Toronto-based Kinross Gold (TSX: K, NYSE: KGC) has reached the advanced exploration stage and currently has four drills operating at the Fruta del Norte (FDN) project in Ecuador's Zamora-Chinchipe province, a company executive told BNamericas.

"We are drilling in order to gather geological, geo-technical, hydro-geological and metallurgic information," said Dominic Channer, the VP of external affairs at Kinross' local subsidiary Aurelian.

In November Ecuador's non-renewable natural resources ministry, formerly the mines and oil ministry, authorized the company to resume exploration at FDN, which the government had halted in April 2008 while it drew up a new mining law.

The drilling program will be used in the completion of the feasibility study. "We are nearly done with the pre-feasibility study for FDN, [it should be completed by] the first part of 2010," Channer said.

The VP also emphasized that the company continues to work with the government on environmental and social projects as well baseline studies.

"We also are continuing to invest in building camps in order to improve working conditions, especially for women," he added.

According to an NI 43-101 report issued in October 2007, the project has 58.9Mt grading 7.23g/t gold and 11.8g/t silver in inferred resources.

http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/Kinross_starts_advanced_exploration_at_Fruta_del_Norte/166000139