TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – British Columbia-focused project developer Seabridge Gold has established an independent geotechnical review board (IGRB) to review and consider its KSM project's tailings management facility (TMF) and water-storage dam (WSD), focusing on their structural stability and integrity.

The IGRB would provide independent, expert oversight, opinion and advice to Seabridge on designing, building, operating and the ultimate closure of the TMF and WSD, the company noted on Monday.

The IGRB would have unhindered access to all technical data necessary to enable them to assess KSM's TMF and WSD on an ongoing basis to ensure that these structures met internationally accepted standards and practices that would effectively reduce risks to employees, lands and communities.

“The establishment of the IGRB is a voluntary undertaking on our part to ensure that KSM's TMF and WSD are constructed, operated and decommissioned in keeping with the best practices in the industry. The team we have assembled includes some of the leading experts globally in their field and we are honoured that they have agreed to serve in this important role for the KSM project,” Seabridge chairperson and CEO Rudi Fronk said.

Initially, there would be four core members of the IGRB and four support members whose expertise would be called upon as needed. The IGRB comprised Dr Andrew Robertson as chairperson and core member, Dr Gabriel Fernandez, Terry Eldridge and Anthony Rattue as core members, while Dr Leslie Smith, Dr Ian Hutchison, Jim Obermeyer and Dr Jean Pierre Tournier would be support members.

The IGRB would meet at least once a calendar year during the life of the project, with the first meeting planned to take place in March, in Vancouver. The results of the IGRB's meetings would be shared with the government, aboriginal groups and other stakeholders who participated in the environmental assessment of the project.

KSM is one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold and copper projects, located in north-west British Columbia. It recently received both federal and provincial approvals, marking the end of a nearly seven-year journey to complete the joint harmonised federal and provincial environmental-assessment process.

KSM is only the second metal mine in five years to receive approval by Canada and British Columbia. It is among the world’s largest undeveloped gold/copper project by reserves.

According to the TSX-listed firm’s 2011 updated prefeasibility study on the KSM project, it contains National Instrument 43-101-compliant proven and probable reserves of 38.5-million ounces of gold and 9.9-billion pounds of copper.