Last week, Graphite One announced this season’s drilling program has begun in the Kigluaik mountains, less than 60 miles north of Nome. This is one part of the pre-feasibility process which will provide more information about the Graphite Creek deposit for the proposed mining project.
According to a press release from the company, “approximately 800 meters of HQ core drilling are planned for the 2019 Drilling Program to provide geotechnical information for open-pit mine design and to determine ground conditions in proposed infrastructure sites.”
As Graphite One conducts their drilling, they seem to have the support of Senator Lisa Murkowski who met with company representatives in August. According to a statement from Murkowski’s office, the Senator was pleased to learn about the subsistence advisory council for the project. And she hinted at the company’s cleaner energy measures, saying, “I learned that part of Graphite One’s data gathering, and planning includes looking at potential renewable energy options, such as hydro, which could power neighboring local communities.”
Murkowski has also advocated in D.C. for the potential Graphite Creek mining project and its role in decreasing the country’s foreign mineral dependence.
According to Graphite One, the prefeasibility study work is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2020. The company recently secured almost five-million-dollars through a loan from Taiga Mining Company, a controlling shareholder of Graphite One, to fund the study.
Image at top: Core samples taken from Graphite One’s summer 2012 exploration program. Photo: Graphite One Resources.
