Equinox Gold celebrates official opening of the Greenstone Mine

At a ceremony Thursday, Equinox Gold Corp. celebrated the official opening of its Greenstone Mine in Geraldton, Ont.

The event was streamed live on the company's YouTube channel.

"Today is a pivotal milestone for Equinox Gold," Equinox Gold president Greg Smith said in a news release.

"After almost three years of construction and commissioning, the Greenstone Mine is now a reality and will be a cornerstone asset for our company as one of Canada’s largest and lowest-cost gold producers."

Smith thanked the local Indigenous community and the province "who have worked collaboratively and supported us through this journey."

He also thanked "our joint venture partner, Orion Resource Partners, who worked with us until May this year when we acquired their 40 per cent stake in the mine to become 100 per cent owners."

Construction of the Greenstone Mine began in October 2021 and poured the first gold on May 22.

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"The mine continues its ramp-up to commercial production, having poured approximately 2,625 ounces in May, 13,625 ounces in June and 19,750 ounces in July," the company said.

The mine's "average throughput exceeding 60 per cent of design capacity during August to date."

Equinox Gold is a Canadian mining company operating entirely in the Americas, with eight producing gold mines and a clear path to achieve more than one million ounces of annual gold production from a pipeline of expansion projects.