Kutcho starts feasibility on BC copper-zinc project

“Kutcho is a high margin, low capital project with significant upside potential; our objective in 2021 will be to continue to de-risk and advance the project towards a production decision,” he stated in a press release.

A 2017 pre-feasibility study for the asset defined a 12-year, 2,500-tonne-per-day underground operation producing an average of 33 million lb. copper and 46 million lb. zinc annually, in addition to gold and silver by-products. With unit operating costs pegged at US59¢ per lb. copper, net of by-product credits, and with initial capital costs of $221 million, the after-tax net present value estimate for the project is $265 million, at an 8% discount rate, with a 27.6% internal rate of return.

Last year, the company updated resources for Kutcho. The site features measured and indicated resources of 17.3 million tonnes grading 1.85% copper, 2.72% zinc, 0.49 gram gold per tonne and 33.9 grams silver per tonne and inferred resources of 10.7 million tonnes at 1.18% copper, 1.76% zinc, 0.26 gram gold and 21.5 grams silver.

The 171-sq.-km site includes existing ground access, as well as a camp and airstrip. Concentrates generated at the project would be shipped from the port at Stewart.

This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal, part of Glacier Resource Innovation Group.