
Proposed North Thompson copper mine aims for 2028 approval
A planned copper mine north of Kamloops could rank among the largest in the country if approved.
According to early planning documents for Yellowhead Copper, it would produce 90,000 tonnes of ore each day. That’s more than Canada’s second-largest copper operation, Gibraltar Mine.
Owner Taseko Mines restarted environmental assessment work with the province and the federal government, eyeing permit approvals by 2028 and up to three years of construction to follow.
It’s a project decades in the making, with mineral exploration starting in the 1960s. Various companies have planned for what was once called the Harper Creek project, with Taseko taking over in 2019.
Yellowhead Copper is 150 kilometres north of Kamloops, located south of Vavenby and east of Dunn Peak. Taseko’s planning documents estimate construction would create more than 2,000 jobs, with nearly 600 jobs to open during its 25-year operation.
With environmental assessment still only in early stages, it will be at least a few years before the province and federal government considers approving the mine. Taseko has, however, been consulting with area First Nations, particularly Simpcw First Nation, which is most directly affected by the project.
Among Canadian copper mines, the Yellowhead open pit project would likely only be rivalled in size by Teck’s Highland Valley Copper to the south, which produces nearly 140,000 tones of ore per year.
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