Blackwater mine site infrastructure remains intact, wildfire damage minimal, says CEO

Artemis Gold (TSX-V: ARTG) provided an update Monday on the impact of an uncontrolled wildfire in the Cariboo Regional District in the immediate vicinity of the company’s Blackwater mine in central British Columbia, 446 km northeast of Vancouver.

Artemis Gold took proactive measures to temporarily reduce the number of non-essential staff and contractors early last week and all company staff and contractors are safe and accounted for.  

The Blackwater mine site infrastructure remains intact, including the construction camp, process plant area, construction fleet and contractors’ fleets. Damage to property has been minimal, the company said.

“Safety is our top priority, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the proactive, organized approach our team took to reduce non-essential workers at our mine site days before the wildfire reached our site," Artemis CEO Steven Dean said in the statement. "Our second priority was securing the asset, and our emergency services teams implemented very effective protective measures across the site.”

The company said it is now focused on plans to ramp back up to normal construction activities in the short term, subject to provincial regulation and does not anticipate this incident will have a material impact on the Blackwater mine construction schedule.

In March, Artemis received the approval of its BC Mines Act Permit for Blackwater.

With an initial capital cost of C$645 million – and up to C$1.4 billion total over a 22-year mine life – the Blackwater open pit gold mine will be the largest new mine built in the region in more than a decade. The mine is expected to contribute C$13.2 billion ($9.5bn) to the provincial economy, over the life of the mine, including C$2.3 billion ($1.6bn) to provincial revenues.

The company continues to target first gold pour in H2 2024.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON MINING.COM