Tahltan backing for Eskay Creek: social licence and capex notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Tahltan Nation members have voted to support an impact benefit agreement with Skeena Resources for the Eskay Creek gold-silver project in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle, covering revenue sharing, Tahltan employment and contracting, training programmes, and funding for a Tahltan elders’ facility. The Tahltan Central Government board will consider formal project consent in January, clearing a key social-licence hurdle for restarting the former Barrick underground mine as an open-pit operation. Backed by a US$750 million Orion Resource Partners package, Eskay Creek is planned to start in 2027, with a 12-year life, 39.8 Mt of reserves at 2.6 g/t Au and 68.7 g/t Ag, and forecast output of 320,000 oz AuEq per year.
Technical Brief
- 2023 feasibility study defines 39.8 Mt proven and probable reserves at 2.6 g/t Au, 68.7 g/t Ag.
- Contained metal inventory totals 4.6 Moz gold and 88 Moz silver in reserves.
- Measured and indicated resources stand at 50.1 Mt grading 2.6 g/t Au and 63 g/t Ag.
- M&I resources contain 4.1 Moz gold and 101.4 Moz silver, above the reserve base.
- First five operating years are forecast to average 455,000 oz AuEq per annum.
- Historical underground operation (1994–2008) produced ~3.3 Moz Au and 160 Moz Ag.
- Skeena acquired Eskay Creek from Barrick in 2020 and has since intensified exploration and studies.
- Project economics are underpinned by a US$750 million financing package from Orion Resource Partners.
Our Take
Within our 331 Mining stories, BC’s Golden Triangle features repeatedly as a high-capex, multi-decade gold district, so Tahltan Central Government support at Eskay Creek is likely to be watched closely as a benchmark for Indigenous engagement on other regional projects.
Measured and indicated gold resources of 4.1 million oz. at Eskay Creek, on top of 3.3 million oz. of historic production, signal that Skeena Resources is effectively repositioning a mature camp into a long-life open-pit style asset rather than a short-cycle restart.
The 12-year mine life to around 2027+ and sizeable silver inventory (over 100 million oz. in resources) mean Eskay Creek could function as a meaningful silver as well as gold contributor in Canada, which is notable given most of our recent gold-tagged coverage focuses on single-metal optimisation rather than dual-commodity value.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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