Facts
Facts at a Glance
Location
The Pebble Prospect is located 200 miles Southwest of Anchorage on state land designated for mineral exploration and development. The nearest communities are Illiamna, Nondalton and Newhalen.
Mineral Resource
The Pebble Prospect is one of the most significant discoveries in North America of copper, molybdenum and gold. Copper and molybdenum are essential minerals in modern-day life, providing necessary elements for industrial machinery, construction, automotive parts, and more, as well as leading the path toward energy efficient "green" technologies.
- 80.6 billion lbs. of copper
- 5.6 billion lbs. of molybdenum
- 107.4 million oz. of gold
- Commercially significant amounts of silver, rhenium and palladium
Status
The Pebble Partnership is in advanced exploration conducting the most comprehensive environmental baseline data studies ever prepared for a mining project in Alaska. The extensive research will guide a prospective mine development plan that will be open for public comment, as well as part of an exhaustive state and federal regulatory review.
The Pebble Partnership is in the pre-feasibility review stage, committed to developing a world-class mine plan that is environmental sound, economically beneficial to the people of Southwest Alaska and financially viable.
Socioeconomic Benefits
Responsible development of the Pebble Project will generate a multi-billion dollar capital investment, 1,000 high-skill, high wage operation jobs and roughly 2,000 jobs during an anticipated 2 - 3 year construction.phase. While the scope of the potential project has yet to be determined, it is anticipated that like other mining projects in Alaska, tens of millions of dollars will be paid in annual tax revenues to state and local governments, as well as the potential for other spin-off benefits and business opportunities.
Permitting Process
A prospective mine development plan will require public review by the citizens of Alaska, an exhaustive state and federal regulatory review by 11 agencies, and issuance of more than 65 specific permits. A prospective mine plan must also align with several federally mandated Acts, such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and many more. The process will require an Environmental Baseline Document based on the cumulative data from the Pebble Partnership, which will trigger an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the NEPA process (National Environmental Protection Act). The combined review and permitting process is anticipated to take roughly 3 years.
The state of Alaska Department of Natural Resources coordinates the permitting of all large mines in the state, and works with other government and local agencies, as well as the citizens of Alaska to ensure that projects are designed, operated, managed and reclaimed in a manner consistent with the public interest.
Investment
The Pebble Project would include a multi-billion dollar capital investment toward the development of an environmentally responsible prospective mine plan.
- Mineral exploration
- Engineering
- Environmental studies
- $73 million in 2010 to advance the project
Environmental Studies
The Pebble Partnership has invested more than $132 million in environmental and socioeconomic studies. More than 50 consulting firms and more than 500 scientists from Alaska and around the globe have contributed expertise to the programs.
Community and Stakeholder Outreach
The Pebble Partnership has conducted hundreds of stakeholder meetings in an effort to provide an open forum for dialogue with local communities. These events provide important public input for project planing and helps the company identify issues of concern, such as protecting fisheries and subsistence resources.
Project Infrastructure
While no decisions on specific infrastructure have been determined at this time, proposals being evaluated include an 86-mile, controlled-access industrial road; pipelines parallel to the transportation corridor; a multi-modal port; and electric facilities to provide service to the prospective mine operations and surrounding communities.
