Eagle Nickel-Copper Project Takes Flight on Permit OK


Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group’s Kennecott Minerals Co., based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, said it has received state regulatory approval of three principal environmental permits needed to launch construction of its Eagle nickel and copper mine in the state of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, 30 miles northwest of Marquette. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) issued mine, air, and groundwater discharge permits, following an application review process that began in February 2006.

A two-year mine construction phase will begin in 2008. The company expects the mine to produce a total of roughly 300 million lb of nickel and 250 million lb of copper over its estimated six- to eight-year life. Capital cost for the project is estimated at $120 million.

Eagle's mine permit is the first issued by Michigan under its 2004 nonferrous metallic mine law, considered among the most protective in the U.S. The three permits issued today contain extensive and specific compliance conditions consistent with requirements for ensuring safeguard of the environment and ecosystems. Kennecott said it designed Eagle for “the smallest environmental footprint possible.” The mine will be underground, accessed through a portal located in the same area where a water treatment plant, ore loading equipment and other facilities will be contained to less than 100 acres. Ore will be processed off site. The surface ore processing/crushing facility will consist of a coarse ore storage area, a crusher building, and a crushed ore building. Located within the crusher building will be a grizzly feeder, a rock breaker, a 30 x 40-in. jaw crusher, and two covered transfer points used to feed the crushed ore leaving the jaw crusher into the two crushed ore bins.

Underground, the mine’s primary stopes will be backfilled using a cement and waste rock or aggregate mixture. Waste development rock will be used for backfill in the secondary stopes. The cement backfill operations would be supported by cement and fly ash silos on the surface, each with a storage capacity of 120 t. From the silos, cement and fly ash would discharge via a screw conveyor into a blender. Once blended, the mixture would be discharged via a screw conveyor and rotary airlock into a borehole for delivery to the stopes.

Kennecott also reported that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on December 6, 2007, recommended the State Natural Resources Commission approve two additional project authorizations— Kennecott’s plan for reclaiming the site once mining ends, and a land surface use lease agreement for the area where above-ground operations will take place.

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