Developing a property offshore: The Omai Gold Mines story

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 88, No. 993, 1995

G.H. Veillette, Omai Gold Mines Limited, Georgetown, Guyana, South America

Omai Gold Mines Ltd. is the operator of a large-scale open pit gold mining operation located in Guyana, South America. Construction at the mine began in September 1991 and the process plant of a capacity of 12 000 tonnes per day reached commercial production in January 1993. The remote location of the mine requires an extensive logistics support to ensure adequate material supplies. Over 60% of the consumables valued at US$35.0 million per year are supplied from North America. One particular challenge has been the shortage of a skilled workforce in the country. An elaborate training program was put in place from the beginning to improve the skills level of the seven hundred national employees. One hundred expatriate employees, mostly Canadians are currently employed at the mine on training, and supervisory and management functions. The operation produced 207 000 ounces of gold in 1993 and should recover in excess of 270 000 ounces in 1994, becoming one of the largest gold mines in South America and quadrupling Guyana's annual gold production

Mots Clés: Omai Gold Mines Limited, Gold mining, Mill design, Open pit mining.