Pebble partner approves $80 million for 2013 expenses
Northern Dynasty Minerals (NDM), a 50 percent stakeholder in the Pebble Project, announced this week that the board of directors of Pebble Mines Corp., the general partner of Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP), has approved $80 million for moving the proposed Pebble mine project forward in 2013.
Those funds, as detailed in a company press release, will go toward:
- engineering studies to complete a Project Description and advance a Prefeasibility Study;
- continued environmental monitoring studies in key areas including groundwater hydrology, water quality and fisheries resources;
- site investigations, including exploration, geotechnical and metallurgical drilling, as well as geo-hydrological testing; and
- stakeholder engagement and public affairs programming, workforce and business development initiatives, public education and community investment.
Engineering and environmental studies like those planned are a necessary step toward beginning the permitting process. Last year, PLP had announced that it hoped to begin the permitting process by the end of this fiscal year (June 30). The latest update states PLP plans to enter the permitting phase by the end of 2013.
NDM CEO Ron Thiessen is also quoted as saying that the Pebble Partnership will soon be releasing a national economic impact study and a workforce development plan. He promises an “enhanced public engagement initiative” this year, to include discussions with people and communities of Southwest Alaska.