200,000 ounces this year, adding to the nearly 300,000 ounces of gold expected 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% increase over the 254,492 recovered during 2023. The ongoing improvements in performance at Pogo are expected to continue into 2025. “The Pogo plant is forecast to operate 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 Southeast Alaska — Coeur Mining Inc.’s Kensington, Hecla Mining Company’s Greens Creek, and Sundance Mining Group’s Dawson — produced approximately 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 ounces 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 production value in 2024. Usibelli’s significance rests on a paradox that is similar to the discrepancy between Alaska’s world-class copper resources and nearly non-existent 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 become so dire that Alaska Railbelt utilities are having a tough time delivering electricity and natural gas to their customers. To help boost the energy supply and help ensure it does not need to initiate 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 generating a combined 57 megawatts of electricity, plus three other Interior Alaska power plants capable of generating 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 executive 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. Dunleavy said during his State of the State address. “This is unprecedented — 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 solution, DGGS has identified 110 projects on the Alaska mine development pyramid — 55 early-stage mineral exploration projects, 37 mid- to advanced-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 compiled 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 approximately $230 million invested in 2023, will rise somewhat when lateyear exploration figures are included. — Shane Lasley, North of 60 Mining News www.AlaskaAlliance.com 33
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