Pebble Project at a Glance
The Pebble Project, consisting of two world-class mineral deposits, is a mineral exploration and development project owned by the Pebble Limited Partnership, an Alaska limited partnership formed between a wholly owned US subsidiary of Anglo American PLC and a wholly owned entity of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
- Pebble West was discovered by Cominco (now Teck Cominco) in 1988. Subsequent drilling by The Pebble Partnership has defined a near-surface resource of 4.1 billion tonnes (in all categories) containing 24.7 billion pounds of copper, 42.1 million ounces of gold and 1.35 billion pounds of molybdenum.
- The adjacent Pebble East deposit was discovered in 2005. Subsequent drilling has defined a deeper, richer resource of 3.9 billion tonnes containing 49 billion pounds of copper, 45 million ounces of gold and 2.8 billion pounds of molybdenum. Drilling will continue through 2008 to expand and upgrade the Pebble East deposit.
Location – The Pebble Project is located about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, on state land designated for mineral exploration and development. The nearest communities are Iliamna, Nondalton and Newhalen.
Status – Since acquiring Pebble in 2001, The Pebble Partnership has conducted geological exploration programs and environmental and socioeconomic studies for a total project investment of $220 million by year-end 2007. These studies and programs are continuing and will support the preparation of a proposed mine development plan that that could involve some combination of open-pit mining at Pebble West and underground mining at Pebble East.
Data collected from ongoing environmental baseline studies will help guide both the proposed development plan and permitting applications to be submitted in 2009.
Environmental Studies – The Pebble Partnership has invested $87 million on its environmental and socioeconomic study program to year-end 2007. More than 50 consulting firms and 500 environmental scientists and technicians (of which 75% are Alaskans) have contributed to these studies. More work is planned for 2008 to help design a mine that can operate safely while preserving important environmental values and traditional ways of life.
Socioeconomic Benefits – Responsible development of the Pebble Project will generate capital investment of between $3-4 billion, 1,000 high-skill, high-wage operations jobs for 50-80 years, 2,000 jobs during the project's 2-3-year construction phase, tens of millions of dollars in annual tax payments to state and local governments, among other spin-off benefits and business opportunities.
Click here (48KB pdf) for details of the mining industry's annual contribution to Alaska's economy.
Community and Stakeholder Outreach – The Pebble Partnership has conducted more than 1,000 stakeholder meetings since 2004, and continues to expand its community outreach program. These events provide important public input for project planning and help the company identify issues of concern - such as protecting fisheries and subsistence resources.
Regulatory Review and Permitting – The proposed development plan for the Pebble Project, to be submitted in 2009, will be subject to a regulatory review involving 11 state and federal agencies and the citizens of Alaska. The Pebble Partnership must also provide information for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and achieve more than 60 state and federal permits. The combined review and permitting process could take three years or more to complete.
Project Infrastructure – Proposals being evaluated include a 104-mile, controlled-access industrial road between the site and Cook Inlet, a pipeline for concentrate transport, a tidewater port, and power lines to service the project and nearby communities.
