AuRico Metals is one step closer to getting shovels in the ground at the Kemess East Site in Northern BC.
The exploration company has been granted both provincial and federal environmental approvals to set up an underground mine with the goal of producing clean concentrated copper gold.
Located more than 400 kilometres Northwest of Prince George, President and CEO Chris Richter says the number of jobs will start small, but has growing potential.
“It could employ up to 400 people; that’s in terms of direct people working at the mine. I would expect a lot of them would live in Prince George, or surrounding areas potentially from other parts in BC as well, but I think Prince George would be the key source of labour.”
AuRico’s plan would be to utilize flights between Smithers and Prince George to get workers on site efficiently.
Richter adds he’s confident he’ll have all of the proper permits in hand by Summer 2018.
“When we consider that this is a large project in Canada on a Brownfield site with infrastructure already in place, the odds of this moving forward are very good. This is a project that has very attractive aspects to it.”
@AuRicoMetals tells @CityofPG, if all goes as planned, construction on new mine cld begin next year w/ production by late ’21, early ’22
— Shannon Waters (@sobittersosweet) June 27, 2017
He says the capital requirement however is $450 million US, which they’ll need to fundraise before the official green light.
If approved, the site could be fully operational for 12 years.
– with files from Shannon Waters, My Prince George Now
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