North American Palladium Ltd. or ‘NAP’ (TSX: PDL) has signed a contract with Redpath Canada Limited of North Bay, Ontario, Canada for underground mine development at its Lac des Iles mine. This is part of a major mine expansion that will take the mine from its current rate of just over 6,000 tonnes per day (tpd) to 12000 tpd. The Redpath scope of work consists of approximately 6,550 metres of lateral development and 560 metres of vertical development to access ore reserves in the upper mine beneath and around the perimeter of the dormant Roby open pit. The contract is expected to be approximately two years in duration.

The Lac des Iles mine development crews will continue with their work to sustain ongoing production, which is expected to rise to over 7000 tpd by the end of 2019. 

Company President and CEO Jim Gallagher commented, “Redpath is one of the premier mining contractors in the world and we welcome them onboard as we expand the Lac des Iles mine and make it one of the largest underground mines in Canada.”