On September 23, Kinross Fort Knox held the official groundbreaking ceremony of the Gil mine!
Current and former Kinross employees who helped bring this project to life over its three decades attended the groundbreaking ceremony, along with Governor of Alaska Mike Dunleavy and other key local and state officials and representatives. The event concluded with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by the first blast in the pit.
The Gil mine has been 35+ years in the making and was initially explored from 1982-1993. The project was first looked at as a stand-alone mine and as of 2018, the project shifted to focus on utilizing the existing Fort Knox infrastructure. The ore from the Gil deposit will be transported twelve miles (19 km) east to the mill at Fort Knox for processing, using existing roads on Fort Knox property – giving Kinross Alaska the opportunity to have a smaller footprint with the higher-grade project.
“In the past, the concept was to build more infrastructure here and construct another mill or heap leach,” said Jeremy Brans, Vice-President and General Manager, Kinross Alaska. “The big game-changer here was the new concept, and this is all part of Alaska innovation, and Fort Knox innovation.”
“This groundbreaking is a long time coming and a huge milestone for us here at Kinross Alaska. It was special to share with former employees and community members who have made this milestone possible,” said Anna Atchison, External Affairs Manager, Kinross Alaska. “The Gil mine means continuing to be present in the community and employing Fairbanks and Alaskans, and as it is with any mining project, continuing to bring taxes and revenues to the local borough and state.”
The Gil is expected to add 80-100 jobs while producing approximately 160,000 Au eq. oz. over a two-year mine life at an estimated cost of sales of approximately $920 per Au eq. oz. For more information, view the news release here.
