Vancouver-based Western Copper and Gold Corp. (TSX:WRN) announced January 6 it had submitted the final proposal for its Casino project to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board.
The report was submitted through Western Copper and Gold’s wholly owned subsidiary, Casino Mining Corp.
The company’s submission triggers the environmental assessment process.
Western Copper and Gold are the sole owners of the Casino project – a gold-copper-molybdenum-silver deposit located about 380-kilometres northwest of Whitehorse.
Paul West-Sells, president and chief operating officer at Western Copper and Gold, told Business in Vancouver the submission of the final report marked a significant milestone for the company.
Western Copper and Gold spent six years and $18 million collecting the requisite data for the report, he said.
“This took a lot of time and it took a lot of effort. We’re very proud of what we’ve produced,” said West-Sells.
“We doubled our efforts in the past year and a half with community outreach and working with First Nations. We feel strongly that there is nothing in our report that will surprise anyone.”
According to a feasibility study completed in January 2013, the Casino project will produce 399,000 ounces of gold, 245 million pounds of copper and 15 million pounds of molybdenum per year for the first four years of production. The total reserve is estimated to be 1.12 billion tonnes of ore.
The development will require an initial investment of $2.46 billion.
