In addition, construction of the mine access road and plant-site bulk earthworks will be fast-tracked to facilitate early mobilization of the engineering, procurement and construction contractor to site upon receipt of major works permits.
“The early works construction permit for Blackwater has been submitted as planned, in order to provide flexibility to manage seasonal and other factors ahead of major construction kick-off,” Artemis chairman and CEO Steven Dean commented in a news release.
“The provincial government has demonstrated good support to move forward with our development activities at Blackwater, and this permit is part of that coordinated plan,” he added.
The Blackwater project, located approximately 160 km southwest of Prince George in central British Columbia, was acquired by Artemis from New Gold (TSX: NGD) in a C$190 million cash deal in summer 2020.
Shortly after the acquisition, Artemis released a revised prefeasibility study, envisioning a 23-year open-pit operation, with a staged development, that would generate 7.5 million ounces of gold over its mine life.
