Construction of the Blackwater mine, in central British Columbia, is continuing to progress on schedule, keeping the mine on track for its first gold pour in the second half of the year.
At March 31, overall construction was about 73% complete and about C$523-million of the guided capital budget of C$730-million to C$750-million had been spent, TSX-V-listed Artemis Gold reported.
“We have an exceptional team managing the development of the Blackwater mine. Execution is critical in all projects, and managing the day-to-day challenges that arise in building a mine of this scale and complexity is key to being successful,” commented chairperson and CEO Steven Dean.
According to the 2021 feasibility study, Phase 1 of Blackwater entails a six-million-tonne-a-year initial throughput. In Phase 2, this will increase to nine-million tonnes a year in the fifth year, ramping up to 12-million tonnes a year in the sixth year. Phase 3 will boost throughput to up to 20-million tonnes a year.