Name of the Project
Casino copper/gold/molybdenum project.
Location
Yukon, Canada.
Project Owner/s
Western Copper and Gold Corporation.
Project Description
A feasibility study has confirmed Casino’s robustness and ability to withstand inflationary pressures.
The study proposes the construction of an openpit mine, with a concentrator processing 120 000 t/d to recover copper, gold, molybdenum and silver, as well as a 25 000 t/d oxide heap-leach facility to recover gold, silver and copper.
Average metal production is estimated at 163-million pounds a year of copper, 211 000 oz/y of gold, 1.28-billion ounces a year of silver and 15.1-million pounds a year of molybdenum. Initial production will focus on the deposit’s oxide cap as a heap-leach operation to recover gold and silver in doré form.
The main sulphide deposit will be processed using a conventional concentrator to produce copper/gold/silver/molybdenum concentrates.
The mill operation has a mine life of 27 years and the heap-leach operation a mine life of 24 years.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $3.47-billion and an internal rate of return of 21.1%, with a payback of 3.3 years at a copper price of $3.60/lb and a gold price of $1 700/oz.
Capital Expenditure
The project requires an initial capital investment of $3.62-billion.
Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.
Latest Developments
None stated.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Western Copper and Gold, tel +1 604 684 9497 or email info@westerncopperandgold.com