Echo Bay Approves Plan For Nevada Mine

Echo Bay Mines of Englewood, Colo., which operates the Kettle River project in Republic, Wash., said Thursday it has approved a new mining plan at its Round Mountain gold mine in Nevada.

The new plan should increase cash flow and profitability, officials said.

The company plans to put in a new open pit design that will reduce the amount of lower-grade material removed from the pit by 250 million tons. Echo Bay said the plan will also reduce up-front waste stripping by 40 percent. The company said the plan will decrease the time of mining its total 1.2 million ounces of gold. Mining should be completed in 10 years, compared to its previous 14-year plan.

Echo Bay also plans to expand its exploration of the mine. The company has identified several exploration sites on the 380,000-acre Round Mountain area.

, DataTimes