Kutcho is a 100%-owned feasibility-stage copper-zinc-silver-gold VMS project in northern British Columbia. The 2021 feasibility plan combines a predominantly conventional open pit at Main with longitudinal longhole open-stoping at the deeper Main remnant and Esso deposit. Crushed ore would pass through XRT sorting before sequential copper and zinc flotation. The formal feasibility base case, which did not apply the Wheaton precious-metals agreement, used US$3.50/lb copper and returned an after-tax C$461 million NPV at 7%, a 25% IRR and C$483 million initial capital. Subsequent optimization indicated that deferring underground development could reduce initial capital by approximately C$57 million on the 2021 cost basis. Wheaton retains an early-deposit life-of-mine stream over 100% of payable gold and silver production, with US$58 million of additional upfront consideration conditional on project advancement. During 2026, Kutcho Copper planned exploration drilling at Hamburger and The Gap while continuing engineering, optimization and permitting toward a construction decision.
- Country
- Canada
- Commodity
- Cu
- Stage
- Feasibility