Minews - Canada approves world's largest copper-gold project

(Minews) - Canada's minister of the environment on Friday gave the green light to Seabridge Gold's KSM project in British Columbia, the world's largest undeveloped gold-copper project by reserves.

The joint harmonized federal and provincial environmental assessment process took nearly seven-years and KSM is only the second metal mine in five years to receive approval by Canada and BC.

Since 2006, Seabridge has spent more than $176 million in exploration, engineering and environmental work to bring the project this far.

Seabridge Gold plans combined open-pit and underground gold copper silver and molydenum mine in the Kerr, Sulphurets, and Mitchell Creek watersheds located approximately 65 kilometres northwest of Stewart, BC and roughly 35 km northeast of the Alaska border.

The deposit boasts 38.2 million ounces of gold, 9.9 billion pounds of copper, 191 million ounces of silver and 213 million pounds of molybdenum provable and probable reserves.

The mine is expected to process 130,000 tonnes per day of ore over an anticipated mine life of 52 years.

KSM forecasts 1,800 direct and 4,770 indirect jobs across Canada during the five-year construction period and 1,040 direct jobs annually while in production.

During construction, Seabridge will spend $3.5 billion in British Columbia and $6 billion in Canada. Over the life of the mine’s operations, more than $400 million in GDP will be produced for British Columbia and more than $42 billion for Canada.

Seabridge Gold holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects with its Courageous Lake gold project located in the Northwest Territories its principal asset outside KSM.