Selkirk Copper Mines Boosts Confidence in Minto Mine Restart with PEA
Selkirk Copper Mines (SCMI) has announced the results of its Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Minto Mine Project in Yukon, Canada. The PEA outlines a potential pathway to developing a longer-life operation with additional copper-gold-silver concentrate production.
The project's economics are conservative, but when adjusted for current market conditions, the after-tax Net Present Value (NPV) more than doubles from C$494 million to C$1.023 billion at a copper price of US$6.50/lb. The company estimates pre-capex costs to be about $20 million.
The PEA also reveals a 182% increase in contained metals over the 2025 estimate, with initial capital costs (Capex) estimated at C$186 million and sustaining capital costs (Susex) estimated at C$409 million. The internal rate of return (IRR) increases to 78.2% at current market conditions.
The Minto Mine Project's restart economics are most sensitive to copper price, CAD:USD foreign exchange rate, copper recovery, gold price, and operating costs.