Thompson Creek starts Mt Milligan concentrate production
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – North America-focused base metals miner Thompson Creek Metals Company on Tuesday announced that the new Mount Milligan mine, in British Columbia, had started producing copper/gold concentrate, bringing the project that would diversify the company’s portfolio, another critical step closer to commercial status.
The project, which had been subject to delays as a result of worker shortages, winter weather and a 50% budget blowout, was now producing concentrate that would be stored at the site until the company started transporting it to an off-site treatment and refinement facility in the fourth quarter.
Adding copper and gold to the miner’s molybdenum portfolio would reduce the risk of relying on a single commodity.
The NYSE- and TSX-listed company said that since production started earlier this month, the mill had produced about 500 t of saleable concentrate with a specification of about 25% copper and 30 g/t gold.
During the present phased mill start-up, the throughput rate was between 1 500 t/h and 2 000 t/h. The processing plant was currently operating with one of the two ball mills. The second ball mill, along with its primary related flotation circuit and the pebble crusher, were still in the commissioning and start-up phase.
The copper/gold project’s costs spiralled about 50% from the initial estimate of C$915-million. Royalty company Royal Gold is entitled to buy 52.25% of gold produced at Mount Milligan for $435/oz under the terms of a streaming deal that Thompson Creek signed to obtain financing.
The project contains about six-million ounces of gold and about 2.1-billion pounds of copper in reserve.
The operation is expected to reach commercial production in the fourth quarter of this year, producing 60 000 t/d of ore over a 22-year mine life.
Comments
Research Reports
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa is sole distributors for Goodwin electrically driven, submersible, abrasion resistance slurry pumps.
VISIT SHOWROOM
South African leader in Steel -Racking, -Shelving, and -Mezzanine flooring. Universal has innovated an approach which encompasses conceptualising,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
