected and actual tonnes, grades, and ounces. "All operational readiness milestones have been met for the process plant," said Hayley Halsall-Whitney, Vice President Operations. "The facility is fully staffed and ready for this first phase of mill operations."

Connection Drift Nears Completion

The Connection Drift, a critical component of the restart plan, is now 80% complete, with 1,148 metres of the planned 1,440-metre length finished. The project remains on track for completion by March 2025. "This large cross-section, moderately inclined, straight ramp with sufficient passing bays will optimize our trucking operations," said Maurice Mostert, Vice President Technical Services.

Once completed, the drift will allow all material to be hauled through the East Portal, which is located near the crusher and mill, significantly improving logistical efficiency.

Underground Development Gaining Momentum

Increased underground development has been a focal point for the Company. Development rates improved from just over four metres per day in January 2024 to more than 20 metres per day by January 2025, with the pace continuing to rise.

Camp and Mine Dry Facilities Near Completion

Final installation work is underway for the camp and mine dry facilities following the receipt of the last outstanding construction permit from the Municipality of Red Lake on January 31. The 114-person camp is expected to begin housing workers in March, pending final approvals. The mine dry facility is also nearing completion, with commissioning expected by the end of February.

"The team is excited to get the bulk sample complete, followed by rolling into production mining and processing with an aim to start selling gold into this record price environment," Williams concluded.

By Kevin Vincent, Senior Contributing Editor to Mining Life Online and Mining Life & Exploration News.

Tags: Northern Ontario / Operational Updates / Gold / All Articles