Dunleavy, Kinross, Contango execs lean on golden shovels in Tetlin

Contango ORE posted this photo of the Tetlin groundbreaking Tuesday on the site formerly known as Twitter.

There was almost no press coverage of the golden shovel ceremony in Tetlin Tuesday that brought Gov. Mike Dunleavy and top executives of Kinross and Contango ORE to mark the start of the Manh Choh mine project.

The local TV stations had a brief story, but there was nothing in the Daily News-Miner and no press release from Dunleavy, any state agency or Kinross.

Dunleavy stands with J. Paul Rollinson, the president and CEO of Kinross, and others at the groundbreaking.

In a press release from Contango, CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse said: “We are indeed excited to report that mining operations have commenced at Manh Choh and that the construction phase has been achieved on budget and on schedule.”

Contango ORE posted photos on the site formerly known as Twitter.

The ceremony included Dunleavy, Rep. Mike Cronk, Tetlin Tribal Chief Michael Sam, tribal council members, and executives from Kinross and Contango, including J. Paul Rollinson, the president and CEO of Kinross.

“At this point, mining operations primarily consist of pre-stripping activities, with any ore encountered to be stockpiled for later transport by road haul trucks to the Fort Knox mill for processing. Meanwhile, mill modification activities continue at the Fort Knox mill with an emphasis on completing outdoor activities before winter arrives,” Contango ORE said.

Contango owns 30 percent of the joint venture developing the project. The state has invested $10 million in Contango through the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.