Golden Sunlight's Tailings Reprocessing Project a Model for Sustainable Closure

The pioneering Tailings Reprocessing Project at Barrick's end-of-life Golden Sunlight Mine was officially opened today in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Montana Governor Gianforte, Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow, representatives of the Montana federal congressional delegation, and members of the community.

The opening of the facility is the culmination of more than a year's work that has already created more than 75 jobs.

It has the potential to generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue and benefits for the state over the next decade, while removing a source of possible water pollution from the mine site.

The facility will reprocess the ground rock, known as tailings, from which gold was previously extracted in the Golden Sunlight mills. The focus will be on removing and concentrating sulfur (iron pyrite) to be sold to and used in gold production by Barrick-operated and majority-owned Nevada Gold Mines, the largest gold producing complex in the world. The concentrated sulfur is not only valuable, but its removal will also eliminate a source of potential groundwater contamination. After reprocessing, the remaining benign material will be backfilled into the Mineral Hill pit.

Golden Sunlight Mine General Manager Chuck Buus spoke on how the process came to be at the grand opening presentation Thursday, February 10, noting that CEO Mark Bristow had asked his mining operations to look outside the box.

"We said, we have a bit of gold left in the tailings pond - what's that look like? We also have iron pyrite in there - and they indicated, we use a lot of sulfur down in Nevada...so we started doing a lot of permitting and flotation research and one thing led to another. We created a conceptual design and here we are today - we are right where we need to be," Buus said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bristow said the project, which combined rehabilitation with value creation, would serve as a model for Barrick's future mine closures.

"Last year we started this groundbreaking plan to initiate mining closure at Golden Sunlight while continuing to create economic benefits. Working in close collaboration with state agencies, we were able to complete the permitting process in time and commission the Tailings Processing Facility, creating value for all our stakeholders.

It's a great example of what a true partnership between a miner and its host communities can accomplish. We look forward to shipping the first concentrates within weeks," Bristow said.

Governor Gianforte said, "This project is an example of what's possible when state agencies provide a stable, predictable regulatory process that companies like Barrick can rely on. We're thrilled by Barrick's investment in the Whitehall community and look forward to the benefits this project will bring, including more than 75 good-paying Montana jobs and a stronger, cleaner environment."

The Golden Sunlight mine produced more than 3 million ounces of gold during its nearly 40 years of operation. The mine shut down in 2019 when gold production was no longer economically viable.

"I just think this is such a great project where Barrick is revitalizing Golden Sunlight, creating jobs in the community, and making money doing restoration. I think it's a model for how we need to be good stewards of the environment, but developing our natural resources is not inconsistent with protecting the environment, and that's what Barrick is showing here with this project," Gianforte told the Whitehall Ledger.

Gianforte has been working with Barrick and DEQ for the last year to bring the permits quickly to the project.

"We have to follow the letter and the spirit of the law, we have a constitutional obligation for clean air and clean water for Montanans; we should work through the process so we can get to "yes", so that we don't stand in the way of responsible development of our resources. So we took that on and I want to give a shoutout to DEQ, they did a great job following the law, protecting the environment, and getting the permit issued.

Buus said the project will sustain the mine's life 10-12 years and that Barrick will continue to look towards a healthy future with the community.