To anyone who has been paying attention , the Langlois mine has come a long way since initial construction in 1994 — and this is clearly due to the involvement of Nyrstar , an integrated mining and metals business with operations throughout the world .

In the Beginning . . . It was a rough start for the mine which experienced a number of obstacles throughout the years . After being purchased by Breakwater Resources Ltd . in May 2000 , the project actually reached commercial production in July of that same year only to have operations suspended a mere 4 months later due to problems that were associated with the main orepress system and low zinc prices . The cost of this hiccup ? The call for a complete rework of the mine ’ s design and overall plan — and a few years ’ time . It wasn ’ t until 2005 that Breakwater once again announced the Langlois mine would officially be developed .

Once again , effort , time and countless resources were expended , including extensive engineering , metallurgical testing , re-design work and exploration ,

58 May 2015

Mining Magazine May 2015 | Page 58

To anyone who has been paying attention , the Langlois mine has come a long way since initial construction in 1994 — and this is clearly due to the involvement of Nyrstar , an integrated mining and metals business with operations throughout the world .