TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or the "Company") today announced that the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland ("SAC") issued its ruling on Kittila's operating permit and has restored Kittila's operating permit to 2 million tonnes per annum ("mtpa").

"We are pleased with the positive ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland, which allows Kittila to continue to operate at a rate of 2 mtpa. This ruling is consistent with our excellent environmental performance at Kittila, where we are well below the environmental emission limits. We now expect approximately 30,000 ounces of additional production from the Kittila mine in the fourth quarter of 2023 and we are now expecting to be near the upper end of our total annual production guidance of between 3.24 million ounces to 3.44 million ounces of gold in 2023," said Ammar Al-Joundi, Agnico Eagle's President and Chief Executive Officer.

In 2020, the Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland granted Agnico Eagle Finland Oy ("Agnico Finland") environmental and water permits that would allow Agnico Finland to enlarge the CIL2 tailings storage facility, expand the operations of the Kittila mine to 2.0 mtpa and build a new discharge waterline. The permits were subsequently appealed to the Vaasa Administrative Court in Finland. The appeals were granted, in part, in July 2022 with the result that the permits were returned for reconsideration by the Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland. In August 2022, the Company appealed the decisions of the Vaasa Administrative Court to the SAC and requested that the SAC restore the permits. No further appeals are available. see more on
https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/junior-miner-news/press-releases/1060-tsx/aem/150264-kittila-court-decision-issued-kittila-s-operating-permit-restored-to-2-million-tonnes-per-annum-total-2023-gold-production-now-expected-to-be-near-upper-end-of-annual-guidance-range.html