Chu Mine Starts Path to Environmental Assessment

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C.- It is the first step on the path to an environmental assessment, and TTM Resources has taken that step for its “Chu” Mine project .

The Federal and Provincial Environmental Assessment officials as well as representatives from the Vancouver based TTM Resources, were on hand last night to talk about the environmental assessment process and the status of the application for the molybdenum open pit mine. The project is gathering input to set the stage for the specific information TTM will have to file as part of its environmental application.

The mine site is 80 km southwest of Vanderhoof, (120km southwest of Prince George) with access along an existing exploration road off the Kluskus-Ootsa Forest Service Road.

Warren Robb, the Chief Operating Officer for TTM, says if everything went through according to plan, and there were no bumps along the way, construction of the mine could start in the spring of 2012 with the actual mine up and operating late in the same year.

Construction would create between 500 to 700 jobs, and the mine operations would employ 450-600 people to start with, and then it may scale back to about 450 “It’s all going to depend on the size of the operation” says Robb “If it’s a 60 thousand tonne a day operation we’d probably be looking at 450 – 500 people, if we go to a 90 thousand tonne a day operation weld have to extend that a little more.” Robb says there is a study underway to see which size of operation would be economically suitable “At 60 thousand tonnes a day you’re looking at a mine life of 31 years while at 90,000 tonnes a day you’re looking at 18 to 21 years.”

The project area is in a region hard hit by the mountain pine beetle and while the plan calls for a 138 kilovolt power line to be brought into the mine site, Robb says there are thoughts of possibly using bio energy especially since there is a large source of biomass in the immediate area.

Although it had been hoped the provincial and federal environmental assessments could run at the same time, Robb says there have been some “Federal triggers” which may slow the process, “There is no shortage of fish in the area that we’re looking at, so we’re having to look at any fisheries issues that may arise.”

Consultation with First Nations has been underway for some time. “Starting early last year, we made a real effort to make contact with four First Nations groups which are laying claim to the area as traditional territories. We have hand delivered any referrals like drill permits or anything, we would go to the Band office and try to meet with the Chief or whoever is handling the natural resource side. We now try to get around to each one of the First Nations to give them an update on where the project is.” That initial consultation has indicated there may be some archaeological significance to the area.

Chu Mine details:

• Property is 14,812 hectares
• Plans call for a tailings management facility and waste rock storage area
• Water storage and treatment facilities and waste water treatment plant
• Site runoff, diversion and ediment control and water management structures
• Explosives storage
• New transmission line 106 km long ( likely 138 kilovolts)
• Infrastructure features including fuel depot and distribution, truck maintenance shop, truck wash facility, tire shop warehouse, storage yard, sewage treatment, assay lab, administrative offices
• Transportation of concentrate by truck from the mine site to the load out facility
• Accommodation facilities for up to 200 employees for emergency purposes should access to the site be lost
• Transportation of employees during construction and operations from regional communities.
• The project has an estimated development cost of $1 billion dollars.