Kinross Alaska is excited to announce that on August 29th we broke ground on the Manh Choh project located near the Native Village of Tetlin during a commemorative groundbreaking ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by several members of Kinross’ leadership team including Paul Rollinson, President & CEO, Geoff Gold, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, External Relations and Chief Legal Officer, Kathleen Grandy, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources, Claude Schimper, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Terence Watungwa, Vice-President and General Manager, Kinross Alaska, Tyler Bruce, Project Director, Manh Choh, Shane Parrow, Operations Director, Manh Choh, Martin Litt, Vice-President, U.S. Government Affairs and General Counsel, North America and Chile, and Anna Atchison, Director, External Affairs, USA.
Also in attendance was Tetlin Chief Michael Sam, Alaska Governor Michael Dunleavy, Contango Ore President and CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, and several government officials.
The ceremony began with a traditional blessing by Tetlin elder Roy David and Joy Huntington, followed by speeches from Anna Atchison, Terence Watungwa, Paul Rollinson, Tetlin Chief Michael Sam and Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, about the partnership between Kinross Alaska, Contango Ore, the Village of Tetlin and the State of Alaska.
“Manh Choh is a key part of Kinross’ future, and we are pleased to be working with Chief Sam and the Native Village of Tetlin to safely advance this project,” said Paul. “Our primary goal for Manh Choh is to create a lasting and successful legacy for this region, opportunity for the Tetlin people and support the preservation of traditions for generations to come. We are proud to partner with the Tetlin people to bring this project into successful operation.”
At the conclusion of the speeches, all speakers and Kinross’ leadership came together for a ceremonial ‘golden shovel’ groundbreaking before heading back to Tok for an ‘Alaska-themed’ lunch and celebration between Kinross and the community.
Click here to watch highlights from the groundbreaking ceremony and see photos from the ceremony below.
The Manh Choh project is expected to commence production in the second half of 2024, and is expected to increase Kinross’ production profile in Alaksa by a total of approximately 640,000 attributable Au eq. oz. over the life of mine, while adding over 500 jobs to the state of Alaska.
