Name of the Project
Blackwater gold project.

Location
Central British Columbia, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Artemis Gold.

Project Description
A feasibility study has shown several positive changes in the approach to the planned development of the Blackwater project, compared with the prefeasibility study (PFS) completed in 2020. 

Phase 1 throughput has been increased by 9%, from 5.5-million tonnes a year in the PFS to six-million tonnes a year in the feasibility study, with a larger crushing circuit providing greater operational throughput upside potential in the early years. In September 2025, Artemis announced plans to upgrade the current Blackwater mine processing plant, increasing nameplate capacity by 33%, from six-million tonnes a year to eight-million tonnes a year by the fourth quarter of 2026 (Phase 1A).

The accelerated Phase 2 involves the expansion to nine-million tonnes a year in Year 5, ramping up to 12-million tonnes a year in Year 6.

The increased production in years 1 to 5 supports a 29 % increase in average gold production over the first five years of operation, to 321 000 oz/y.

The Phase 2 expansion has been simplified and is to be achieved with only minor modifications to the existing Phase 1 crushing, stockpile and ball mill feed system. The second ball mill will operate in series with the Phase 1 mill. The rest of the plant circuits will be duplicated (gravity concentration, leaching, adsorption, elution and cyanide destruction) or expanded. Minor upgrades will be undertaken on some infrastructure to accommodate the increased throughput.

Phase 3 will increase production to 15-million tonnes a year in Year 10, ramping up to 20-million tonnes a year in Year 11.

The increased production in years 1 to 10 results in a 5% increase in the average gold production, to 351 000 oz/y of gold.

The Phase 3 expansion will require a new process line, from primary crushing to cyanide destruction, although a carbon elution circuit will not be needed, as the Phase 1 and 2 units will have sufficient capacity, with the lower ore-grades in Phase 3.  
 
Mining operations are proposed to cease in Year 17, with stockpiled ore rehandled and processed through the process plant in years 18 to 22. The decrease in mine life, from 23 years in the 2020 PFS to 22 years in the feasibility study, is a direct result of the increased throughput rate and production during the first ten years of the mine life in the feasibility study.  

Potential Job Creation
The total workforce at the Blackwater mine, including staff and contractors, surpassed 550 towards the end of December 2023.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
In the base case, the project has an after-tax net present value, at a 5% discount rate, of C$2.15-billion and an internal rate of return of 32.1%, with a payback of 2.3 years. This compares with an after-tax net present value, at a 5% discount rate, of C$2.25-billion and an internal rate of return of 35%, with a payback of 2.2 years in the PFS.

Capital Expenditure
Artemis estimates that Phase 1A will be completed at a capital cost of between $100-million and $110-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction is expected to start in the second quarter of 2022, putting the project on track to develop into a new tier-one gold operation in the first quarter of 2024.

Latest Developments
Major mechanical equipment for Phase 1A has been ordered, including a vertical mill to provide additional primary grinding capacity. Construction work has started with excavation of foundations in the plant area, while the concrete batch plant for this scope of work is being commissioned on site.

Artemis continues to progress the design and engineering for an optimised and accelerated Phase 2 expansion, including alternative methods for mine waste haulage.

In anticipation of a Phase 2 investment decision in the fourth quarter of 2025, the company has placed orders with Metso for an 18 MW semiautogenous grinding mill and an 18 MW ball mill for the semiautogenous ball mill crusher grinding circuit. The new ball mill is already fully fabricated, as a result of a cancellation by another customer, and is expected to significantly derisk the Phase 2 expansion schedule.

Updates to the mine plan for Phase 1A and Phase 2 are under way to assess the impact on production. The updates will incorporate a review of cutoff-grade strategies, along with an assessment of additional low- and medium-grade ore that is being identified through grade control drilling. 

The increased throughput for Phase 1A is expected to be accommodated by the current mining fleet, supplemented by minor planned additions to the truck fleet and support equipment. 

Updated production and cost metrics for Phase 1A and Phase 2 will be presented once the mine plan updates are complete, and the Phase 2 expansion project and execution plan have been finalised, which are expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Ausenco Engineering Canada, with the support of Knight Piésold; Moose Mountain Technical; Allnorth Consultants; Lorax Environmental Services; ERM Consultants; and JAT MetConsult (feasibility study).

Contact Details for Project Information
Artemis Gold, tel +1 604 558 1107 or email info@artemisgoldinc.com.