Vancouver-based Sabina Gold & Silver will accelerate construction of a 4,000 tonne-per-day mill at its Goose gold mine in Nunavut, Canada.

Sabina initially anticipated building a 3,000-tpd mill, and updating the mill to 4,000 tpd after two years. However, new testwork was undertaken to determine whether the tailings storage capacity could be expanded.

The storage capacity of the Echo open pit is now sufficient to allow for a 4,000-tpd mill.

Tests included geotechnical testwork on tailings samples, paired with the inclusion of a high-capacity tailings thickener.

The testwork has also lowered the cost of expanding capacity of the mill from C$17 million, as published in the February updated feasibility study, to C$10 million.

Because the permit was based on a maximum 6,000-tpd mill capacity, no additional permitting will be required to move forward with plans to build a 4,000-tpd mill.

"It is the option that makes sense from an operational and cost perspective, and has the potential to improve payback by delivering increased gold production in the earlier stages of the mine life," Sabina chief executive Bruce McLeod said.

Sabina plans to mine the Echo open pit as well as seven quarters from the Umwelt open pit during the construction phase, which will provide 2.2 million tonnes of stockpiled ore containing 373,000 ounces of gold. Of this 2.2 million tonnes, 936,000 tonnes are high-grade, at 8.4 g/t of gold.

In January, an employee of a contractor working at the site was killed while clearing snow. A D6 dozer and its operator fell through the ice near the port facility at the Bathurst inlet.