British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office says it has approved an extension for the life of the Mount Milligan copper and gold mine near Fort St. James into 2035.
The province says an amendment to the mine's environmental assessment certificate was approved after a "comprehensive" review of an application by the operator Thompson Creek Metal Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Toronto-based Centerra Gold.
The Environmental Assessment Office says the approval allows the company to expand the mine's area by 80 hectares, to boost its ore production by 6,500 tonnes per day and to increase the height of the mine's tailings storage dam by more than 100 metres.
The office says in a statement that the mine is a "priority project," allowing its assessment to be tied in with permitting reviews by the Mining and Environment ministries.
It says the co-ordination allowed for the decision to come faster than usual by more than a year, and the ministries' "permitting decisions are expected soon" for the mine that was originally approved in 2009.
The mine employs about 600 people and the province says the expansion could bring more jobs and upwards of $450 million to the region if it gets the further approvals that it needs.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
