ELY — Twin Metals Minnesota officials have identified some sites for facilities in its first copper/nickel/precious metals mine plan in the Ely-Babbitt areas.
“No final decision has been made, these are preliminary for our first operation. But we believe some thoughts are mature enough to discuss with folks,” said Bob McFarlin, vice president of public and government affairs for the company.
McFarlin said the company plans other projects in the mineral-rich Duluth Complex, which would have the company in business on the Iron Range “well in excess of a century.”
Twin Metals is currently in the pre-feasibility phase of the project. A feasibility study, extensive environmental review, the environmental impact statement and permitting processes will follow. And there is already opposition lined up against the project, regardless how much environmental review is successfully done.
“How long it will take is difficult to predict,” McFarlin said about the start-up.
The preliminary project calls for initial development of the Maturi Deposit with an underground mine, rather than the Spruce or Birch locations.
“We believe the most efficient operating mine at this time would be in the Maturi,” McFarlin said.
Here are the facility sites currently contemplated and how the first of the company’s operations would develop:
• The concentrator, mine access and other mine-related facilities are being considered west of the Maturi Deposit, near the Ely Airport.
• Underground corridors will connect facilities to the underground mine, which officials say will minimize surface impacts.
• The Dunka Pit, an old mining site, is being proposed as the water source for the project. It would encompass Brownfield redevelopment with updated environmental management and would be regulated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Pollution Control Agency.
• Half of the tailings would be returned to the underground mine as backfill and the other 50 percent would be stored in a regulated surface facility.
• The potential surface location is south of Babbitt, within the Great Lakes Watershed adjacent to a developed and active taconite mining area.
• The final processing and shipping facility would be close to the Peter Mitchell pit.
“Sound environmental processes went into our thinking. We’re always looking for options to be the safest possible. We try to limit proliferation of the footprint; avoid environmental sensitive areas; limit impact to wetlands. We are always looking for brownfield,” McFarlin said.
A brownfield is a former development site that can be redeveloped with sound environmental standards.
“By putting up to 55 percent of the tailings back to the underground facility greatly reduces surface impact.
“By drawing mine water from the Dunka Pit, we would not need and underground source or Birch.
“We would improve the environmental management of the Dunka Pit with more modern permits and regulations and requirements. It would also significantly reduce and even eliminate the need to discharge Dunka into the environment,” McFarlin said.
The preliminary plan was well received by the stakeholders because it would piggyback on corridors already there, McFarlin said.
The underground mine would be 1,500 to 3,000 feet below the surface.
“It would be hundreds or thousands of feet below the lake level,” McFarlin said.
Twin Metals currently has 40 employees so far equally split between the Ely/Babbitt and St. Paul offices. The company has already put about $250 million into the project and could provide a total $2.5 billion capital investment, McFarlin said.
https://www.virginiamn.com/news/local/twin-metals-hones-in-on-sites/article_658aacf4-b7ae-11e3-9d6c-0019bb2963f4.html
Twin Metals’ operations could produce hundreds and even thousands of jobs, according to officials.
“Citizens of northern Minnesota understand mining. We are excited about the options and possibilities. And we have great partners in Babbitt and Ely,” McFarlin said.