Yellowhead files Harper Creek study

A recently filed feasibility study for development of Yellowhead Mining Inc’s Harper Creek volcanogenic copper-gold-silver project (pictured) in British Columbia forecast a 28-year open-pit operation capable of recovering 1.65Mt of copper.Stone Crusher

The study, ready by a team of consultants such as Knight Piesold, Merit, GeoSim and Nilsson, was depending on a lately released resource update.

The large-scale operation was created to generate 70,000t/d, or 25.6Mt/y utilizing 42m3 electric hydraulic shovels and 240t (brief) trucks.

The mine would feed a processing plant comprising semi-autogenous grinding and ball milling, flotation, regrinding, thickening and filtering to yield a 25.5% Cu concentrate.

The operation was forecast to produce about 346,000t of copper, 85,100oz of gold and 2.6Moz of silver during the first 5 years of the projected 28-year life.

Metals production more than the first ten years was estimated at 680,000t of copper, 165,000oz of gold and 5.6Moz of silver, and more than the whole project life, 1.65Mt, 372,000oz and 14.7Moz, respectively.

Cash operating fees over the proposed mine life were estimated at US$0.95/lb copper, though total onsite and offsite expenses had been estimated at US$1.56/lb copper, like precious-metals credits.

Capital costs had been estimated at about C$839 million, plus sustaining capital expenses estimated at C$293 million.Stone Crusher Plant

The item could be loaded onto trucks for transport 25km to a rail siding at Vavenby, from exactly where it would be railed 450km for the port of Vancouver for onward shipment to third-party smelters and refineries.

Water for the milling method would be reclaimed from the tailings management facility, which was created to hold all tailings and submerge potentially acid-generating rock. The facility could be in a valley devoid of any fish habitat.

Energy would come from an existing BC Hydro transmission line about 10km from the web site that would require upgrading.