Fuerte Metals has announced an overhaul to governance and engineering oversight of the heap leach facility at its proposed Coffee Gold Project in the Yukon.
The company has appointed NewFields Canada as the new “Engineer of Record.” Original designers (Forte Dynamics) will assist during transition to the new team.
Fuerte has also established an “Independent Technical Review Board” with two inaugural members with decades of experience in mining operations. Yukon-based Sébastian Tolgyesi also has been appointed vice-president of the Coffee Project, adding more northern experience to the team.
Finally, the company announced that it has applied for membership in the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and plans to implement its “Towards Sustainable Mining” framework.
These new measures come following the catastrophic Eagle Mine failure, where a collapse of a heap leach pad released tonnes of cyanide-contaminated material into the environment. Review boards concluded that the disaster resulted from a combination of design flaws and inadequate oversight, prompting heightened scrutiny on all future heap leach projects.
“Our team is taking deliberate steps to strengthen how the Coffee Gold Project is designed, constructed, and operated. We are implementing multiple layers of independent technical review, enhancing oversight, and establishing clear lines of accountability across the project,” said Tim Warman, CEO of Fuerte.
According to Fuerte, relations with the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, White River First Nation, Selkirk First Nation, the First Nation of Na‑Cho Nyäk Dun, remain their priority.
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