Dunleavy said during his State of the State address. “This is unprecedent- ed — and demonstrates his view of the importance of Alaska as a solution to America’s energy, manufacturing, and national security issues.” On the minerals side of that solu- tion, DGGS has identified 110 proj- ects on the Alaska mine development pyramid — 55 early-stage mineral exploration projects, 37 mid- to ad- vanced-stage exploration projects, six mineral projects in the economic evaluation stage, four in permitting, and eight in production pinnacle of the pyramid. According to preliminary data com- piled by DGGS, roughly $205 million was invested last year into pushing mineral exploration projects toward the top of this pyramid. This figure, which is slightly lower than the ap- proximately $230 million invested in 2023, will rise somewhat when late- year exploration figures are included. — Shane Lasley, North of 60 Mining News
ities are having a tough time deliver- ing electricity and natural gas to their customers. To help boost the energy supply and help ensure it does not need to initi- ate a rolling blackout, GVEA is leaning on increased output from its coal-fired power plants at the mouth of Usibelli Coal Mines operations in Healy. Usibelli delivers roughly 1 million tons of coal per year to GVEA’s two Healy power plants at the mouth of its mining operations, capable of gen- erating a combined 57 megawatts of electricity, plus three other Interior Alaska power plants capable of gener- ating another 70 MW of electricity. Unleashing Alaska’s mineral potential Unleashing Alaska’s mineral and other resource potential is so high on the Trump administration’s priority list that the President signed an exec- utive order addressing this on his first day back in office. “President Trump singled out Alaska out of all the 50 states for its own series of Executive Orders,” Gov.
200,000 ounces this year, adding to the nearly 300,000 ounces of gold ex- pected to be recovered from ore mined at Fort Knox in 2025. At the same time, gold output from Northern Star Resources Ltd.’s Pogo Mine, about 85 miles southeast of Fairbanks, is on the rise. The Pogo mill recovered 279,427 ounces of gold last year, a 10% in- crease over the 254,492 recovered during 2023. The ongoing improvements in per- formance at Pogo are expected to con- tinue into 2025. “The Pogo plant is forecast to op- erate at a targeted throughput of 1.4 million tonnes per annum,” said Northern Star Resources Managing Director Stuart Tonkin. This milling rate, with ore grades similar to last year, would put Pogo on the cusp of hitting 300,000 ounces of gold during 2025. “So, we’re pretty happy with where Pogo is at,” Tonkin said. Three hardrock mines in South- east Alaska — Coeur Mining Inc.’s Kensington, Hecla Mining Company’s Greens Creek, and Sundance Mining Group’s Dawson — produced approxi- mately another 162,000 ounces of gold last year. When you add in the gold recovered from around 150 placer operations across the state, Alaska mines were on the cusp of producing 1 million ounc- es of gold during 2024 — a milestone expected to be reached this year. Usibelli keeps Railbelt lights on For residents, businesses, and communities living along the Alaska Railbelt, the roughly 1 million tons of coal produced at Usibelli Coal Mines operations near Healy has a greater significance than the roughly 2% it contributed to Alaska’s mineral pro- duction value in 2024. Usibelli’s significance rests on a paradox that is similar to the discrep- ancy between Alaska’s world-class copper resources and nearly non-ex- istent production. The paradox that makes Usibelli so valued to Alaska Railbelt energy customers is Alaska has both world-class reserves and a shortage of natural gas. The natural gas shortage has be- come so dire that Alaska Railbelt util-
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