Mount Milligan Mine is officially processing copper and gold.
The region's newest metals mine is not yet officially open but all staff, equipment and processes have to be tested out in real-life conditions and it was announced on Friday that this was now underway. The first ore material rumbled over the conveyer belts and into the concentrator, the machine that begins the process of grinding and separating the valuable gold and copper from the common rocks and dirt.
Kevin Loughrey, chairman and chief executive officer of ownership company Thompson Creek Metals, said, "We are pleased to [report that] everything went as planned. All of us at Thompson Creek are proud of this achievement and look forward to the initial production of copper and gold concentrate at Mt. Milligan in the third quarter."
More testing will be done and once the various systems and human resources are confirmed ready for everyday service, the mine will officially begin commercial work. No date for that has been disclosed.
Mount Milligan is located equidistant (about 90 kilometres) north of Fort St. James and west of Mackenzie.
