The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has approved an amendment to the Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine environmental assessment certificate, authorizing an extension to the mine’s life and an increase in production.
The mine-life extension allows an 80-hectare expansion to the disturbance area for construction materials and an increase in production from 60,000 tonnes to 66,500 tonnes of ore per day by deepening the pit. Mt. Milligan was permitted to operate until 2028, but that has been extended until 2035.
The amendment also includes building new infrastructure, altering the transportation route, increasing the tailings storage facility dam height from 1,095 metres to 1,121 m above sea level, establishing a new waste-rock stockpile, and updating the reclamation and closure plan for the mine.
Mt. Milligan, located 90 km northeast of Fort St. James, employs approximately 600 people in the region. It is operated by Thompson Creek Metals, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Centerra Gold.
Source: Government of British Columbia