The Pebble Project is at the pre-feasibility and pre-permitting stage of development, and faces a lengthy and rigorous timeline to production
As of the end of 2007, The Pebble Partnership has invested $220 million on a broad range of work programs and studies at the Pebble Project. Information generated from these studies will be used to prepare a proposed mine development plan to be submitted for government and public review in the next few years.
To support this goal, drilling programs continue to define the full extent of the Pebble East deposit. More environmental studies are planned to expand and strengthen the database generated over the past three years. One of the key objectives is to ensure that the proposed project can operate safely while preserving fisheries and other valued natural resources in the Bristol Bay region.
The Pebble Partnership's proposed mine development plan will be subject to an exhaustive regulatory review involving 11 state and federal agencies and the citizens of Alaska. The Pebble Partnership must provide the required information for an Environmental Impact Statement and be issued more than 60 State and Federal permits. The combined review and permitting process could take three years or more to complete. This lengthy timeline ensures that local residents and other stakeholders will be able to play an active role in the planning and review process.
Project Status – Click here for details on the Pebble Project Resources
Project Planning and Concepts
The Pebble Partnership is committed to developing the Pebble Project in a way that will optimize benefits for local communities while protecting important environmental values and traditional ways of life. To support this goal, The Pebble Partnership is continuing its technical and environmental studies to help determine the best mining, processing, tailings storage and infrastructure options for the proposed project. The engineering team is working to develop an integrated mine development proposal that will likely involve conventional open-pit mining at Pebble West and underground mining at Pebble East.
Preliminary evaluations suggest that block-caving may be selected as the best underground mining option at Pebble East.
After mining, mineralized ore will be fed to a metallurgical processing plant to separate the copper, gold and molybdenum from the non-mineralized portion of the rock. The froth flotation process physically separates these minerals from waste rock using organic compounds and wetting agents. The Pebble Partnership is also evaluating alternative processing methods to maximize gold recoveries.
Copper concentrate at Pebble will be sent via a pipeline to a port site and dewatered before shipment, with the water returned though a separate pipeline to the mine site for re-use. The non-mineralized portion of the processed material will be stored in a modern tailings facility designed and constructed to protect downstream water quality and withstand the most severe earthquake that could possibly occur in the region.
Supplies will be trucked over a single-lane industrial road with restricted access. The pipeline will parallel the road, and both will terminate at a deep-water port on Cook Inlet. Alternative sites for the port are being evaluated, along with various options for the supply and delivery of power to the project and to nearby communities.
