Imperial Metals is working on a corporate master plan that will include looking at the mine plans at Huckleberry near Houston.
Huckleberry Mines – that was put under care and maintenance last Summer – is 100 per cent owned by Imperial Metals as of this spring.
Spokesperson Steve Robertson says the price of copper is a major factor in any decision to reopen. He says the purchase of the mine was in hopes prices will eventually rebound.
“The price has been on its way up in general. It had a bad week last week, but we’ve been experiencing increasing prices over the last six months which is a positive trend and we hope it continues,” says Robertson.
He says they plan to have their master plan completed by the end of next month that will include the Red Chris Mine south of Dease Lake and the Mount Polley Mine north of Williams Lake.
“I’m not promising that there’s going to be a clear-cut answer yes or no in terms of Huckleberry. The results of the plan might show that we need to wait for higher prices.”
He also says copper prices aren’t the only factor involved in making a decision to reopen the mine. A volatile currency, power prices, fuel prices and many other economic factors are at play, explains Robertson.