Argentina's Cerro Negro Mine Begins Commercial Production of Gold

A Canadian-owned gold and silver mine in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina announced today it has conducted its first commercial-grade gold pour on July 25th. The first dore bar weighed around 100 kilograms and contained an estimated 317 ounces of gold.

Owned by Vancouver's GoldCorp, the Cerro Negro mine has an estimated life of nine years with an expected output of 3.5 million ounces of gold.

"We are very pleased to have first production on schedule and within our current capital cost guidance range from this world class mine," said Goldcorp President and CEO Chuck Jeannes in a press release published on the company website.

Goldcorp, one of the fastest growing gold mine companies in the world, also runs mines in Argentina's Catamarca province as well as Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, the US, and Canada.