Coeur Alaska has started operations at the Kensington underground gold mine in Southeast Alaska. With a commitment to operate at the highest standards of environmental, safety, and health compliance, Coeur Alaska looks forward to making a lasting contribution to the economic vitality of the region.
- More than 100 years of mining history in the Kensington area
- Coeur obtained 100% ownership of Kensington interest in 1995
- Major permitting process completed in 2005
- Construction of mine and mill facilities completed in 2007 except the
tailings storage facility
- On June 22, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Kensington 404
Permit for tailings placement
- The mine started production on June 24, 2010
- Capital cost $338 million
- 300 workers at peak construction
- 200 workers once mine begins operating
- Approximately $16 million in annual wages and benefits
- Millions of dollars in state and local taxes
- Anticipated production for the remainder of 2010 is 50,000 ounces
- Production from Kensington will average approximately 125,000
ounces annually over an initial mine life of 10+ years based on current
reserves
- Underground mining operation using modern methods including placing
tailings as paste backfill to fill mined areas and provide support for
ongoing mining
- On-site flotation mill (does not use cyanide recovery)
- The company has approximately 72 environmental and regulatory permits in
place
- Current Environmental Department team actively tracking all permit
conditions and monitoring requirements
- Kensington received a 2008 Safety Award from the International Society
of Mine Safety Professionals for its safety performance of one year and
186,894 employee hours worked without experiencing a lost time accident
- The site maintains an excellent safety and environmental compliance
record
- Coeur Alaska has the following policies in place to guide site
activities
- Received the 2006 Hardrock Mineral Community Outreach and Economic
Security Award from the BLM for showing responsible mineral resource
development while demonstrating an understanding of sustainable development
- Significant ongoing contributions to a variety of local organizations
- Significant support among Native groups, political and community leaders
including Goldbelt, Kake Tribal Corp., Klukwan, Inc., Kootznoowoo, Inc.,
Huna Totem, Berners Bay Consortium Human Resources Development Corp.,
Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, City and Borough of
Juneau, Juneau Chamber of Commerce, Haines Borough, Haines Chamber of
Commerce, Resource Development Council, Southeast Conference, City of
Hoonah, Southeast Alaska Native Economic Futures Coalition, Alaska Native
Brotherhood
- Support/sponsorship of local miner training programs
- Approximately 1.5 million ounces contained gold mineral reserves
- Additional gold mineral resources estimated at 767,000 ounces
- Exploration drilling program currently under way to expand mineral
reserves and resources
- Mining takes place underground (ie, no open pit)
- Underground design means limited above-ground visual impact
- Utilizing underground paste backfill technology reduces surface
disturbance
- Mine and most infrastructure not visible from major waterways (Berners Bay or Lynn Canal)
- Mine location in remote area away from recreational use
