Fort Knox Mine

Project Description

The Fort Knox Mine is an open pit, truck-and-shovel operation using carbon-in-pulp, heap leach and gravity processes to recover gold. The mine is located approximately 25 highway miles northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, on primarily State of Alaska and private lands within the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The project is operated by Fairbanks Gold Mining, Inc. (FGMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corporation. The major Fort Knox Mine facilities include the Fort Knox open pit mine, mill, administrative facilities, tailings storage facility, water storage reservoir and the Walter Creek and Barnes Creek Heap Leach facilities. Power is supplied from the regional grid via a 29-mile power line. The mine was originally permitted in 1994, and operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. As of end of 2022, FGMI employed 732 people and produced 291,249 gold equivalent ounces.

The Gil Mine is 9 miles northeast of the Fort Knox Mine. The ore from this mine is trucked to Fort Knox for processing. This project is an open pit mine on State of Alaska and private lands.

News

Public Review and Comment Period: May 8, 2026, through June 7, 2026.

Fort Knox Mine and Gil Project Submissions and Draft State Decisions

On May 8, 2026, the State of Alaska released the following submissions and draft state decisions relating to the Fort Knox Mine and Gil Project for requested state authorizations associated with proposed mining operations.

Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Mining, Land and Water, has prepared:

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has prepared a draft Waste Management Permit No. 2026DB0002 PDF for management and disposal of waste rock and water at the Mine sites.

Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc. (FGMI) is requesting renewing their current Plan of Operations and Reclamation Plan Approvals. FGMI proposes continued open-pit mining operations at Fort Knox Mine with ongoing care and maintenance activities to maintain facilities at the Gil Project. Operations at Fort Knox Mine include open-pit mining, ore processing, water management, maintaining tailings storage, and heap-leach operations throughout the life of the project. Phased closure, and comprehensive reclamation is ongoing by contouring disturbed lands, placement of growth media, revegetation using native seed mixes, and long-term monitoring of vegetation, ground water, and surface water. End of mining activities involve stabilizing waste rock dumps and pit wall and implementing stormwater and seepage controls. Collectively, FGMI proposes to restore disturbed lands to a safe, stable, and productive post-mining condition while meeting state and federal regulatory requirements during and after mining.

Support Documents Associated with the Public Review and Comment Period

Hardcopies are also available for review at the following locations:

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 610 University Avenue, Fairbanks
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage

WRITTEN COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2026, 11:59 AKDT

How to Comment

The public comment period has been set at 30 days. You can comment online or in writing. Comment deadline is Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM AKDT.
Send written comments by mail or email to:

Fort Knox Comments
James Hyun, Large Project Coordinator
DNR / Office of Project Management & Permitting
Anchorage, AK 99501-3561
Tel: (907) 334-2185
Email: james.hyun@alaska.gov Email

Information on how to comment can also be found in the newspaper Fairbanks Daily News Miner display ad posted Friday May 8th, 2026 through Sunday, May 10th, 2026 or online at the State of Alaska Online Public Notices Portal.

DEC's Public Notice Portal External DNR's Public Notices Portal External