Name of the Project
Pebble copper/gold/molybdenum project.
Location
Alaska, US.
Client
Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP), wholly owned by Northern Dynasty Minerals.
Project Description
The project proposes to construct a large openpit mine; an on-site milling facility; on-site storage for rock, ore and tailings; a port facility; an access road connecting the mine site to the port; an on-site water supply for the mill; and to provide electrical power for the mine site, in south-west Alaska.
In addition, the project plans to include an on-site 378 MW gas-fired turbine plant, a 138 km transportation corridor to Cook Inlet for road and pipeline rights of way and a new deep-water port at Cook Inlet.
The current resource estimate includes 6.44-billion tonnes in the measured and indicated categories containing 57-billion pounds of copper, 70-million ounces of gold, 3.4-billion pounds of molybdenum and 344-million ounces of silver; and 4.46-billion tonnes in the inferred category, containing 24.5-billion pounds of copper, 37-million ounces of gold, 2.2-billion pounds of molybdenum and 170-million ounces of silver. The deposit also contains quantities of palladium and rhenium.
Jobs to be Created
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.
Value
Capital expenditure on Pebble will reach between $6-billion and $8-billion.
Duration
Not stated.
Latest Developments
PLP is taking advantage of US President Donald Trump’s prodevelopment agenda and has appointed regulatory and permitting consultant HDR Alaska to start the federal and state permitting processes for the megaproject.
HDR will start preparing the necessary documentation to initiate permitting under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa) by the end of the year, in anticipation of success for Northern Dynasty in its implementation of a multidimensional strategy to address the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) preemptive regulatory veto under Section 404(c) of the CWA.
HDR has provided environmental and technical consulting services for Northern Dynasty and the PLP since 2004, with a specific focus on wetlands, water, aquatic habitat and fish studies as presented in the C$150-million, 27 000-page Pebble Environmental Baseline Document published in 2012.
In its current role, HDR will continue to undertake select environmental baseline field studies and analysis at Pebble, but will also provide strategic regulatory guidance for the Pebble Partnership as it finalises the engineering design, environmental planning and documentation required to file a CWA 404 permit application with the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The PLP intends to also retain other engineering, environmental and regulatory consultants and experts to support the project's 2017 work programme and Nepa permitting requirements over the next several years.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Wardrop Engineering (preliminary assessment report).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
PLP, tel +1 907 339 2600, fax +1 877 450 2600 or email receptionist@pebblepartnership.com.