Thompson Creek Metals's $900-million Mount Milligan gold and copper project in north-central B.C. will be in full-scale construction this summer, with an expected 660 workers on the job.
With the company set to pour concrete and erect steel for the mine's processing facilities, there are already more than 300 people on site, 155 kilometres northwest of Prince George, Thompson Creek Metals president and CEO Kevin Loughrey said Tuesday.
The company worked on preparing the site for construction this winter -- including the start of construction of the tailings dam -- and expects to spend $300 million or more this year.
The spending rate of about $300 million a year will continue over the next three years, with the mine slated to begin full-scale operations in 2014.
"We think the impact will be very positive in a lot of ways, and it will be a long term impact. You're talking decades of involvement here," Loughrey told an audience of business and community representatives in Prince George.
The mine -- which provides the first, new industrial jobs in north-central B.C. in more than a decade -- is expected to operate for at least 15 years and provide more than 300 full-time jobs. The construction workforce is about 35-40 per cent local.
Loughrey provided the update of the Mount Milligan project at an event hosted by the Mining Association of B.C. and Initiatives Prince George, the city's economic development agency, in the run-up to mining week next month.
Mayor Dan Rogers declared Monday mining day in Prince George.
Communities in north-central B.C., as well as the B.C. Liberal government, have been looking to mining to provide economic diversification, in part, to offset the coming reduction in the timber harvest from the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
Increased prices for metals like copper and molybdenum are being fueled by developing and growing economies in areas like Asia.
Denver, Colo.-based Thompson Creek already has a big presence northern B.C., as its near completion of a $550-million expansion and upgrade at its Endako molybdenum mine near Fraser Lake, 160 kilometres west of Prince George.
That presence could get even bigger after Thompson Creek pulled the plug on a project in Colorado. The company said, instead, it will be focusing its attention on the Berg copper-molybdenum project in northern B.C., shifting spending there.
There are also other mines in the exploration and development stage in north-central B.C., including TTM Resources $1-billion Chu molybdenum project and Pacific Booker Metals' $516-million Morrison copper-gold project.
Often seen as an obstacle to development, First Nations are beginning to partner with mining companies. Mount Milligan has enjoyed support from the McLeod Lake Indian Band. They've signed a benefits agreement, and two of their bands members have positions as environmental monitors.
"There's benefits for both of us," McLeod Lake Indian Band general manager Adele Chingee told the audience.
The Nak'azdli First Nation is also considering a benefits agreement with the company.
Observed Initiatives Prince George CEO Tim McEwan: "I believe we are going to see a true renaissance of mining in the next decade."
P.G. SUPPORTS MINE
A survey of Prince George area residents by the Mining Association of B.C., shows that residents are supportive of mining.
Of the 300 people surveyed in a 10-day period in February, 42 per cent said they completely approved of mining. Another 39 per cent said they somewhat approved.
The mining sector came up No. 3 as the industry that contributed most to the local economy, behind logging and the forest manufacturing.
The survey also showed that more than half of Prince George area residents do not have any connections to the mining industry. A quarter of area residents have a friend or family member who works in the industry.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
