Manh Choh
Pogo
Livengood
Usibelli
CONTINUED from PAGE 45
Pogo: Twenty years of production — and more gold to find Farther east, Northern Star Resources’ Pogo Mine is entering its third decade of production. The underground operation has produced gold since 2006 and has become one of Interior Alaska’s major em - ployers and economic engines. Northern Star acquired Pogo in 2018 and the mine’s next chapter is increasingly about productivity and exploration. Pogo’s mill has been performing above its original 1.3-million-metric-ton annual nameplate capacity, while Northern Star has been working to expand the mine’s re - source base. The company has identified a 5-mile-long corridor of high-grade gold mineralization and is pursuing additional drilling around the Goodpaster area. The exploration potential is significant. A large resource at Goodpaster and other targets around Pogo could provide additional sources of ore for the existing operation, allow - ing Northern Star to leverage infrastructure that is already in place. That is important in Alaska, where the cost of building roads, power systems, camps and mills and other infrastructure can be a major factor in whether a deposit can be economically developed. Pogo’s continued investment demonstrates the value of finding more ore around an operating mine rather than starting from scratch somewhere else. Livengood: The next large project north of Fairbanks About 70 miles north of Fairbanks, International Tower Hill Mines’ Livengood Gold Project is moving into another
important stage. The large gold deposit that hosts an esti- mated 13.6 million ounces of gold resources is located along the Elliott Highway, giving it a significant infrastructure advantage compared with many remote Alaska projects. International Tower Hill Mines also recently reshaped its executive leadership as it prepares to move the project into its next stage of development, naming mining finance veteran David Wiens as CEO and Shane Parrow as president and chief operating officer. The appointments are designed to strengthen the company’s ability to complete a feasibility study, advance permitting, secure financing and develop one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in the United States. Wiens brings more than 20 years of experience in min - ing finance, capital markets and corporate leadership. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer of Asante Gold, where he led approximately $1 billion in financing transactions that supported the company’s growth into a mid-tier gold producer. Parrow brings nearly three de - cades of engineering, operations and mine development experience. Most recently, he served as vice president and general manager of Kinross Alaska, overseeing both the Fort Knox Mine and the Manh Choh operation. With gold prices remaining exceptionally strong, large undeveloped deposits such as Livengood are receiving re- newed attention from investors and mining companies. Usibelli: Coal woven into Interior mining economy Gold dominates the Fairbanks-area mining conversa - tion, but coal remains part of the Interior’s resource econ- omy through Usibelli Coal Mine near Healy.
Usibelli has supplied coal to Alaska customers for de - cades, particularly utilities and other large energy users. Its role is somewhat different from the region’s gold mines, but it remains an important component of Alaska’s re - source-development workforce and energy supply chain. The mine also illustrates the broader challenge facing Interior resource companies: maintaining economically viable operations while navigating changing markets, en - ergy needs and regulatory requirements. For the Fairbanks region, that diversity is important. Mining’s economic contribution is not limited to the value of minerals leaving a mine site. It includes transportation, heavy equipment, engineering, fuel, maintenance, construc- tion, environmental services and other support businesses. A regional mining hub The economic effect reaches well beyond mine sites. When activity increases, Interior businesses supply equipment, fuel, parts, food, lodging, transportation and professional services. The industry also provides a market for contractors and workers who can move between mining, construction, oil and gas and other resource-development projects. The most important development may be that Interior Alaska is no longer dependent on a single mine or a single generation of projects. Taken together, these successful operations create a mining ecosystem rather than simply a collection of individual mines. For Fairbanks, that could prove to be the most valuable resource of all.
with milling projected through 2038 and heap leaching continuing into the early 2040s. That makes Fort Knox more than an aging mine. It is becoming an increasingly important regional processing hub for Interior gold. Manh Choh: A mine built around existing infrastructure The Manh Choh project near Tok demonstrates how that regional model can work. Owned 70% by Kinross and 30% by Contango Ore, Manh Choh began producing gold in 2024. Rather than construct- ing a new processing plant at the remote mine, high-grade ore is transported to Fort Knox for processing. Kinross ex - pects Manh Choh to contribute approximately 640,000 at - tributable gold-equivalent ounces over its mine life. The operation also has created hundreds of jobs and opportunities for local businesses. For Fairbanks, however, the importance of Manh Choh extends beyond the mine itself. Every load of Manh Choh ore ultimately becomes feed for the Fort Knox processing system, creating additional work for truckers, maintenance contractors, suppliers and other businesses supporting the Fairbanks mining econ - omy. It also offers a potential blueprint for future Alaska development: develop a high-grade deposit remotely, then use an existing mill rather than duplicate expensive infra - structure.
— Fireweed Strategies
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