AuRico Metals may soon have another golden opportunity in northern BC.
The company has received a positive preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for Kemess East – part of its Kemess property in north central BC. AuRico is currently operating an underground project and a processing plant on the site.
“It’s a copper gold deposit,” says Chris Rockingham, Vice President of Development. “It’s comparable in scale to the Kemess Underground that has a feasibility study, an approved environmental assessment certificate and we also have an impact benefit agreement with the local First Nations -Takla lake, Kwadacha and Tsay Keh Dene.”
While the PEA is still an early part of the process to opening a new mining project, Rockingham says the company is pretty optimistic at this point.
“We’ll be opening an office in Prince George in the second half of this year. I would anticipate that would be employing maybe six to 12 people. The vast majority of people would be, of course, at the mine site – two weeks in, two weeks out. It’s a fly-in operation.”
Rockingham says the plan is to use flights from Smithers and Prince George. Preference would be given to employees able to access those airports. The bulk of the projects supplies would be shipped through Prince George.
The project could be a great economic opportunity for the region.
“The forecast is for just shy of 400 people to be employed in the operation. Some of them will be based in Prince George – I would foresee that they would largely be administrative people – some of the accounting and logistical functions.”
He says AuRico has already begun interviewing and hiring environmental and engineering contractors for the next steps. An integrated feasibility study will be taking place next year.
If it goes ahead, the mine could operate for 12 years.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
