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2:30 PM

IN THIS ISSUE C IM MAGAZINE

N O V E M B E R | N O V E M B R E 2 0 1 5

November • Novembre 2015 | 5

32cover story

Under financial pressure and public scrutiny, miners are grappling with the challenge

of tailings managementBy Eavan Moore

41special report:

GreenlandReady with projects, skills and tools, the icy island

is making itself a mining destinationBy Ryan Bergen, Anita Isalska, Kate Sheridan and Chris Windeyer

37An untapped opportunityCross belt analyzers offer mining companies

the ability to understand ore variability and have an earlier online assay

By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

32

41

37

contenufrancophone

La version françaiseintégrale du CIM Magazine estdisponible en ligne :magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA

8 Editor’s letter 10 President’s notes

tools of the trade 12 The best in new technology

Compiled by Kate Sheridan and Michael Yang

news 14 Canadian junior launches

crowd-sourced explorationcontestBy Antoine Dion-Ortega

16 Briefs 17 Anti-uranium sentiment snuffs

out exploration in QuebecBy Kate Sheridan

milling 26 Smart tagging technology is

taking the guesswork out ofthroughput forecastingBy Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

28 First Quantum Mineralsrewarded for switch to stirredmillBy Eavan Moore

30 Zeljka Pokrajcic explains howbetter approaches to blasting,crushing and grinding improveoperational efficiency and thebottom lineBy Christopher Pollon

project profile 48 True North Gems:

Aappaluttoq ruby mineBy Chris Windeyer

travel 52 Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

By Anita Isalska

mining lore 74 Cornish miners brought more

than just mining expertise whenthey immigrated to the AmericanWest in the mid-19th centuryBy Kelsey Rolfe

6 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 10, No. 7

26 6830article de fond 64 Eaux troubles

Soumises à des pressionsfinancières et à un examenpublic, les sociétés minières sont aux prises avec l’épineuxproblème de la gestion desrésidus miniersPar Eavan Moore

60 Une petite société canadienne lanceun concours d’exploration parexternalisation ouvertePar Antoine Dion-Ortega

61 Un sentiment hostile à l’uraniumfreine l’exploration au QuébecPar Kate Sheridan

68 Profil du projet : La mine de rubisAappaluttoq de True North Gems Par Chris Windeyer

59 Lettre de l’éditeur 59 Mot du président

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editor’s letter Editor-in-chief Ryan Bergen, [email protected] editor Angela Hamlyn, [email protected] editor Andrea Nichiporuk, [email protected]

Section editors Peter Braul, [email protected] DiNardo, [email protected]

Junior section editor Kelsey Rolfe, [email protected]

Copy editor/Communications coordinator Zoë Koulouris

Web content editor Maria Olaguera, [email protected]

Contributing editor Eavan Moore, [email protected]

Editorial interns Michael Yang; Kate Sheridan, [email protected]

Digitization technician Marie-Ève Lapierre, [email protected]

Contributors Correy Baldwin, Antoine Dion-Ortega, Anita Isalska,Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, Valerian Mazataud, Eavan Moore,Christopher Pollon, Chris Windeyer, Michael Yang

Editorial advisory board Alicia Ferdinand, Garth Kirkham, Vic Pakalnis, Steve Rusk, Nathan Stubina

Translations CNW

Published 8 times a year by:Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum 1250 – 3500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. WestWestmount, QC H3Z 3C1Tel.: 514.939.2710; Fax: 514.939.2714 www.cim.org; [email protected]

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Subscriptions Included in CIM membership ($187); Non-members (Canada):$270/yr (AB, BC, MB, NT, NU, SK add $13.50 GST; NB, NL, ON add$35.10 HST; QC add $40.40 GST + PST; PE add $37.80 HST; NSadd $40.50 HST); Non-members (USA & International): US$290/yr;Single copy: $25.

Intrepid Potash’s tailing pond in Moab, Utah.

Layout and design by Clò Communications Inc.www.clocommunications.com

Copyright©2015. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1718-4177. Publications Mail No. 09786. Postage paid at CPA Saint-Laurent, QC.

Dépôt légal: Bibliothèque nationale du Québec.The Institute, as a body, is not responsible for statements made or opinions advanced either in articles or in any discussion appearing in its publications.

Printed in Canada

2015

Kenneth R. Wilson Awards

Finalist

Best in Canadian Business M

edia

Four years ago, Canada hosted theannual international Mine ClosureConference. This was the first time the

event had been hosted in Canada, and therewas a sense of urgency. At the time, Directive074, an initiative spearheaded by Alberta’sEnergy Resources Conservation Board to stemthe flow of fine tailings into the ponds at oilsands mines, was still young; its ambitious tar-gets meant to reclaim the land covered by thetailing were in force; and the story of the hun-dreds of ducks drowned in muddy tailingswas still fresh in the public’s mind.

At that conference, consulting engineerAndy Robertson presented on the mounting

concern that the growing number of tailings impoundments present totheir surroundings and, subsequently, to the mining industry. His message:if we continue to build larger mines to extract lower grade ore and hold theresultant tailings behind correspondingly massive dams, then the risk ofcatastrophic failure will skyrocket. Robertson’s presentation was impressivebecause it was so matter-of-fact.

The Mount Polley dam failure in 2014 has refreshed the urgency and,as contributing editor Eavan Moore details in “Muddy Waters” (pg. 32),engineers, mining companies and regulators are under pressure to makechanges, but are uncertain of what exactly those changes ought to be. Atthe same time, others are pushing for a rebalancing of the scales that weighthe risk of failure against cost of preventing it. The result would be a morethorough accounting of the financial and social impact of a tailings damfailure and, likely, a greater incentive for some projects to invest in tech-nologies that could cut the risk of such an event.

With that in mind, I should note that Alberta regulators scrappedDirective 074 earlier this year. Oil sands operators had consistently failedto hit the targets the directive, created in 2009 in part as a response to thebird kill in the tailings pond the previous year, had set. The technical chal-lenges proved to be more complex than the policy and its timelinesallowed. A draft of new provincial guidelines is imminent.

Today, with many new developments on hold, is a critical opportunityto dedicate the time and energy that the challenge of tailings managementand its regulation requires without tight deadline pressure. In policy mak-ing as in engineering, poor design will result in failure.

Ryan Bergen, Editor-in-chief [email protected] @Ryan_CIM_Mag

Reflections on the tailings pond

president’s notes


Mining under the microscopeMining is vital to everything we as a society have and do, but as a

hewer of stone myself, I feel called upon constantly to defend its veryexistence. This industry underpins human prosperity, and produces thecore raw material for nearly all that we engage with and value, notwith-standing our family, friends and pets.

Many people still believe mining is a dirty, unsafe business and oughtto be abolished. That is even more impractical than to say we should stopusing fossil fuels. At least there are alternative fuels. However, there areno alternatives to mining that have proven effective to this point and a100 per cent recycling rate of scrap metal allows no opportunity forgrowth. Furthermore, a shift toward renewable energy sources is impos-sible without the products that come from elements that are mined.

Yes, we miners will always be judged on past practices, but we musttake this in stride. For without the past we cannot learn and grow. Wecontinue to get better. And yes, there have been failures, but we are con-stantly improving.

As a geoscientist, I believe in the concept of sustainable development,which for me means operating in a way that allows for the safe extraction,transportation and processing of the resources that we rely on to survive,in a manner that is respectful and will benefit future generations.

We say to those that have a negative perception of mining and itseffects that we take the trust that society bestows upon us seriously andwe believe we have a duty of care.

So we need to keep informing people of mining’s safety record, andmake sure our practices are the best available, but also the best applica-ble. When we see a wrong, we need to make it right, and we need tospeak up when we see bad practices.

We will persevere because, despite what others may believe, we knowthat mining and its continued health and sustainability is a necessity.

Vivat fodienda . . . long live mining!

Garth Kirkham CIM President @GarthCIMPrez

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Precision drillUnderground drilling requires operators to beextremely precise, and the smallest human errorcan be costly for mines. Therefore, Sandvikrecently released its next generation ofdevelopment drills, including the DD422i, whichbrings full automation to drilling. The aim is toincrease accuracy, productivity and tunnellingquality, according to Kerry Falk, marketingmanager at Sandvik. The equipment is based onSandvik’s Intelligent Control System Architecture, which allows for nine different hole type settings and threealternative control methods including manual drilling control, feed percussion follow-up and intelligent torque control.The new tech also makes tunnelling easier on the operators by increasing the operator’s field of vision by 25 per centover previous models and reducing noise levels in the cabin to below 69 decibels at all times. The carrier isarticulated, which allows it to work in tight spaces, and the equipment can handle different voltages, making theDD422i a good choice for contractors who share equipment between sites, Falk said.


Compiled by Kate Sheridan and Michael Yang

Super-sized cells Processing plants handling high tonnages or low-gradeore often require long banks of flotation cells to meetthroughput goals, taking up valuable space, power andmoney. That is why FLSmidth recently released its 600Series SuperCell flotation cells, the largest on themarket. The effective volume of the cells ranges from600 to 715 cubic metres, depending on the launderarrangements and the kind of rotor/stator used, but theirfootprint is small. Compared to an arrangement ofsmaller flotation cells, the larger cells take up between20 and 30 per cent less area on the plant floor toprocess the same volume of ore. According to FrankTraczyk, FLSmidth’s director of flotation products, thenew cells reduce capital costs and operational expensesby up to 25 and 15 per cent, respectively. When pairedwith the company’s nextSTEP rotor/stator, the cell alsouses less power than other comparable cells, potentiallyas little as 0.35 kilowatts per cubic metre.

Get to know your hoistHoist systems are the lifeline of underground mines –often solely responsible for transporting necessarypersonnel, materials and equipment below the surface.But, as ABB global service manager Remy Lanouepointed out, “even if a hoist looks like it’s operatingsmoothly, there is always room for improvement.” Togive clients a full, comprehensive snapshot of theirexisting hoist system, ABB is launching its Mine HoistFingerprint service in North America. The service is astructured audit that collects data from over 20 pre-defined points and uses it to analyze the electrical andmechanical components of the hoist system. “We checkeverything from the current condition of the hoist topast issues, identify areas for optimization and evenbenchmark it against the industry standards,” saidLanoue. Within a week, the service team will provide adetailed report that includes recommendations for thefuture. Depending on the terms of the agreement, theexpert team can also upgrade the hoist system andperform periodic checks.

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Anti-uranium sentiment snuffs outexploration in Quebec

17

OSC finds mining lags in diversity

19

NewsVancouver-based Integra Gold

kicked off a crowdsourcing competi-tion in September in the hopes ofuncovering hidden value at a recentlyacquired Quebec property.

The company officially launched itsGold Rush challenge on Sept. 18, inwhich anyone in the world is invited toanalyze historical mining data for Inte-gra’s Sigma-Lamaque property in Val-d’Or, Quebec, and locate the next golddeposit. Once registered, competitorscan download the data on the HeroXcrowdsourcing platform and gain freeaccess to Leapfrog 3D geological mod-elling software. One week after theopening, 1,200 people from 65 coun-tries had registered and more than halfhad already downloaded the data.They have until Dec. 1 to submit theirsuggested targets for a chance to winprizes ranging from $10,000 to$500,000 for first place, for a totalvalue of one million dollars.

Six geologists will judge the submis-sions: Neil Adshead, investment strate-gist at Sprott Asset Management;Andrew Brown, chief geologist of WestAfrica for B2Gold; Benoît Dubé, seniorresearch scientist at the Geological Sur-vey of Canada; James Franklin, retiredchief scientist of the Geological Surveyof Canada; David Rhys, consultinggeologist at Panterra Geoservices; andBrian Skanderbeg, president and CEOof Claude Resources.

From the cloud to the groundCanadian junior launches crowdsourced exploration contest

By Antoine Dion-Ortega

The Sigma-Lamaque propertyincludes two formerly separatemines: Placer Dome’s Sigma mine andTeck’s Lamaque mine. Placer Domemerged them in 1993. Over their 60years of existence, they producedmore than nine million ounces ofgold. The property still holds586,000 ounces of Measured andIndicated Resources.

When Integra’s team acquired themining complex from the struggling

Century Mining Corporation for $8million in October 2014, it received alist of every asset included in the deal.But when the team members walkedinto the exploration office, they founda number of external hard drives leftbehind by the previous owner. Theseincluded 75 years of raw data, goingback to as far as September 1939.

“There were many millions of dol-lars worth of data compilation that wasdone by the previous owners,” said

François Chabot, manager of operations and engineering at Integra Gold, consults material left behind by previousowners of the Sigma mine. Behind him are the record files for each and every drill hole since 1939.

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George Salamis, Integra’s chairman.“They never actually got a chance touse it because they went bankrupt.”

Most of this data consisted of high-resolution scanned images of old paperfiles that Sigma had accumulated overthe course of the century, and whichare still shelved in a small room of theSigma-Lamaque complex. For the mostpart, they consist of tables with infor-mation on every hole that was drilled.These scans amounted to six terabytes(TB) of data.

According to Salamis, goingthrough the data would require tensof thousands of work hours. “Wecould have given this data to our geol-ogists to work on, but they would getdistracted from their work at the Tri-angle Zone,” said Salamis, referring toan area just south of the Lamaquemine that has already shown verygood drilling results. “They con-cluded that it would take many yearsof compilation and analysis to come

to a reasonable conclusion [on theproperty’s potential].”

Geologists are already busy at theLamaque property analyzing resultsfrom the winter and summer drillingcampaigns, in addition to carrying outthe ongoing drilling program. “Ourpriority is the Triangle Zone, so weconcentrate on it,” said Integra COOLangis St-Pierre. “This is where wehave the best chances to open a minein the short term. That doesn’t meanthat we won’t do anything with whatwill come out of the contest.”

Data miningIntegra is not the first mining com-

pany to use crowdsourcing as anexploration tool. Goldcorp, under theleadership of Rob McEwen, launched asimilar contest in 2000 that led to thediscovery of more than $6 billionworth of gold under the Red Lakemine. The operation only cost thecompany $575,000 in prizes, while the

mine became one the largest gold pro-ducers in Canada.

“Rob and Goldcorp were the trueinnovators of this method in the min-ing sector,” said Salamis.

From paper files to 3D shapesCrowdsourcing the Sigma-Lamaque

files was not easy. First, Integra had toturn six TB of scanned images intosomething more palatable in the form ofdigitized geological models. It contracted Val-d’Or-based InnovExplo,a service provider for the mining sector,to turn the 2D images into 3D files. Thejob was labour-intensive, according toSalamis. “For every drill hole that was inthe database, they had to go back andfind a record on paper that they couldmatch it with,” he explained. “If theydidn’t find it, the hole was not used.”

In the end, the whole operationmobilized 12 people over the threesummer months. By August, the six TBhad been compressed to 25 gigabytes


(GB). The contract was worth “hun-dreds of thousands of dollars,” saidSalamis.

To complicate things further, theLamaque and Sigma operators, whichdid not talk to each other much beforetheir merger in 1993, used differentunits of measurement in their respectivelogs. Over its lifetime, to indicate oregrades, for example, Sigma used ouncesper tonne, grams per tonne, penny-

weights per tonne and even dollars pertonne, with the gold prices of the time.The Lamaque side used mostly ouncesper tonne. The two mines also used dif-ferent grid systems to locate drill holes.“We had to standardize the data andthat was a big job,” said Salamis.

Even though the database wasreduced to 25 GB, Integra could nothost it on its own server, so it teamed upwith Amazon Web Services. “Had we

done this ourselves,” noted Salamis, “wewould have crashed our server forsure.”

Integra is looking “for more than theobvious,” he went on to say. “We arelooking for specific recommendationsor specific targets, and a geological, statistical or mathematical reasoning asto why these are the best targets to test.It is not enough to put an arrow on amap that says: ‘Drill here.’” CIM

Coal associationencourages optimism atannual conference

News for coal producers around theworld has been grim as of late, but AnnMarie Hann, president of the CoalAssociation of Canada (CAC), said shebelieves coal markets will perk up – itis just a matter of when. “Coal is acyclical industry and has been throughdownturns before and reboundedwell,” she said following the CAC’s2015 conference, held in Vancouver onSept. 17-18. “We need to be readywhen [markets] do [recover].”

More than 200 people from 16countries attended the event to discusshow coal miners can begin “preparingpatiently for the upturn,” which wasthe theme of this year’s conference.

The conference’s five general ses-sions focused on strategies for build-ing and investing for the future.Financial analysts and experts pre-sented on the potential for coal inglobal markets, including those inemerging India and China, where theeconomy has slowed.

For the first time, the event alsoincluded technical presentations. Thefirst session centred on new technolo-gies for the industry like wave liquefac-tion and a holistic, multi-modalapproach to handling coal. The seconddelved into environmental control andmitigation topics, including seleniumfiltration technology and the responseto the 2013 incident at Obed mine inAlberta, when coal process water wasaccidentally released from a storagepond into the Athabasca River.

At the conference banquet, CACpresented a Special Recognition Awardfor environmental and innovationachievement to SaskPower for itsBoundary Dam power station, whichuses carbon capture and storage tech-nology to reduce emissions by 90 percent, according to a press releaseannouncing the award.

The association also awarded theCAC Award of Distinction to DavidFawcett for his role in acquiring anddeveloping coal properties in BritishColumbia over the past 20 years,including his work on the WillowCreek, Belcourt, Wolverine, BurntRiver/Brule, Wapiti/Echo Hill andHorizon projects. “His involvement inso many projects has left a stronglegacy for the future of the region andprovince,” said Hann.

The 2016 conference is scheduledfor June 8-10 in Vancouver.

– Kate Sheridan

Paul Vining, CEO of Florida-based Cutlass Collieries,spoke at the Coal Association of Canada’s 2015conference in Vancouver in September. He presentedon the potential for new coal mines in Canada,highlighting his own project in Nova Scotia.

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Perry Ing was named CFO of Kirkland Lake Gold, effective Nov. 2. Ing most recentlyserved as CFO of McEwen Mining, a position he had held since 2008. Ing has 13 yearsof experience in the mining sector, including his work as a financial consultant withBarrick Gold from 2005 to 2008.

Michael Winship, president elect of CIM, was named interim president and CEO ofRubicon Minerals on Oct. 5, following the departure of Michael Lalonde. In a statementannouncing the appointment, the company said the board will initiate the process toselect a new, permanent president and CEO. Winship has been a member of Rubicon’sboard since 2011. He also served as CEO of Orvana Minerals, a role he retired from inMarch, and COO of Quadra FNX Mining from 2010 to 2012, before the company wasacquired by KGHM.

MOVIN’ on upCompiled by Kate Sheridan


Quebec’s political climate has ura-nium mining companies turning theirbacks on la belle province.

Uracan Resources updated the sta-tus of the mineral resource estimatesfor uranium at its project along Que-bec’s North Shore on Sept. 21, statingthat there was no resource that couldbe developed there, effectively leavingthe project to idle. Uracan had alreadywritten off the financial investment inthe project in 2012, but the mineralresource estimates had to be amendedto avoid misleading investors.

“We’re not saying the underlyingdata is incorrect or anything,” explainedMarc Simpson, president and CEO ofUracan. “We’re saying that given thepolitical climate, and that there has tobe the potential for something to bedeveloped for there to be a valid NI 43-101, we wanted to get out in front of it.”

That potential, the companystated, has been squashed by theprovincial environment ministry’srefusal to issue permits for uraniumexploration and a May report by Que-bec’s provincial environmental publicconsultation agency the Bureau d’au-diences publiques sur l’environ-nement (BAPE).

The BAPE’s report concluded thatthe government should ensure threethings happen before any uraniummining projects are approved in Que-bec: social acceptability, “reliableknowledge” to bridge gaps in scientificknowledge and technical uncertainties,and a legal framework.

“Realistically, it will take severalyears to fulfill these requirements,” thereport stated. “Accordingly, it would beinappropriate to give the green light touranium mining in Québec in the cur-rent context.”

The Quebec government requestedthe BAPE’s report in 2013, the sameyear they imposed a de facto morato-rium on uranium mining.

Quebec is not the only provinceskittish about uranium development.Nova Scotia and British Columbiaimplemented moratoriums in the1980s, but let them lapse. Bothprovinces reinstated legislation – effec-tively moratoriums – in the pastdecade. The only province with activeuranium mines is Saskatchewan,according to the Canadian NuclearSafety Commission (CNSC). Theprovince is home to the world’s largesturanium mine, the McArthur Rivermine, jointly owned by AREVA andCameco.

“Saskatchewan understands ura-nium – politically, socially, economi-cally,” said Simpson. “You want to gowhere you’re wanted.” Uracan holdsoptions in the Clearwater property andthe Black Lake property inSaskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin.

“The Saskatchewan publicstrongly supports mining, includinguranium mining and milling opera-tions,” said Pam Schwann, executivedirector of the Saskatchewan MiningAssociation (SMA). “There is a deep-

rooted understanding and apprecia-tion of resource development inSaskatchewan.”

Five of the uranium sites inSaskatchewan are ISO 14001-certifiedfor their environmental management,Schwann said. Uranium mine and millsites employed 3,200 people in theprovince in 2014.

An SMA survey from May showedthat 77 per cent of the province’s resi-dents support uranium mining in theprovince.

“Social acceptability is a correctthing to consider,” said Michel A.Bouchard, a lecturer at McGill and anexpert in environmental assessments,adding that the social acceptabilityconcept has morphed into the sociallicense to operate. “This is not some-thing new and this is something thatmining companies are very well aware of.” However, Bouchard said hethought the BAPE report was flawedbecause it did not define what socialacceptability would be and did notproperly investigate the Saskatchewanexperience.

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In response to Quebec’s frosty attitude toward uranium mining, Uracan Resources decided in September toofficially abandon development at its North Shore property.

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Non!Anti-uranium sentiment snuffs out exploration in Quebec

By Kate Sheridan


“I think Saskatchewan is pretty con-vincing evidence that you can do thiswith the social acceptability of FirstNations,” he said. “It proves that whenthings are done properly, you can bringthe level of risk down to acceptablelevels.”

The BAPE report’s emphasis onsocial acceptability still drew criticismfrom the industry as well as federal reg-ulators. The president and CEO ofCNSC, Michael Binder, sent an openletter to the BAPE in July that calledthe results of the report “troubling.”

“It is clear that the BAPE’s recom-mendation not to proceed is based onthe perceived lack of social acceptanceand not on proven science,” the letterstated. “I would like to remind theMinister of CNSC’s decision in 2013involving a uranium project in north-ern Quebec (Strateco) where a panel ofthe Commission, which included a for-mer BAPE president, determined that itwas safe to proceed.”

Though approved by the CNSC,Strateco’s high-grade Matoush projectstalled at the provincial stage of per-mitting. Strateco president and CEOGuy Hébert also said the BAPE’s socialacceptability criterion was not definedwell enough for companies to act.

The company’s difficulties are nowthe subject of a $190-million lawsuitagainst the Quebec government. Thetrial may begin as early as next year.The Quebec-based company, whichhad been active at the project since2006, launched the suit last year, alleg-ing that the provincial governmentencouraged the development of theproject until it arbitrarily stopped it.According to a company press releasefrom last December, Strateco investedan average of $20 million per year inthe project from 2006 to 2012, when itcould not get the permit it needed todo advanced exploration.

Hébert claimed the company isentitled to a permit based on their

compliance with the permittingprocess in place before the morato-rium. A Strateco press release fromDecember 2014 stated that the provin-cial environment minister had refusedto approve its application due to a lackof social acceptability.

However, Hébert said the companydeserves more than a permit from thelawsuit. “We sold our equipment at avery cheap price; we laid off all ouremployees,” Hébert explained. “Wetook a write-off of $19 million and ourshare price just collapsed,” he said,adding that the expenses have beenaudited by a forensic accounting firm.“The damage is permanent. It’s done.”

He hopes to get some of the moneyback to return it to shareholders, manyof whom are institutional investors.

“They were ready to take a risk onthe metal, they were ready to take arisk on the market,” he said, “but therewas not supposed to be a political riskin Quebec.” CIM

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Zero women

One woman

Two women

Three or more women

65%

48%

34%

12%6%

26%

8%

1%

Percentage of mining companies with women on their boards

Percentage of mining companies with women in the C-suites

About 65 per cent of miningcompanies on the TSX have nowomen on their boards according toa review spearheaded by the OntarioSecurities Commission. Securitiesregulatory authorities from 10provinces and territories partici-pated in the review, which evaluatedboard and executive officer diversityacross 722 TSX-listed companies.Published in late September, thereview examined companies’ adop-tion of specific diversity targets, andtheir disclosure of the number ofwomen on corporate boards and inC-suites, as required under recentlyinstituted comply-or-explain regula-tions. The review did not include

164 companies that had fiscal yearsending outside of Dec. 31, 2014 andMarch 31, 2015. Overall, 49 percent of the issuers sampled had atleast one woman on their board,and 60 per cent had at least one inan executive officer position. Mininghad the highest proportion of com-panies with no women on theirboards of any industry, followedclosely by technology and oil andgas. The three industries, along withbiotechnology, also had the worstrecords when it came to the propor-tion with no women in executiveofficer positions, at around 50 percent. Here are some findings for themining industry:

Mining industry lags in board and C-suite diversity: review

– Kelsey Rolfe

The new certifications will fallunder MiHR’s Canadian Mining Certi-fication Program, which has been certi-fying miners in “undesignatedoccupations” in underground mining,surface mining, minerals processingand diamond drilling since 2012.These occupations are not consideredskilled trades, but still involve per-forming job-specific tasks.

Montpellier said the new certifica-tions are meant to recognize peoplealready serving in positions for theirskills but may also encourage miners toapply for frontline supervisor positions.

“We know that youth today arelooking for a career, not just a job,” heexplained. “For many years, the occu-pations in mining that were not con-sidered skilled trades did not have therecognition needed for people to wantto pursue them. The certification pro-gram does that.”

The new standards will be ready forreview this fall and will officially


MiHR announces threenew occupationalstandards, pilotcertification program

The Mining Industry HumanResources Council (MiHR) will bepiloting certifications for three newNational Occupational Standards earlynext year.

MiHR announced in early Octoberit is developing standards for front-line supervisors, hoist operators andtrainers.

Frontline supervisors are “crucial”to a smooth mining operation, execu-tive director Ryan Montpellier said.However, an aging workforce makesthe position among the most difficultto fill, according to MiHR’s 2015national labour outlook survey. As fortrainers, skill sets can vary widely fromsite to site, and hoist operators performa highly technical and specialized role.

launch next year. National certificationpilots for these standards will beginaround the same time. MiHR is hopingto recruit about 100 miners currentlyin the field to go through the pilot cer-tification process for the three newlyadded occupations. – K.S.

Kaminak gets a boostKaminak Gold has gained another

significant investor. The company,which is advancing its Coffee goldproject in Yukon, announced on Sept.28 it received $22.5 million through anon-brokered private placement agree-ment with Electrum Strategic Oppor-tunities Fund LP. The funding willallow Kaminak to continue explorationat its flagship project.

The fund is an investment arm of theVancouver-based corporate advisorElectrum Group and now owns morethan 10 per cent of Kaminak. Othershares in the placement went to existing


shareholders including Ross Beaty andZebra Holdings and Investments

S.à.r.l., Luxembourg. Both investorseach now own 8.29 per cent. Vanguard

Precious Metals and Mining Fundremained the largest shareholderafter the placement, holding 16.83per cent.

“Kaminak is very pleased to bewelcoming Electrum as a signifi-cant new shareholder in conjunc-tion with a financing that renewsand builds upon the support ofour existing strong shareholderbase,” said Eira Thomas, presidentand CEO of Kaminak, in a pressrelease.

The company estimated in a2014 preliminary economic assess-ment that the proposed open-pit,heap-leach project could producealmost 1.86 million ounces overthe proposed 11-year mine life.

Kaminak is aiming to beginconstruction in 2018 with produc-tion following in 2019, accordingto the press release. A feasibility

study is fully funded and expected inearly 2016. – K.S.

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Kaminak’s Coffee gold project in Yukon includes four deposits (labelled above), the largest of which is Supremo. Thecompany’s Sept. 2015 Mineral Resource Estimate stated the project contains 2,968,000 ounces of Indicated Resources.

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Work restarts at Ontariodeposit after 24-yearlawsuit settled

After a 26-year hiatus due to out-standing litigation, junior miner Richmond Minerals resumed diamonddrilling on Sept. 21 at its fully permit-ted Ridley Lake gold project in north-ern Ontario. The last major explorationwork at the site was a 13-hole dia-mond-drilling program in 1989.

Work stopped at the projectbecause of a lawsuit launched byJacobus Hanemaayer in 1990 againstRobert Platt, the former president ofthe company that became RichmondMinerals. Hanemaayer alleged thatPlatt had misallocated funds he hadinvested in a kaolin project in theJames Bay lowlands instead toward theunrelated Ridley Lake site, referred toin the lawsuit as the Swayze Claim.

The claim is located in the Swayzegreenstone belt, in the same area as

Goldcorp’s Borden Lake gold project,which it obtained in the acquisition ofProbe Mines for close to half a billiondollars earlier in the year.

The case was thought to be the old-est outstanding civil litigation in theprovince when the trial began in 2013.The delay between the initial orders to

Richmond Minerals’ Swayze gold project in northern Ontario shows some signs of life this fall. Diamond drillingresumed in September after a 24-year lawsuit was resolved in January 2014.

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stop work and the start of the trial wasdue to other intervening legal issues,said Richmond Minerals’ explorationmanager Warren Hawkins.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justicereleased the decision in January 2014. Itstated that Hanemaayer did not own anyinterest in the claim where the RidleyLake project is located. Further, he wasnot entitled to a tax credit for invest-ments in mineral exploration projectsbased on expenses at the Swayze Claimbecause there was no evidence that hisfunds had been used at the site.

Since the lawsuit was resolved, thecompany has raised $638,000 andsigned memorandums of understand-ing with local First Nations.

This year’s drilling plan will startwith six holes and will be re-evaluatedfrom there. “I’m cautiously optimistic,”Hawkins said. “Certainly the fortunesof our company are vastly differentnow in a positive way than they were acouple of years ago.” – K.S.

Gold miner resumesprocessing at Argentinaoperation

Barrick has resumed normal pro-cessing activities at its Veladero open-pit gold mine in Argentina followingthe removal of a restriction that pre-vented the addition of new cyanide tothe heap leach circuit on Sept. 24. Therestriction was instituted Sept. 16 afterworkers discovered a valve failure inthe circuit, which caused a leak of acyanide-containing solution into thePotrerillos River three days earlier. Thecircuit continued to function duringthe restriction.

Before normal operations wereallowed to resume, Barrick wasordered by an Argentine court todemonstrate that additional preventa-tive measures were in place.

In compliance with the judge’sorders, Barrick increased the frequency

of valve inspections, installed new heattracing and insulation materials to pipevalves, and implemented further watermonitoring requirements, said AndyLloyd, Barrick’s senior vice-president ofcommunications.

Barrick is a signatory of the CyanideCode, a management strategy for thegold-leaching chemical developed in2005 by the International CyanideManagement Code that includes proto-col surrounding emergency responseto a cyanide incident as well as publicreporting and stakeholder involve-ment.

The company and local authoritiesare currently investigating the incidentfor possible causes.

Barrick estimated that 1,072 cubicmetres (over one million litres) of pro-cessing solution escaped. However,cyanide made up only a small fractionof the total volume. “The water testingresults that we have downstream showthat the cyanide level never exceeded

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the safe, legal drinking water limit,”Lloyd said. Nevertheless, Barrick and

local municipalities worked together todistribute drinking water.

Veladero has 4,737,000 ounces ofProven and Probable Reserves and isexpected to produce up to 625,000ounces this year. – K.S.

ACHIEVEMENTIntegra Gold won the Quebec Mineral ExplorationAssociation’s Entrepreneurof the Year Award on Oct. 7 for itsprogress on the Lamaque Project inVal-d’Or, Quebec. This year, thecompany updated the project’smineral resource estimate, acquiredthe Sigma-Lamaque Mill andlaunched its $1-million open dataGold Rush Challenge (read more onpage 14). The company also drilledabout 90,000 metres on the projectand has another drilling programplanned for next year. – Kate Sheridan

Australia-based Wolf Minerals announced it completed commissioning of theprocessing plant at its Drakelandsmine – the first new metal mine in the United

Kingdom in 45 years – on Sept. 23. Six days earlier, the company celebrated the officialopening of the tungsten and tin project, which has a 10-year mine life. It expects toachieve full annual production of 5,000 tonnes of tungsten concentrate and 1,000 tonnesof tin concentrate by early 2016. The project has Proven and Probable Mineral Reservesof 25.7 million tonnes, with an expected annual throughput of three million tonnes.

Pretium Resources announced on Sept. 21 that it received a US$540-million financing package for the construction of the Brucejack underground

gold mine in northern British Columbia. The total cost of construction for the project,estimated in June 2014, is US$746.9 million. The company is currently re-evaluatingthat cost. The project’s Valley of the Kings zone has Proven and Probable MineralReserves of 6.9 million ounces of gold. Commercial production is expected to beginin 2017.

PROJECT PIPELINECompiled by Kate Sheridan


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Five men who have made major contributions to themining industry will be inducted into the Canadian MiningHall of Fame on Jan. 14 during a ceremony at the FairmontRoyal York Hotel in Toronto. Stewart L. Blusson, Robert M.Friedland, Louis Gignac, J. Keith Brimacombe and Harold(Hank) Williams are the 2016 crop of inductees.

Blusson is an entrepreneur and philanthropist bestknown for his help discovering what became the Ekatimine in the early 1990s, Canada’s first diamond project,which is now owned by Dominion Diamond.

Friedland is the founder of Ivanhoe Capital Corporationand Ivanhoe Mines, which has ongoing projects in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa. “Thishonour is proudly shared with the members of severalteams of bright, dedicated individuals whose outstandingefforts during the past three decades have contributed to anumber of notable discoveries,” he said.

Louis Gignac also acknowledged that his achievementsas president and CEO of Quebec-based Cambior for 20years were team efforts. “This nomination was totally unex-pected and is extremely rewarding after an intense 45-yearcareer in the mining industry,” he said. Gignac led morethan 20 projects over the past three decades. “I owe this one

Canadian Mining Hall of Fame to induct five new members

to thousands of people who got us through many dreamsand challenges.”

Brimacombe and Williams will be inducted posthu-mously. Brimacombe was a professor and the founder of theCentre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at UBC. Hisefforts as a researcher in metallurgical engineering led to thedevelopment of improved metallurgical processes and pro-cessing advancements. “This is such an honour, and myDad would have been so pleased,” said Brimacombe’sdaughter, Kathryn Brimacombe Alvarez.

Williams was a professor at Memorial University ofNewfoundland and Labrador and advanced the theory ofplate tectonics, advocating for a theory of colliding super-continents. His work shaped the way greenfield explorationis done today, said Steve Piercey, a professor at Memorialand one of the group that nominated Williams. “His workushered in a new way of thinking about mountain belts andallowed explorationists to use his maps and concepts topredict where future resources may be.”

The induction ceremony is supported by Hecla Mining,a diamond sponsor; Hatch, the dinner wine sponsor; andplatinum sponsors Barrick Gold, Franco-Nevada, Goldcorp, Magris Resources and SNC-Lavalin. – K.S.

Stewart L. Blusson, Robert M. Friedland, Louis Gignac, J. Keith Brimacombe and Harold Williams (left to right) were announced as the 2016 inductees into the CanadianMining Hall of Fame.

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Only a few years ago, Phu Bia Mining, a subsidiary ofcopper and gold producer PanAust, faced a potentiallydevastating problem with the throughput at its PhuKham open pit copper-gold mine in Laos. “We knew

anecdotally that there were pockets of extremely hard materialin there but we just didn’t know when we were going to comeacross it,” said Duncan Bennett, principal metallurgist atPanAust. “It was quite scary for throughput to suddenly dropdramatically and you’re just not ready for it.” The Phu Khamdeposit is heterogeneous to the extreme, with complex andvariable mineralogical, geological and geotechnical properties.Among the many factors causing this high variability is thatweathering and water table contact have created a soft leachedzone on top of areas with supergene chalcocite-dominant sec-ondary copper mineralization, resulting in periodic through-put-slowing batches of hard rock. At its deeper levels, thedeposit has extremely hard rock.

“We didn’t know when, or even if, we’d need to put in addi-tional crushing because we didn’t have a basic model,” saidBennett. A new crusher is no trivial expense – Bennett esti-mates the cost at $24 million – so Phu Kham staff needed helpdeciding if the extra equipment was really worth it.

In 2012 Phu Kham engaged Metso Process Technologyand Innovation to conduct a full integration and optimizationsurvey that included blasting, crushing and grinding. Metsoprovided an innovative solution that not only helped PhuKham make an informed decision for its long-term needs butalso empowered the mine operators with ongoing throughputforecasting, allowing them to more effectively process themine’s extremely heterogeneous deposit – starting with justthe right blast force.

Prior to working with Metso, Phu Kham had relied on atraditional throughput forecasting model. Performed bygeometallurgists, traditional modelling relies on dividing adeposit into cubic blocks with 10-metre sides, taking samplesand testing them for such parameters as structure, hardnessand ore grade, which govern how the ore will be processed inthe concentrator and what the projected throughput will be.Since a mine can be divided into millions of blocks, testing

each one is impossible. That is why mines only test some ofthe blocks and then use geostatistical methods to infer themost likely parameters for the rest. This method can be quitereliable, as long as there are no hidden surprises. In the caseof Phu Kham, however, the mine simply did not have enoughdata for an accurate and detailed model of its heterogeneousdeposit, which is full of surprises.

The SmartTag advantageFor years, Metso has helped mines optimize and solve

problems in their processing operations by measuring the

ConfrontingcomplexitySmart tagging technologyis taking the guessworkout of throughputforecasting By Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

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st Fine, hard material was the resultof high energy blasting.

Top: SmartTags are inserted into the blast hole stemming column; Bottom: AddingSmartTags to a crusher allows operators to track the flow of ore through theprocessing circuit. Photos courtesy of Metso

upfrontM I L L I N G

effect that blasted ores have on the crushing, grinding andflotation processes. But it is not always easy to keep track ofthe ore after each blast since it often ends up in stockpilesand mixes with other ores. So in 2007, David La Rosa, man-ager of mining technology at Metso, helped develop theSmartTag ore tracking system. SmartTags come in three dif-ferent sizes, with the largest looking like a 60 mm by 30 mmhockey puck, and each one having a chip with a uniqueidentification code. They are dropped in the stemmingcolumns of blast holes and, just before detonation, the orecharacteristics of the specific area, as well as the tags’ GPSlocation, are recorded using a handheld device. Designed towithstand crushing, the tags then travel with the rest of theblasted rock and their signal is picked up by antennas thatcan be placed permanently or temporarily at critical pointsacross the processing stream. How the specific tagged oreresponds to each phase in the process is then recorded andanalyzed. Phu Kham has used around 5,000 SmartTags inthe past year, says La Rosa: one per blast hole and about 100per blast.

More recently, Metso has built on the SmartTag technologyto develop a geometallurgical application called GeoMetso,which uses the data collected with the SmartTags to automat-ically update the mine’s block model in real time. “We’re meas-uring what the plant is actually doing at an instant in time andthen we’re taking that measurement and putting it back intothe block model so we can compare what we thought we weregoing to get in throughput to what we actually got,” said LaRosa. “And if there’s some shortfall, we can then look at thereasons why. For example, do we need to blast harder?”

Blasting“One of the things geometallurgy doesn’t take into account

is how the material is actually blasted,” remarked La Rosa.“You can blast something with a low powder factor and notproduce much fines, but if you blast with more energy, youget much finer material and very different results in the con-centrator.”

It took about a year of collecting data at Phu Kham forMetso to identify nine different ore domains based on the datait gathered with the SmartTags, and to conduct simulations foreach one to determine the optimal blasting design needed forthe desired throughput. The result was nine different “cook-books” that provide the “recipe” for the optimized blast designfor each ore domain at Phu Kham. With GeoMetso, the dataobtained through the SmartTags is linked to the plant controlsystem so real-time data can be folded back into the mine’sblock model. Having the right blasting recipe has been key forPhu Kham.

“Two months ago, we hit some really hard ore and we usedsome extremely energy-intensive blasting and had some reallygood results,” said Bennett. “We got way more throughputthan if we’d just used the standard blasting patterns. We wereable to get 1,900 tonnes an hour. If we’d done nothing, we’dhave been lucky to get 1,500 tonnes an hour.”

Long-term planningWith actual data, Metso was able to predict throughput

over the life of the mine. The good news is that the mine willonly be hitting the very hard rock threatening its throughputfor about a year. Now, instead of a major investment, PhuKham operators can focus on more strategic blasting to man-age their throughput, while the company is able to tell share-holders when, and for how long, it will be dealing with theextremely hard rock. “The cost of each tag is $10 so it’s notsuper cheap, but the alternative is to not know, and if we’d hadto put additional crushing that would have been $24 million,”said Bennett. “The more data the system collects, the better thepredictions. There’s a very strong economic benefit in develop-ing and understanding how the material in the ground is goingto get through the plant.”

There was, however, one positive surprise to the project.“It helps break silos as it goes across disciplines,” said Ben-nett. “Geologists don’t always think about how this materialis going to go through the plant. Now they have an under-standing of some of the criticalities of some of these measuresfor future throughput, so they’re thinking about what’s goingto happen in the future. It gets everyone thinking frombeginning to end, how it’s all interconnected. That’s a reallypositive thing.” CIM



First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has improved copperrecovery and concentrate grade quality at its Kevitsamine by installing a vertical stirred mill provided byOutotec. It is one of the first hard-rock mines to use the

High-Intensity Grinding Mill (HIGmill), which has previouslyseen use in the industrial minerals industry.

The HIGmill’s rotating grinding discs stir small ceramicbeads, which wear down ore particles to a size where evenvery fine grained minerals can be liberated. The tall, narrowshape of the mill and the configuration of its discs produce avery efficient grind, according to Steve Schmidt, Outotec’scommercial product manager for HIGmills.

Kevitsa’s chief metallurgist, Ishmael Muzinda, said the mill’sinstallation had increased throughput, produced higher-puritycopper and nickel concentrates, and led to a slight increase inoverall copper recovery. “With everything considered, it meanswe put the regrind mill-payback to under two years, if not ayear,” he said.

Fine grain problematic for flotationKevitsa, a copper-nickel-platinum operation in Finland,

started up commercial production in 2012 with throughputsof five million tonnes per year. The original flowsheet involvedgrinding in two AG mills and a secondary pebble mill, sequen-tial copper flotation and then nickel flotation in order to pro-duce two separate concentrates.

However, about 12 per cent of the copper was not recov-ered during the copper flotation stage because of poor liber-ation and grade-recovery constraints. “If the liberation is

poor, then you don’t get a good copper-nickel separation,”said Muzinda. “And that copper that is reporting to thenickel concentrate is not paid for at the same rate as copperin copper.”

Mineral liberation analysis showed that the main mineralsof interest, chalcopyrite and pentlandite, were finely dissemi-nated in the ore, and the grain size was very small, sometimesas low as 15 microns. “Because of the issue of copper-nickelseparation, we identified the need to regrind to 20 microns,”said Muzinda.

HIGmill designThe HIGmill represents Outotec’s entry into a field opened

by Xstrata with the IsaMill and occupied by Metso andFLSmidth, among others. The concept of a stirred mill origi-nated with white mineral processing, and the HIGmill hasmore than 200 installations in that industry. In 2012, Outotecacquired exclusive rights to mining applications from theSwiss manufacturer STM Minerals.

Stirred mills use attrition-type grinding, which wears awaythe surface of ore particles instead of breaking them. The HIG-mill is one of a few vertical designs that let gravity do the workof compacting the grinding media and promoting efficientcontacts between media and ore slurry.

In the HIGmill, 70 per cent of the shell is filled withceramic grinding media three to four millimetres in size. Arotating vertical shaft is fitted with discs that stir the media.When slurry is pumped from the bottom, it travels throughthe grinding discs to the top of the mill, wearing finer and finer

Gettingintenseaboutgrinding First Quantum Mineralsrewarded for switch tostirred millBy Eavan Moore

The grinding discs and smallceramic beads in Outotec’s tall,

narrow HIGmill improved thecopper recovery rate at FirstQuantum Minerals’ Kevitsaoperation by one per cent. Co

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through contact with the media. Counter-discs attached to theshell liner block particles from bypassing the grinding discs,while holes in the discs let the finest particles pass throughwithout further attrition.

The most obvious difference between the HIGmill and itscompetitors is its tall, narrow aspect ratio, unique agitatordesign and the existence of the stationary counter-discs.According to Schmidt, that effectively creates a plug flow reac-tor that makes it “virtually impossible to short-circuit particlesthrough the mill.”

HIGmill installed at KevitsaIn February 2015, FQM added a regrinding stage to its cop-

per concentrator. Copper rougher concentrate is fed to theHIGmill, which regrinds it and passes it on to the coppercleaner in an open circuit.

FQM considered other ball and stirred mills for its regrindstage. Muzinda said that some options were struck from thelist because they used steel grinding media, which could alterthe pulp chemistry of the ore and cause gangue to float. Othershad too large installation costs, operating costs or footprints.At only about a metre in diameter, the 700-kilowatt Outotecmodel installed at Kevitsa was small enough to fit into the con-centrator layout without much difficulty.

Importantly, Outotec also offered a complete solution withautomated controls. “We were willing to be the first hard-rockmine to test this technology because we saw the benefits of ithaving some inbuilt control capabilities,” said Muzinda. Themill’s variable speed drive can be adjusted in response to thequantity or nature of the feed. At Kevitsa, an online particlesize analyzer – the Outotec PSI 500 – measures the productfrom the regrinding circuit. If the primary grind outputbecomes finer, the HIGmill slows its motor and does not wasteenergy on overgrinding the minerals.

Learning curveImmediately upon commercial installation, it turned out

that the 20 micron target grind size could be adjusted upward:30 to 35 microns would achieve the targeted flotation per-formance.

However, the grinding discs wore down very fast. “Initiallywe were having to change the grinding discs every fourweeks,” said Muzinda. FQM and Outotec have been reducingdisc wear by trying out different shapes and metal alloys. Thecurrent discs are expected to last four to six months; continu-ing optimization work seeks to bring that even further.

“This will be followed by further work on the ceramicgrinding media,” said Muzinda. “This, if it is successful, willalso prolong the life of the grinding discs.”

“For me it wasn’t particularly surprising that we didn’t getthe exact material specification we wanted to initially,” saidSchmidt. “And there was always going to be some learningexperiences for the hard rock application. One of the reallypositive findings we’ve had at Kevitsa is that there’s been virtu-ally no wear at all on the shell liner, which is a significant pos-itive for the technology.”

The bottom lineMost importantly, FQM has achieved its goal of improving

recovery. The amount of copper reporting to nickel hasdropped from 12 per cent to eight per cent. Overall copperrecovery has increased by one per cent.

If concentrate prices alone were paying back FQM’s invest-ment in the HIGmill, it would take several years. But Muzindaremarked that the regrind stage allows the feed for flotation tocome in at a slightly coarser grind: 70 per cent passing 75microns. Before HIG installation, anything below 75 per centpassing was considered too coarse.

“That then benefits throughput,” said Muzinda. Withincreased throughput factored in, he estimated payback atunder two years.

A spreading technologyThe installation at Kevitsa seems likely to be the first of

many. Schmidt pointed out that as worldwide ore qualitydrops, regrinding is becoming a more critical stage. Ten otherOutotec HIGmills are in the engineering or deliverable stage atother copper and platinum projects. Schmidt said he expectsthe data stream from Kevitsa to aid in marketing this technol-ogy to mining customers.

He stressed, however, that the technology had already beenproven in flowsheets almost identical to a typical mining oper-ation. The basic design has not changed.

Could there be other comminution tools out there, waitingto be discovered? “I’m sure there are technologies that couldcross over to the mining industry,” said Schmidt. Caution isunderstandable, he added. “I just think the mining industryitself needs to be a little more proactive in extending new tech-nologies from other industries.” CIM



Melbourne-based Zeljka Pokrajcic is a metallurgicalengineer on a mission to change the way companiesplan and execute mineral processing. In 2010 shecompleted an award-winning PhD thesis on the

subject of comminution, which she puts to good use as afounding director of the Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminu-tion (CEEC), a non-profit dedicated to optimizing the process-ing efficiency of mines everywhere. By day she works atAdvisian, a global management consulting group that is part ofWorleyParsons, where she conducts optimization and trade-off studies for the minerals industry.

CIM: How did you get interested in mining and comminution?Pokrajcic: In high school I had an ability in maths and sciences,and I knew I wanted to do an engineering discipline, but Iwasn’t sure which one. A friend was doing chemical engineer-ing and mentioned the possibility of a metallurgical degree.My first question was, what is it, and how do you spell that? Idid some research and thought it looked very interesting.There was lots of travel involved, and lots of big excitingmachinery. So I signed up. In the first year, I was one of fourfemales in a group of 40.

CIM: You came to Canada to work as an engineering undergrad.What did you do? Pokrajcic: I have a real soft spot for Canada; it was the launch-ing pad for my career and my foray into processing. I managedto get a job in Canada when I took a year off in between mythird and fourth year in university, at Lakefield Research just

outside of Toronto, which is now SGS Lakefield Research. Iworked about six months there, and found another job out-side Thunder Bay at Winston Lake with Inmet Mining, whichhas since closed. I had a good year in Canada working inmines and research facilities, which really cemented my com-mitment to the industry.

CIM: You write in your thesis that the long-term viability of theindustry will ultimately depend on improving current “generic”approaches to comminution. What do you mean by that?Pokrajcic: If you consider a crusher, which is the first step insize reduction, essentially the design and the way that thispiece of equipment operates hasn’t changed that much. Also,the design of new comminution circuits follows one or twostandard designs, which have been around for about 50 years,featuring the same equipment in the same format. Meanwhile,we’re getting into deeper resources, which are lower grade,and we have to use more energy to extract the valuable miner-als. So we’ve got to be smarter with how we design and runthese circuits.

CIM: How can it be done smarter? You have suggested that amining operation needs to know a lot about the ore they aredigging up, instead of just setting up a generic circuit.Pokrajcic: Yes, that’s a key point. We need to tailor the designof the comminution process to suit the ore properties. We nowhave methods and tools available to us to tell us what is goingon in the ore body and what the different properties are. If theore body has a tendency for the valuable minerals to congre-

Get smartBetter approaches toblasting, crushing andgrinding can improveoperational efficiencyand the bottom line,says Zeljka PokrajcicBy Christopher Pollon

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can I do to improve my operation?” The program addressessome of the low-hanging fruit. The first stage of realizing theopportunity is to benchmark, and that’s what the CEECEnergy Curve is all about.

CIM: Can you cite any examples where operating mines areincorporating the kinds of comminution circuit improvementsyou are championing?Pokrajcic: At the Antamina mine in Peru their aim was toincrease plant throughput with little or no capital invest-ment. They optimized rock breakage and fragmentation fromblasting and reduced run of mine top size and SAG mill feedsize. Their throughput increased from 2,750 tonnes per hourto 3,600 tonnes per hour. Another example is Barrick Gold,which in 2010 targeted three operating sites – Cortez, Cowaland North Mara – where they improved SAG mill liner andlifter design, incorporated better crushing practices andreduced mill drive losses. The changes resulted in totalenergy savings of 61 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, worthabout $5 million annually.

CIM: What drivers are pushing companies to make efficiencyimprovements to their comminution circuits? Pokrajcic: For a lot of these generic circuits that are alreadyinstalled, operators are often looking at optimizing becausethey want to increase throughput and reduce costs or becausethe ore body properties have changed. They’re looking to runtheir operations faster and cheaper, which means assessing dif-ferent options for improved efficiency and linking these to oreproperties, which wasn’t considered previously. It’s an interest-ing driver and I’m glad it’s happening.

CIM: What are the barriers to making these kinds ofimprovements?Pokrajcic: There’s a really high turnover at sites in terms of peo-ple, so a lot of knowledge and experience is lost every coupleof years, every time a new group comes through. Also, I thinkthat as an industry – and this is starting to change, but cer-tainly earlier on – it was really tough to convince people toembrace new technologies and ways. There’s a saying in ourindustry that everybody wants to be second. Nobody wants tobe first and risk the possibility of not being successful and los-ing a lot of money as a result. Mineral processing is a verylarge, capital-intensive industry, so if you make a mistake it’sgoing to be costly. CIM

gate in the fine particles, let’s put in a screening stage. And ifthe ore body can be differentiated by colour, grade or fluores-cences, let’s consider an ore-sorting stage. It’s these kinds ofthings that we should be exploring.

CIM: It seems logical to avoid putting useless waste rock into acomminution circuit from the outset. Pokrajcic: Yes, that’s called pre-concentration, which meansexploiting the inherent features of the ore body to reject wastematerial. By removing waste from further processing you willend up with a smaller circuit, so you have a smaller capital costand a lower operating cost.

CIM: What does pre-concentration look like in practice?Pokrajcic: Depending on the ore properties, it could be as sim-ple as putting in a screen or separation device based on size,so as soon as the material comes out of a size-reductionprocess, it goes over a screen and you can separate one sizefraction from another. Typically, one size fraction is highergrade than another, so you reject some and put the rest intothe processing circuit. Or perhaps the ore body exhibits a dif-ference in specific gravity, containing minerals that are eitherhigh or low in specific gravity. In this case a heavy media sep-aration can be employed. This mode of separation has beenaround a long time and it’s well practised.

CIM: As far as energy savings, you note that comminution is themost energy-intensive part of the mineral processing stage. Pokrajcic: It typically uses up to 40 per cent of the total energyused in a mineral processing circuit. But it’s possible toimprove energy efficiency by up to 30 per cent on existing cir-cuits by finessing and tweaking their operation. You don’t haveto put in a whole new mill, automation system or sorting sys-tem. There are things that you can do that are available tooperators now, like optimizing mill operation and perform-ance, including liner and grate design, charge composition andparticularly feed size.

CIM: What is CEEC doing to make smarter comminution areality?Pokrajcic: One of the projects we’re working on with the Cana-dian Mining Innovation Council (CMIC) is a program calledthe CEEC Energy Curve, which is a benchmarking tool thatallows operators see where they are compared to other sites interms of comminution energy efficiency, so you can ask, “What


Six months before the Mount Polley tailings dam failure inAugust 2014, a tailings facility in North Carolina released toxiccoal ash into the Eden River. One month after Mount Polley,three workers died in a tailings facility failure at the Herculanomine in Brazil. An unusually bad year? Not necessarily. Accord-ing to a July 2015 report by David M. Chambers, president ofthe Center for Science in Public Participation, and LindsayBowker, a Maine-based activist with a background in civil con-struction projects, between 1990 and 2010 there were 33 damfailures that released more than 100,000 cubic metres of “semi-solid discharge” and/or caused loss of life. Based on historicaltrends, the report predicts 11 more will have occurred by 2020.

In January 2015, a three-person panel appointed to investi-gate the origins of the Mount Polley tailings spill came to similar,albeit less drastic, conclusions. “If the inventory of active tailingsdams in [British Columbia] remains unchanged, and perform-ance in the future reflects that in the past, then on average therewill be two failures every 10 years and six every 30,” the panelwrote. “In the face of these prospects, the Panel firmly rejectsany notion that business as usual can continue.”

Mining companies, engineering consultants, investors, reg-ulators and the public at large must now determine how “busi-ness as usual” should be changed, and by whom.

The Mount Polley breach started quite a few conversationsin Canada, according to panel member Dirk van Zyl, also a min-ing engineering professor at the University of British Columbia.“You really have a number of corporate tailings engineers sittingaround the table saying, ‘What do we do so that what happenedat Mount Polley does not happen again?’”

WATER MANAGEMENTOne obvious line of inquiry looks precisely at the nature of

the disaster at Mount Polley: almost 25 million cubic metres ofwater, tailings and “interstitial” water broke through its dam andwas then carried into the Quesnel and Cariboo river systems.This type of breakage is an inherent risk with conventionalwater-filled impoundments.

“It’s almost certain that in the long term, these tailings facil-ities will fail,” said van Zyl. The panel called for the miningindustry to phase out water covers completely.

KGHM Ajax, a prospective mine developer near Kamloops,British Columbia, heeded the panel’s call to revisit its tailingsplan. The company had planned to submit an environmentalassessment application in 2015 that included a conventionalwater-covered storage facility, with tailings deposited as slurrywith 68 per cent moisture content. But in response to the panel’s

After Mount Polley, miners and engineers grapple with the risk of maintaining the status quo

By Eavan Moore


report, Ajax commissioned a new tradeoffstudy re-exploring its options.

The application submitted in mid-2015looked quite different; the tailings would bethickened to about 40 per cent moisturecontent and deposited that way. Ajax alsostrengthened its dam by adding a buttresstaller and wider than the wall it sup-ported and doing extra geotechnicalwork to identify weak areas.

However, Ajax shied away fromradical solutions. The study had alsoinvestigated paste (in the 30 per centmoisture range) and filtered tailings –20 per cent or less moisture, able tostand unsupported as a dry stack.

Paste was judged unproven at Ajax’ssize. So were dry stack tailings, which arewidely considered by experts to havebeen proven only at mine throughputsof 20,000 tonnes per day or less. At65,000 tonnes per day, the throughputat Ajax posed a challenge.

Also, the site was “in close prox-imity to one of the major thorough-fares in Canada and in fairly closeproximity to [Kamloops],” said ClydeGillespie, Ajax’s manager of projectdevelopment. There were concerns thatdust would blow from the dry tailings andthat compaction equipment noise and light wouldcause disturbances.

On top of that, Gillespie admitted, installing an extra filterplant is just plain expensive. Buying and running a thickenercarries higher capital and operating expenses than slurry equip-ment, but it costs considerably less than the dry stack solution.

“I think what [Mount Polley] has done is told us that weneed to put a little more rigour and scrutiny into the designprocess,” said Gillespie. “Maybe a lot of those tools are stillgood, but it’s the rigour that we put into them as we’re design-ing a facility upfront and then as we operate it through the lifeof the mine.”

EXTERNAL REVIEWScrutiny is a key word for the Mount Polley panel, which

recommended that independent tailings review boards checkfor design oversights before the design is finalized and submit-ted to regulators for permitting. Mount Polley brought homethe fact that even major engineering companies make mistakes.

“I think the paradigm shift is having external review,” saidIrwin Wislesky, the technical director of tailings and mine wasteat SLR Consulting. “I think that is very important. Some miningcompanies do it already, but most don’t.”

One of the key problems such a review board might be ableto mitigate, he suggested, is a lowball budget for the designwork itself. Mining companies are not always willing or able topay for extensive analyses that fully consider the site conditions.“It’s not just the mining companies holding back on proper

funding,” he added, “it’s also engineering com-panies undercutting price to get the work.”

Wislesky hopes that tight regulatory guid-ance on what constitutes an adequate third-party review will emerge post-Mount Polley;otherwise it could be an empty exercise. When

British Columbia required all tailings facil-ities to undergo a third-party review, hesaid, “one of the comments in one of thereview reports basically said that every-

thing is good because it wasdesigned by a professionalengineering company.”

UPFRONT COST,LONG-TERM PAYOFFWITH DRY STACK

Tahoe Resources did engage apeer review in 2012 of the tailingsplan at its Escobal mine inGuatemala, where dry stacking

quickly emerged as the one feasibleapproach for developing the silver

resource. Filtering and then dry-stackinghas numerous benefits: it conserves water

in arid climates, eliminates the risk of over-flow in heavy rain, has a relatively smallfootprint, does not spill far if the facility

fails, and requires minimal long-term moni-toring after closure.

Water balance, space constraints, aesthetics,seismic activity and a number of other considerations led

Tahoe to start a highly compacted, 15 per cent moisture tailingsstack within a valley, with one wall at the downhill end.

“We built the mine for closure,” said Charlie Muerhoff, vice-president of technical services at Tahoe. “The dry stack under-goes concurrent reclamation as it’s built, and so essentially whenthe mine is done, our closure time and cost is very limited.”

Between its October 2013 startup and mid-2015, Escobalplaced and compacted about 0.61 million cubic metres out ofa total design capacity of nine million. The front buttress ofeach successive lift received graded, seeded topsoil. “Whenpeople are looking across the valley at the mine, they don’tsee a big pile of rocks and tails, what they see is a green slope,”said Muerhoff.

Filtered, stacked tailings have been on the rise in the last fiveor so years, but they are still rare. Some mines, like those withclay-rich ores, simply cannot use filters. Still, Muerhoff finds ita little surprising that Escobal has not received more inquiriesfrom other mines interested in its approach. “We think our facil-ity is a showcase,” he said, “from an engineering standpoint, anoperational standpoint and an environmental standpoint. We’reall quite proud of it.”

Some larger mines may be waiting to see how the technologyscales up. According to Robert Cooke, a principal at the con-sultancy firm Paterson & Cooke, the biggest advance in filtertechnology has been the increase in size of pressure filters, aswell as the pressure at which filtration is done. These redesigned

filters provide the means to operate at more than 20,000 tonnesper day, but have yet to be proven in a large-scale operation.

For that reason, tailings experts are watching Hudbay Miner-als’ proposed Rosemont copper mine in Arizona with great inter-est. At a planned throughput of up to 80,000 tonnes per day,Rosemont will push the known limits of filter plant capacity.

Patrick Merrin, Hudbay’s Arizona business unit vice-presi-dent, downplayed the novelty of Rosemont’s technology, as themine will use basically the same filters as the smaller Kararairon mine in Australia – just more of them. “Whether you’vegot 10 filters or 18 filters, it’s the same size filter and the sameprocess,” he said. “So we see this as reasonably proven technol-ogy, despite the fact that we’re going to be much, much larger.”

“FILTERED TAILINGS DON’T WORK”Van Zyl said not everyone who approaches him is gung-ho

about new technologies. Those conversations can be summedup as: “You guys are crazy. Filtered tailings don’t work.”

What could that mean when the solution that does workfails a few times per year? The sticking point for these individ-uals might be the absence of examples to follow at the desiredtonnage, or it might be technical or water management issuesfor specific sites. For example, Hudbay’s new Constancia minedoes not filter its tailings. “In Peru, where it rains like crazy forsix months and is bone dry for six months, you need to havewater capture structures, so it’s more appropriate to have a tail-ings facility that can act as both,” said Merrin.

But van Zyl thinks that the ultimate business case for inno-vative tailings designs – a case that has to be, and is not always,made – is the whole life cycle evaluation, which includes thecost of failure. Every evaluation includes some acknowledge-ment that failure has costs, but for a solution’s full impact to beappreciated, failure must exist as a material possibility to beplanned around.

SOCIAL COSTSSocietal costs are not consistently included in this type of

life cycle analysis. Franco Oboni, founder of the consultancyRiskope, would like to change that. In his work, he takes painsto include seemingly immeasurable damage. On some jobs, hehas factored in the potential loss of traditional ways of living ifan entire indigenous population has to leave the land becauseof an environmental catastrophe.

“At this point, many people often balk and say, ‘How canyou count non-material losses?’” Oboni said. The best answerRiskope has found is in the work of psychiatrists ThomasHolmes and Richard Rahe, who developed the stress measure-ment known as ‘life change units’ in the 1960s. According totheir model, point values are assigned to stressors such aschange in residence, losing a job or change in sleeping habits.The scale was validated by comparing patients’ stress scoresand their health. The methodology has its detrac-tors, but Oboni argues: “It is better to dosomething that is not 100 percent accurate rather thanput a hand in front of the

eyes and say, ‘Oh, I can’t do it, so I will drive without lights inthe night.’”

A SECOND PAIR OF EYESThat is not the only issue Oboni sees. He believes that com-

pletely independent third-party risk assessments would add acritical check to the current system, and balance the interest thecompany and its consulting engineers have in making sure theirproject lands in the green zone of acceptable risk.

Oboni considers it paramount to remove conflicts of interestby bringing in risk assessment specialists with comparativelysophisticated tools. He argues that the standard engineer’s tool,the widespread Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), treatsfailures individually and does not acknowledge the fact thateach small hit to a structure’s integrity boosts the likelihood offailure exponentially.

That is an important point, because it is the low probabilitiesof major disasters that often lead companies to go ahead andtake the risk. Van Zyl observed that in one of the more commoncalculations, “If we say that probability of failure is one in a mil-lion, and it will cost us $500 million to clean it up, then therisk cost is $500. And people may say that they would be happyto live with that risk cost. I think the question to ask is, what isthe resiliency planning for the company around surviving a$500 million cost? Can you physically bear that cost and moveforward?”

There is a second reason that future cleanup costs appear torecede in importance. Companies generally estimate their ownlong-term liability at a discount. Using hypothetical numbers,if a company estimates closure in 20 years will cost $10 million,it will put $50,000 into a bond. The expectation is that withinflation and interest, the amount will have multiplied by thetime it is needed.

“Looking at closure costs using your discounted rate is, frommy perspective, a bit problematic,” Wislesky said. “It muddiesthe waters.” The problem, he said, is that companies discountthe importance of those costs as well as their dollar value. Tothe average mining company, a $50,000 bond may seem like abetter bargain today than a $10 million thickener. But toWislesky’s way of thinking, a better strategy would be to choosethe tailings design that minimizes risk – because risk has a wayof translating into costs in the long run.

SECURITYThe public is rarely happy to accept risks of any kind, but

the truth is that it does. Wislesky remarked that governmentsdo eventually take over the long-term responsibility of mine clo-


sure, including waste treatment operation, maintenance and peri-odic rebuilds; the idea is that the required security deposit minersmust pay will grow at a rate that can keep pace with need.

However, the security deposit covers mine site reclamation,but not downstream impacts. Brian Olding, an environmentalconsultant to First Nations who represents the T’exelc (WilliamsLake band) and Xat’sull (Soda Creek band) First Nations onMount Polley-related issues, thinks that awareness of down-stream ecosystems should play a much stronger role in the envi-ronmental assessment process for projects. Understanding fullywhat could be impacted would give a clearer picture of the risksof one tailings strategy or another.

He also supports the idea of a pooled bond companies couldpay into when starting their projects, with the expectation thatit would pay for accident mitigation as needed, as an alternativeto gambling with public resources. “If you don’t have the bucksto participate in that, you shouldn’t be mining,” he said. “You’renot prepared for it.”

The bucks involved could be enormous. The July report co-authored by Chambers and Bowker takes a stab at estimating“unfunded, unfundable public cost” of its projected failures andcomes up with a figure of $6 billion in 10 years. Van Zyl thinksthe report is “more alarmist than it should be,” but it does rep-resent a rare attempt to work from the failure end rather thanthe front end.

Chambers and Bowker believe that current mining econom-ics set the industry up for more failures. They trace a historicalcorrelation between ore tonnages and cost to produce on onehand, and the frequency of serious failures on the other. Theyconclude that mining lower grades has become more cost-effi-cient with advances in technology, but storing all the wastelower grades produce has become less cost-efficient, which inturn provides a clear incentive to skimp on tailings storage.

Even as alternative tailings technology improves, new chal-lenges are appearing as a result of those falling grades. “Tailingsmanagement is going to get more complicated for everybody,”said Cooke. “To recover more of the metal, there’s a tendency togrind the rock finer, so the tailings themselves end up finer. Andthose finer tailings are more difficult to dewater. So that’s increas-ing the complexity of both thickening and filtration. That’s atrend that we observe and I think it’ll be difficult to stop that.”

The current state of the industry does provide an opportu-nity to take stock, however: there are not many new minesbeing built right now. That could give mining companies, pro-fessional organizations and regulators some breathing space tohammer out new standards.

“There really is a lot of activity right now,” said van Zyl. “Andsome of it’s because of the lull in the development of new proj-ects. And some of it is just that people say, ‘We need to find away to address [the panel’s] recommendations.’” CIM


Continuous, real-timechemical analysis ofmaterial on a conveyer

belt represents a tremendousopportunity for the miningindustry to improve efficiencieswith better understanding andmanagement of ore variability,from the pit right through toprocessing and the quality ofthe final product. Although thenecessary technology hasexisted since the 1970s, whendevices installed on conveyerbelts that measured samplestreams taken from the beltwere first developed for the coalsector, it remains largelyuntapped in metal mining. Aftersuccess in coal, material analy-sis technology was soonadapted for the cement indus-try, which took it one step fur-ther by creating the first

devices, installed over the belt, that measured everything from moisture to elements, and that,instead of measuring samples, analyzed the actual stream in real time. Today, almost every newcement plant has been designed with at least one cross belt analyzer, according to Henry Kurth,minerals consultant for Scantech International. Eventually, the advancements bounced back tocoal, but when it came to the minerals sector the adoption of cross belt analysis technology hita rock wall.

“The minerals industry has always been reluctant to change,” said Kurth, who, like all man-ufacturers of cross belt analyzers, says these products can help mining operations get a bettergrip on ore variability. “It’s very hard getting a new technology into an industry. No one wantsto be the first to try it.” His company has been slowly breaking through the wall with itsGeoscan cross belt analyzer. Cross belt analyzers are practically unheard of in South and NorthAmerica, according Philip Thwaites, manager of process control for XPS Consulting & TestworkServices. However, Scantech has installed more than 60 units globally at over 50 mining oper-ations. One of those is for Assmang, which mines iron, manganese and chrome in South Africa.As far back as 2002, the company tested the technology in a production environment at itsBeeshoek operations in the Northern Cape. Their findings “gave the required confidence andmotivation to include these analyzers in some of our relatively new processes and plants,” saidKgobalale Motubatse, senior superintendent product quality for Assmang’s Khumani iron ore

An untapped opportunityBy Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco

Proven successful in the coal and cement industries, cross belt analyzers offer anopportunity for mining companies to get a handle on ore variability and have anearlier online assay. The main challenge is the industry’s hesitance to change.

technologyASSAY I NG A ND T E S T I NG

IMA Engineering’s FCA crossbelt analyzer emits an intense X-ray beam to analyze thematerial’s elements.

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operations. The company also uses the technology at Khumaniand their Black Rock site.

How cross belt analyzers workCross belt analyzers scan the material bed on the belt con-

tinuously and send instantaneous readings and weighted aver-ages to the plant’s process control and productionmanagement systems, and the data can in some cases be storedon the cloud. The analyzers also send the information back tothe mine so mining operations can be adjusted as needed. This“limits a lot of sampling and sample preparation errors andperceived errors that occur due to inherent bias during con-ventional sample-taking methods,” said Motubatse, addingthat it also decreases “the total volume of samples that wouldhave had to be taken within the processing plant sections.”

In simple terms, “these analyzers are used to check andensure that the product from one stage to the next is withinspecified parameters,” said Will Robinson, regional managerfor Real Time Instruments, the makers of the AllScan cross beltanalyzer.

“On most mining applications the analyzer cost is recuper-ated in less than one year from commissioning, and cost savingfor the mine is usually in excess of $1 million,” Robinson said.“For example, monitoring ore grade prior to shipping canmake sure lower spec materials are diverted, and only accept-able grade material is loaded. Imagine the cost implications ofa ship that sails halfway around the world only to be rejectedwhen the ore is tested at the destination and found to be out-side the required parameters.”

Although prices differ depending on the technology andmanufacturer, the cost of a cross belt analyzer on average

ranges between US$250,000 andUS$500,000 per unit.

Different technologiesCross belt analyzers come in a

number of distinctly different tech-nologies. Near-infrared (NIR) and laser-induced fluorescence(LIF) are two technologies that emit energy to the surface onthe material, whose characteristics are analyzed based on howthe energy is reflected back. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), used byIMA Engineering, the Finnish company behind the FCA crossbelt analyzer systems, emits an intense X-ray beam that causesthe different elements in the material to produce distinct fluo-rescent X-rays, making it possible to analyze it. These tech-nologies primarily read part of the surface of the material.

Real Time Instruments and Scantech use prompt gammaneutron activation analysis (PGNAA) for their cross belt ana-lyzers, which many in the industry consider to be the leadingtechnology because it penetrates through the full depth of thematerial on the conveyer belt. In PGNAA, a neutron-basedradiation source above or beneath the conveyor generates neu-trons that are absorbed by the material on the belt. The gammarays emitted by the material reveal its elemental spectra. “ThePGNAA technique sees right through that thickness, and itdoes that continuously,” said Kurth. “So it’s constantly measur-ing what’s on that belt through the full cross-section, the fullwidth.”

Applications“The applications for cross belt analyzers are wherever you

put the material on the conveyer belt,” said Ilpo Auranen,

Real Time Instruments’ AllScan uses a neutron-based radiation sourceto reveal the material’s

elemental spectra.

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chairman of IMA. Assmang, for example,uses the Geoscan for “trend monitoringof all processes from primary to finalproduct, but not for product certifica-tion,” said Motubatse.

Although cross belt analyzers canalso be used in the back end of mineralprocessing to measure final productquality, what makes the technology important for the miningsector is that it can analyze material far earlier than any otherexisting instrumentation, since they can be installed at themine or pit generally after primary crushing, according toThwaites. Cross belt analyzers, he said, assay the material, pro-viding its chemical composition – its elements – rather than itsmineral composition.

That’s important because with detailed assays, mining oper-ations can get a much better grip on ore variability by identi-fying ore grades in different stockpiles for effective blending.“The thing with a lot of processing plants is that the more vari-able the feed quality, the less efficient they are, and the lowerthe recoveries,” said Kurth. “Most plants are designed on anaverage ore grade. They very rarely see the average ore grade.So, based on the quality of material coming in, you can thenblend it so that the plant sees a consistent quality feed, andthat actually increases metal recovery.”

Interestingly, some of the surface measurement technolo-gies used for cross belt analyzers are also being applied inportable analyzers for exploration. For example, IMA has cre-ated a van called the Scanmobile that has its own mini con-veyer belt and is used in exploration rock analysis.

ChallengesAlthough the technology has been proven in cement and

coal, “in metal mining, we’re talking about measuring in muchlower percentages,” said Auranen. “In copper, the ore gradesare typically between 0.1 per cent and one per cent, whereasin limestone or coal, we’re talking about closer to 80 or 90 percent.” Good calibration when the units are installed – as wellas ongoing calibration maintenance – is thus critical. Thisinvolves taking lab samples to verify the cross belt analyzer’sresults, with adjustments made to the modelling for fine tun-ing. According to Auranen, the calibration process after instal-lation can take up to two weeks. “To get the benefit of the dataaccuracy, some consideration has to be given to how your cal-ibration verification program is structured and resourced,”added Motubatse.

Although all the technologies are relatively low mainte-nance because they are non-contact, NIR, LIF and XRF scansare susceptible to dust interference. Safety is always a concernwith radiation, but PGNAA cross belt analyzers use only asmall amount of radioactive material, and models such as theGeoscan and AllScan are designed so that users are shieldedfrom it.

Most experts agree that each of the different technologieshas its ideal use – something that, in the past, was not alwaysconsidered. “There can be a level of skepticism about cross belt

analyzers,” said Graeme Turner, of Australian-based DownerGroup, which helps mining companies assess their needs andthe best-suited cross belt technology for them. “I think thatcomes from the fact that in the past sometimes the wrong tech-nologies were installed in the wrong applications. You have tomatch the right technology with the right application andneeds.” Everything from what is being measured to where inthe cycle it is being measured, and if it is an underground mineor an open pit mine, needs to be considered to achieve the bestmatch and the best cost.

One final reason minerals mining has been slow to adoptcross belt technology might just be a common humanresponse to difficult problems: denial. “Until you actually ownup to it and admit there’s a problem, the problem doesn’texist,” said Kurth. “So until people start measuring stuff, theydon’t recognize the problem. [We can measure] the extent ofthe problem they have with variability in ore grade or evenproduct. As long as it’s on a conveyor, we can measure it.” CIM

ScantechInternational’s

Geoscan analyzeruses PGNAAtechnology to

penetrate the fulldepth of the material

on the belt.

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INSIDE:

EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

HUMAN AND ONLINE RESOURCES

PROJECT PROFILE: THE AAPPALUTTOQ MINE

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK FEDIKOW OF NORTHAMERICAN NICKEL

TRAVEL: KANGERLUSSUAQ

GREENLANDSPECIAL REPORT

For nearly 250 years, Greenland has – off and on – been home to mines andminers. Today, the Greenlandicgovernment has thrown open its doors to miners with a revamped mining code, a new geosciences portal and support fora mining school. And miners haveaccepted the invitation.

On the ground at North American Nickel’sManiitsoq property

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Name of Project: Isua Mineral: iron oreType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: exploitation permit granted,IBA pendingCompany: General NiceNotes: London Mining, the former owner ofthe project, went into administration in 2014.The company’s Greenlandic subsidiary,London Mining A/S, was bought by GeneralNice, a company based in Hong Kong.

Name of Project: Aappaluttoq Ruby MineMineral: coloured corundumType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: production imminentCompany: True North GemsNotes: Recent US$4 million investment toget the project to the production phase.The mine is the only one in Greenlandcurrently being constructed.

Name of Project: Black Angel MineMineral: lead, zinc, silverType of Mine: undergroundCurrent Status: exploitation permit previouslygranted, new exploration and drilling inprogressCompany: FBC MiningNotes: The mine was previously run by AngelMining A/S. It had been active from 1973–90and was reinvigorated in 2008. Angel MiningA/S went into administration in March 2013.

Name of Project:White MountainMineral: anorthositeType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: exploitation permit granted,IBA signedCompany: Hudson ResourcesNotes: Construction on the project is expectedto begin in the spring of 2016 after thefinancing is complete. A 10-year supply dealwas announced in July 2015.

Name of Project:ManiitsoqMineral: nickel, copper, cobalt, PGMType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: exploration and drillingCompany: North American NickelNotes: Assay results from this year’s drillingprogram were released in September. Drillingwill continue next year.

OVERVIEWEXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

Complied by Kate Sheridan

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EXPLOITATION

EXPLORATION

Name of Project: TanbreezMineral: REEType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: awaiting exploitation licence Company: Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/SNotes: Tanbreez’s parent company isAustralian miner Rimbal. The companyhopes to receive an exploitation licence thisyear. The licence application has beenpending since 2013.

Name of Project: KvanefjeldMineral: REE, uranium, zincType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: exploration, application forexploitation permit expected imminentlyCompany: Greenland Minerals and EnergyNotes: Documentation for the Environmentaland Social Impact Assessments wereexpected to be completed in October,according to the company’s website.

Name of Project:MalmbjergMineral: molybdenumType of Mine: open-pitCurrent Status: feasibility study being preparedCompany: KGHM InternationalNotes: KGHM took over the project when theyacquired International Molybdenum/QuadraMining in 2011. Currently, the company isnegotiating with the Greenlandic government tokeep their exploitation licence while they waitout the bearish market.

Name of Project: Citronen FjordMineral: zinc, leadType of Mine: undergroundCurrent Status: awaiting exploitation licenceCompany: Ironbark Notes: Public consultations on the projectbegan in September and will continue untilearly December.

Job readyGreenland school has been training up miners to be ready for this momentBy Kate Sheridan


The local school, opened in 2008, offers classroomstudies and hands-on equipment training.

sites pushing forward, graduates of the school will haveopportunities to use their skills at operations on their hometurf.

“We cheer for each mine that opens in Greenland, for ourstudents,” said Hans Hinrichsen, the general manager of theschool, the only one in Greenland that prepares students forlife in the country’s budding mineral extraction industry.

Students of the Greenland School of Minerals andPetroleum in Sisimiut have been preparing for a yearlike this one: as some of Greenland’s promised

resource extraction projects finally come to fruition, thesestudents have the chance to put their training to the test.

With True North Gems’ Aappaluttoq Ruby project head-ing into production (p. 48), Hudson Resources’ WhiteMountain mine receiving an exploitation permit and others

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try: English. Hinrichsen said he sees the Greenlandic work-force as part of a larger, global workforce.

Hinrichsen added he envisions more opportunities forthe school’s students in the future. The Citronen Fjordzinc-lead project in northern Greenland and the Kvane -fjeld rare earth elements project in the south are both mov-ing forward. The Citronen project’s feasibility studyestimates it will require about 300 workers; Kvanefjeldmay need more than 700 workers and about 325 would belocal recruits, according to its most recent feasibility study.

Mining has already had an impact on the local work-force. North American Nickel has hired a few students fromthe school and plans to bring students to its Maniitsoqcamp next year.

True North Gems’ entire construction workforce waslocal, and the company will work with the school as pro-duction gets underway, according to Bent Olsvig, the man-aging director of the company’s local subsidiary True NorthGems Greenland A/S. The company’s social impact assess-ment mentioned the school and also revealed that “all posi-tions (at the project) can be occupied by Greenlanders withfew exceptions” after some training.

On Sept. 24, Hudson Resources and representatives fromthe Greenland government gathered at the school to sign theimpact benefit agreement for the White Mountain project.The site is located about 50 kilometres away from the school.

“[The signing is] awesome for the school,” Hinrichsensaid. “They have to build the mine before they go into pro-duction, but surely, we’ll have students at that project.” CIM

“I think we have 23,000 non-skilled labourers here inGreenland,” said Hinrichsen, “and there is room in the min-ing industry for non-skilled labour. But they need skilledlabour. So we started up this professional apprenticeshipprogram for miner and machine operations. It will raise theskills and potentially raise the salary for these guys.”

Next summer, 15 students will graduate from theschool’s four-year apprenticeship program. Since it openedin 2008, the school has also graduated 348 people from its10-week common core course.

That course teaches basic drilling, blasting and safetytopics. Other courses cover diamond core drilling, heavymachine operation and upgrading, and advanced blastingtopics. The longer apprenticeship program involves twoyears of theory courses and two years of practical training.

Hinrichsen said the curriculum models Norwegiantraining programs and standards, so graduates have theoption of pursuing more training in Scandinavian coun-tries. The school was certified as meeting Norwegian stan-dards for machine operator training in 2013.

“It took quite a lot of hard work to build up a new insti-tution for a new industry here in Greenland,” Hinrichsensaid, “but we have had help.” He travelled around the worldto meet partners to help develop the curriculum, includingthe Northern Centre for Advanced Technology in Sudbury,Ontario. The school has also collaborated with the govern-ment of Nunavut.

At the school, students learn more than their trade. Theyalso learn the language they will need to work in the indus-

GEUS and Greenland’s Ministry of Mineral Resourceshave developed and funded since mid-2011. Previous ver-sions of the portal had fewer data types and less data freelyavailable.

“We used to charge for a lot of the data,” Pedersensaid. “When we did the project in the beginning, we put[up] what we could do at the time. We showed a map so[people] could explore what kind of data was available atour institutions, and then they got a phone numberwhere you could call to get the data.” Now people inter-ested in buying the data can pay for it online with theircredit card or download it straight from the website.

Pedersen presented the most recent update to the por-tal at PDAC in Toronto in March, but he said morechanges are on the horizon. “We’re adding more andmore data,” Pedersen noted. “We’re also making sure thatthe data on the portal are quality controlled. If we findsomething that’s not good enough, we improve the data.This is a continuously developing thing.” CIM

T he Greenland Mineral Resources Portal has swungopen. The newest version of the online database,launched in April, provides even more information

– much of it completely free – to the public.The interactive GIS map may be the portal’s crown

jewel. Users can overlay data from eight categoriesincluding mineral occurrences, licences and the geo-logical environment. The site also features other usefulresources such as backgrounders on relevant regula-tions and licences, which are available on the portal’sfront page next to databases for documents and tech-nical data.

“It’s very important for companies to get easy access tohigh-quality geological data,” said Mikael Pedersen, headof the GIS section at the Geological Survey of Denmarkand Greenland (GEUS).

“It’s common sense that companies expect to be ableto find everything on the Internet,” he said. “We knowvery much what their needs are.”


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Access suppliedNewly launched data portal opens the door to explorationBy Kate Sheridan


Nickel concentratedMark Fedikow on North American Nickel’s growing foothold in GreenlandBy Ryan Bergen

North American Nickel (NAN), an exploration anddevelopment company, was formed in 2010 byspinning out nickel properties in Ontario and Man-

itoba held by junior miner VMS Ventures. Not long afterNAN listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, a pair ofprospectors familiar with Greenland pitched the companyon a nickel-copper play on the southwest coast of theisland. Today, the company is wrapping up its fourth yearof drilling at its Maniitsoq nickel-copper-cobalt-platinumgroup metal project in southwestern Greenland. This year’swork featured the discovery of a new mineralized zone thecompany reports as one of the best drill results from theproperty to date. It is also close to completing the acquisi-tion of a deep water port on the southern end of its nearly3,000-square-kilometre property. We talked to NorthAmerican Nickel’s president, Mark Fedikow, to learn moreabout what lured the company to the relative greenfields ofGreenland and what they have discovered during their timein the North Atlantic.

CIM: HOW LONG AFTER NORTH AMERICANNICKEL FORMED DID YOU SHIFT YOURATTENTION TO GREENLAND?FEDIKOW:We listed in April 2010 and three months laterwe were approached by two prospector-geologists withyears of exploration experience in Greenland. They pre-sented us with a property scenario that eventually evolvedinto the Maniitsoq project. They described numerous his-toric nickel, high-grade nickel, copper, cobalt, PGM occur-

rences on the southwest shore of Greenland that hadreceived little modern exploration despite the tenor of thenickel and related metals. The property is situated in anarea that is pack ice-free year-round and very close to tidewater. With this in mind our chief geologist, John Pattison,travelled to Greenland to review the property and to assessthe regulatory environment and logistical support available.John confirmed the favourable geology and mineralization,as well as the care with which past historic explorationresults were organized. Historic drill core and assessmentreports were readily available.

CIM: HOW DID YOU PUT THAT INFORMATIONTO USE?FEDIKOW: We acquired a 5,000-square-km propertywhich, at that time, was the largest licence that had everbeen granted in Greenland. We then brought modern geo-physical technology to bear on the property in the form ofhelicopter-borne, electromagnetic and magnetic surveys.Because the surveys are helicopter-borne, we were able tohug the rugged terrain with our geophysical sensors andmaintain a fixed height of surveying above ground. Thisgave us a tremendous advantage over previous explorerswho utilized fixed-wing surveys.

CIM: TO WHAT EXTENT HAD THE PROPERTYBEEN EXPLORED BEFORE NAN ARRIVED?FEDIKOW: The earliest work was done by Danish com-pany Kryolitselskabet Øresund A/S or KO. The approach

Mark Fedikow says the geographicand legal terrain have made

Greenland a good area to explore.

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telling them who we were and where we were from, whatwe were trying to accomplish and how we do our day-to-day job of exploration. The trip was also designed to pro-vide a platform for local community members to voice theiropinions on our activities and to air any concerns they mayhave regarding the impact of our activities on their commu-nity. We started in Nuuk with our meetings and travelledup the southwest coast visiting Napasoq, Maniitsoq, andSisimiut. These three communities are adjacent to ourManiitsoq project.

CIM: WHAT SORT OF CONCERNS DID THEYRAISE?FEDIKOW: The local community members are veryfocused on water quality, because a lot of the people arefishers who rely on the fishing industry to earn their liveli-hood. Another group were the hunters who wanted to becertain our helicopters and other activities did not signifi-cantly impact the caribou herds. They did not want caribouherds scattered to the four winds. Subsequently, we ensuredour airborne surveys were flown in such a way as to avoidthe caribou.

CIM: AND WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROMTHESE SESSIONS?FEDIKOW: It was surprising to hear that the local com-munities had no major concerns with the manner in whichwe were undertaking our exploration. They said theywished only to be kept informed on when and where wewould be working in the future, so that they could let theirfellow community members know what to expect in termsof helicopter or drill activity. They also requested ways inwhich they could become suppliers to our explorationcamp, and we are in the midst of exploring these possibili-ties now.

CIM: EARLIER THIS YEAR NAN BEGAN THEWORK TO ACQUIRE PORT FACILITIES JUSTSOUTH OF YOUR PROJECT. HOW DOES THATFIT INTO YOUR PLANS THERE? FEDIKOW: The Seqi deep water port is at the head of afjord that provides access to ocean shipping lanes and isadjacent to the Seqi Olivine mine. The pier can handle50,000-tonne dry weight ships, and we are just finishingup our environmental and technical due diligence on theharbour. This includes underwater assessment of thepier to verify its structural integrity. The harbour pro-vides us with the ability to potentially ship our nickel-copper concentrates and any other commodity that wemight become involved with while doing business inGreenland. The harbour is an opportunity for the com-pany to grow and expand. We also intend to use the areaadjacent to the harbour as a logistical hub that will allowus an easy and more economical way to mobilize crews,camps and supplies for the exploration of the Maniitsoqproperty. CIM

utilized by KO was to fly over the terrain in a fixed-wingaircraft and mark on their base maps every rusty or gos-sanous site they saw on the ground. Later, they would fol-low up these areas on foot with their crews. Thisfollow-up included sampling and mapping, and in someinstances they would drill the target. Drilling was limitedto depths of around 50 metres and was hampered by alack of modern geophysical techniques to assess the ori-entation and depth of their mineralized targets, thus effec-tively drilling blindly. With the airborne system wecurrently utilize it allows us to look roughly 200-plusmetres below surface, which identifies mineralized zonesthat weren’t exposed at surface.

CIM: AND THE LACK OF GROUND COVERMUST HELP AS WELL?FEDIKOW: Yes, the surveying is very effective because thelandscape is about 85 to 90 per cent rock. It is unlikeCanada where bedrock is mantled by thick sequences ofglacial sediments, and derivatives such as sand, silt or claytopped by wet organic soil and swamp. There are no forestsand as such, it provides a tremendous advantage forprospecting, mapping and general exploration. This is onereason why KO was successful.

CIM: AS WELL SUITED AS THE LANDSCAPE ISTO EXPLORATION, HOW HAVE YOU FOUNDTHE LEGAL TERRAIN?FEDIKOW: All of the regulatory issues relating to explo-ration and mining are handled in Nuuk, the capital city ofGreenland. There are some items we would like to see hap-pen a bit faster than others, however, the Greenland regu-latory process is transparent and we have been well servedby the various government agencies that we deal with.There are no outstanding issues.

CIM: YOU’VE BEEN ACTIVE IN THE AREA FORA NUMBER OF YEARS. HOW HAVE YOUREACHED OUT TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY? FEDIKOW: In 2013 we brought Tony Naldrett, a world-recognized expert in nickel sulphide ore bodies, to Green-land along with John Pattison our chief geologist. Tony andJohn travelled to the Greenland School of Minerals andPetroleum in Sisimiut to give presentations to the studentsthere as part of a lecture series. The intent was to providean introduction to North American Nickel and to give thestudents some background and advanced information onnickel sulphide ore bodies. More recently, we felt that as ourexploration program moved forward we needed to have awider presence in Greenland and to reach out to local com-munities. That was the focus of our trip to Greenland thispast June.

CIM: WHAT WAS YOUR APPROACH?FEDIKOW: This trip was focused on community engage-ment. We wanted to introduce NAN to the communities by


And the grade of the mine’s Probable Reserves, 292 to339 grams per tonne, compares well to Gemfields’ Mon-tepuez operation in Mozambique, the only other large-scaleruby mine in the world, said Andrew Fagan, TNG’s projectmanager for Aappaluttoq.

MOVING QUICKLYRuby exploration in southwestern Greenland is not

particularly new. Danish geologists first discovered gemsin the region in the mid-1960s. A succession of Canadianand Danish companies removed promising bulk and

y some measures, the project is tiny.Its capital cost is only $35 million. Its workforce, 45to 50 workers for construction and around 60 for

production, would barely count as a skeleton crew at somemines. Even Aappaluttoq’s open pit, at a couple of hundredsquare metres, is really not that large.

But in other important ways, Vancouver-based True NorthGems’ (TNG) mine is huge. It is one of the first projects tomake its way through Greenland’s new mining-friendly reg-ulatory regime. Once Aappaluttoq is fully online, it figures tobe a major player in the $2-billion global ruby industry.

A ruby-studded first stepRed stones will be the initial jewel in the crown for Greenland’s nascent mining industry asTrue North Gems puts the pieces in place for its Aappaluttoq ruby project.By Chris Windeyer

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The camp (top left) and productionfacilities (centre) for the Aappaluttoqproject in western Greenland.


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million financing deal with LNS Greenland. The firm is theGreenlandic arm of Leonhard Nilsen & Sønner A/S, a Nor-wegian mining and construction firm that operates at pro-ducing mines in Scandinavia.

The deal with LNS Greenland offered True North $6million in cash for a 27 per cent stake in the project, and anadditional $5 million worth of construction work that willup LNS’ stake in Aappaluttoq. “They significantly cut ourCAPEX by doing that arrangement,” Fagan said. In additionto the construction, LNS Greenland will do the mining forthe project.

So far, construction of the main roads connecting thelocal port to the camp and processing plant site is finished.Fagan estimated camp construction is 80 per cent com-plete. The pit site is on a peninsula jutting into a nearbylake, and TNG plans to lower the water level by 10 metres,allowing them to build a road connecting the pit to the pro-cessing plant, a job that Fagan said is around 50 per centcomplete.

The processing plant area is blasted, concrete for theworkshop floor is poured and rebar for the site is beingassembled. The processing plant equipment has all beenprocured and is awaiting the completion of the processingplant building. Pre-stripping work in the pit is scheduled tobegin this fall.

Once mining is underway, production will ramp up,starting at 2,849 tonnes of ore in the construction-short-ened first year, and topping out at more than 31,000 tonnesin the ninth and final year. The gem-bearing corundumgrades are projected to average 292 grams per tonne overthe life of the mine.

Waste rock at the open pit will be blasted, ore will bedrilled and the drill holes connected with a production wiresaw, common to the dimension stone industry. The sawedblocks will then be broken into smaller pieces with a rockbreaker before being sent to the primary crusher.

LOGISTICSAappaluttoq is located 20 kilometres from the tiny fish-

ing village of Qeqertarsuatsiaat (population 240), which isitself 150 kilometres from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.Although that might sound remote, western Greenlandactually enjoys a relatively mild climate and well-developedshipping infrastructure.

Fagan said temperatures rarely drop below -20 C,although an unusually cold winter last year slowed con-struction somewhat.

Shipping infrastructure in Nuuk is far more developedthan in, say, the Canadian Arctic, with a full port that seesships call daily. It is a small, out-of-the-way market, so ship-ping is relatively expensive, Fagan said, but the infrastruc-ture is reliable. “The sea doesn’t freeze, so we have all-yearshipping right up to our door,” he said. “And that ice-freeshipping goes all the way up to Nuuk, so we actually havea pretty good logistical supply chain.”

But Qeqertarsuatsiaat’s small size limits the role it playsin operations. The company intends to use the local

mini-bulk samples fromthe region, althoughcommercial productionnever took off.

True North Gemsarrived in the area in2004 and quickly beganan aggressive explorationprogram that ultimatelyclinched essential financ-ing for the mine last fall.

Construction on themine began last October,and Fagan said the com-pany will forego a tradi-tional feasibility studyaltogether, although ithas issued two pre-feasi-bility studies, one in2011 and one in Marchof this year.

What matters, hesaid, is the confidencethe company has in theproject’s geology andengineering. “The lastpre-feasibility study thatwent through, it wouldnormally be called a fea-sibility study,” saidFagan. The 2015 studyincludes a much morecomprehensive pitdesign, mine scheduleand processing flow-sheet, opts for densemedia separation and

optical sorting rather than jigs, and nails down the tax androyalty numbers for the project. The difficulty in pricingruby means a compliant feasibility study is not possible.“There is no spot price for rubies, which makes a feasibilitystudy a difficult thing to do,” he explained. “Diamonds havea long-established history of published prices and a definedgrading system – this is not the case for rubies and sap-phires yet.”

“Coloured gemstone pricing is an extremely difficultthing to do,” said Hayley Henning, the company’s vice-pres-ident of marketing and development. “There is no manual,and because the Greenland material is new, there’s nothingto base a pricing structure on. We’ll work it out according tothe market and depending on the quality of the material.”

Until Aappaluttoq begins producing stones later this fall,True North will not know what those stones are worth, saidHenning.

For now, True North is focused on construction andfinancing. It found a unique way to tackle both those issuesat once when, last October, the company closed an $11-

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“It was a big signal that Greenland was ready

for the mining industry to start.”– Andrew Fagan

on the 2014 signing of the company’s IBA

big signal that Greenland was ready for the mining industryto start.”

According to Fagan, the project boasts nearly 100 percent Greenlandic employment. The only expat workers arepeople from True North’s head office and the occasionalconsultant.

The sorting plant will require some outside labour withspecific training, but Fagan said that should be temporary.The company hopes to train local workers for those jobs,too, and leave those skills behind after the proposed nine-year mine life ends.

MARKETINGOnce the stones start coming out of the ground, the

challenge will be to sell them. Although rubies and pinksapphires are highly prized, they are unquestionably a lux-ury item, and one with no industrial use.

Henning said the point of origin of True North stonesadds another element of marketability. The fact that thestones are mined in Greenland will most definitely draw theattention of buyers.

“This is something completely new,” Henning says.“[Aappaluttoq] is a clean source with no environmental,governmental or human rights issues.”

Henning goes on to point out that the company has cre-ated a proprietary system called Ruby Track, designed totrace the movement of the gems from the mine, through thesorting and processing. It will allow consumers to traceeach gemstone’s origin.

Ruby Track will assign barcodes to batches of sortedgemstones, so each can be sold with a certificate of authen-ticity, much like the way Canadian diamonds are marketed.Henning said she expects other players in the gemstoneindustry will adopt similar systems as the move towardgreater accountability and transparency continues.

And while luxury items may seem a hard sell in turbu-lent economic conditions, Henning is confident TrueNorth and its rubies can weather the storm. CIM

workforce, but the town lacks both a runway and ahospital. Nuuk, however, is a 45-minute helicopterride away, so True North will operate its upgradingplant in an industrial park in the capital.

That plant will take dirty concentrates from themine, with 20 to 30 per cent of the waste rock stillattached, and run them through a hydrofluoric acidbath, which washes away the remaining silicates.From there, the clean concentrates can be furthersorted and categorized.

That work has to be done in Nuuk, primarily forsecurity and safety reasons. It is less risky to movethe half-finished corundum to the sorting plant inthe city and secure the sorted stones there. In addi-tion, explained Fagan, “hydrofluoric acid is notsomething we’d want to have in the middle ofnowhere at site. We’d prefer to have that as close tomedical facilities as possible, and the main hospitaland police stations are about a 15-minute drivefrom where we’re going to be doing the sorting.”

A FRIENDLY, ORDERLY PLACEDespite the unique logistical environment, Fagan said

the company views Greenland as a mining-friendly juris-diction. The home-rule government in Nuuk has longwanted to create greater independence from Denmark byreplacing some of the $600 million in funding it gets fromits colonial ruler with revenue from resource development.One of the ways Greenland has courted development isthrough an overhaul of its mining regulations since it tookcontrol of its own natural resources policy in 2009.

Aappaluttoq is the first project to go through the newregulatory regime and into production, which among otherthings streamlines the public consultation process. Fagansaid the system offers straightforward rules and a clear pathfor companies to convert exploration licences into mininglicences.

“This is really part of Scandinavia,” he said. “There’s therule of law. There are individual steps that you have to gothrough to get your licence, and at the end of the day yourlicence is available if you do all of those steps in the rightway.”

TNG has also signed an Impact and Benefit Agree-ment (IBA) with the Government of Greenland andlocal communities. The IBA encourages the company tomaximize the number of Greenlandic workers and man-dates contributions to local education and social devel-opment funds.

“That IBA was fairly historic because it was the first onethat had been signed under the new regulations,” Fagansaid. “When we [signed] that on June 4 last year, it was a


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Captions, opposite page: 1. The workshop facility (red building) isnearing completion and the foundation for the process plant building has been laid. 2. The road to the outer port facility is currently being upgraded. 3. Clean rough gem corundum material ready to be graded into pink sapphireand ruby. All courtesy of True North Gems

Ruby at surface

TRAVEL Kangerlussuaq,GreenlandBy Anita Isalska

WHERE TO STAY

Kangerlussuaq (pronounced ‘Kan-geh-looh-swak’) lies just north of the Arctic Circle,a tiny town perched on the edge of Greenland’s vast ice sheet. Inuit hunters havelong prowled this area in search of caribou and muskoxen, but the first permanent

settlement wasn’t established until 1941 when the U.S. military built an air base hereduring the Second World War. In 1992 military personnel gave control of the town tothe locals, who named it Kangerlussuaq (meaning “large fjord” in Greenlandic). Themodern town of barely 550 people is Greenland’s main flight hub and most visitors’ firstglimpse of the country. The town feels unnervingly empty at first, but a little explorationoffers interesting glimpses of Greenlandic culture and wildlife.

WHERE TO DINE

GETTING AROUND

Delivering fresh produce to remoteKangerlussuaq is difficult, so don’t be surprisedby the lack of fresh milk or fruit at hotelbreakfasts and supermarkets. When shopping forsnacks, Danish imported hams and cheeses are goodchoices. Otherwise, eat like the locals and try dried fish.

TIP

The airport is centralto life in Kangerlus-suaq, and much of thelocal economy isbased on visitorsarriving or transitingby plane.

The area’s most com-fortable hotel is heretoo: the 70-roomHotel Kangerlussuaq(ensuite single/doubleroom DKK 1,325/1,595; +299 84 11 80;

www.hotelkangerlus-suaq.gl) has confer-ence facilities, a cafeand a restaurant.Another choice is thesimple, airport-sidePolar Lodge (single/double room DKK785/995; wogac.com/accommodation/polar-lodge). There’s acommunal kitchenand a lounge room,plus a service deskthat can help visitorsbook taxis and excur-sions.

Kangerlussuaq is the main flight hub for the rest of Greenland, with con-nections from Nuuk, Ilulissat, Narsarsuaq and more. Air Greenland(www.airgreenland.com) has flights to Kangerlussuaq from Copenhagen,Denmark. Icelandair (www.icelandair.com) and Air Canada (www.air-canada.com) have flights between Canadian airports and Copenhagen.

Greenlandic cuisine isheavy on meat.Muskox and fishdominate menus,along with Danishimports like ryebreads, cheeses andsalamis.

Kangerlussuaq’s mostscenic place to eat isRoklubben (+299524526), by theshores of Lake Fergu-son. The impressivemenu includes spe-cialities like mattak, adelicacy of narwhaland beluga whale fats.The restaurant isabout five kilometres

Walking is sufficient to cover the main stripfrom Kangerlussuaq’s airport and hotel, thepost office and the supermarket opposite,and a couple of interesting boutiques.Beyond this, public transport and rentalcars are almost non-existent, so visitors relyon taxis (easily arranged through hotels)and shuttles (often included with restau-rant or excursion bookings).

Wi-Fi is patchy and pricey

in Greenland, so expect

to pay extra to keep in touch.

TIP


BANK NOTES$1 = DKK 5.14

from Kangerlussuaq’sairport and mainhotels. Make use ofRoklubben’s shuttleservice, which isarranged when youbook a table andoffers complimentaryservice to and fromthe restaurant.

CONTACT

CANADIAN HONORARY CONSULATE IN GREENLANDTuapannguit 48, PO Box 135, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland; +299 31 16 47; +299 32 21 40; [email protected]

HOW TO GET THERE

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too closely as they can charge when threatened.

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HOW TO FIT IN

HOW TO PAYGreenland uses the Danish krone as currency. Hotels accept major creditcards, but many locals prefer payment in cash at restaurants and shops,especially for smaller purchases. It’s a good idea to have some cash as aback-up. It’s best to bring some Danish krone with you from home, butotherwise you can buy currency at the airport.

collected from thewilds around Kanger-lussuaq or are byprod-ucts from hunters.

The town’s mostbizarre tourist attrac-tion is the wreckageof three Lockheed T-33 planes thatcrashed during awhiteout in 1968.Remarkably, all pilotsmanaged to eject fromtheir aircrafts safely.Huge twisted chunksof wreckage remain atthe site, which nowattracts a stream ofvisitors.

Green valleys giveway to the stark frostydesert of the inlandice sheet 25 km fromKangerlussuaq. Theice sheet makes up

WHERE TO EXPLORE

Catering to travellerswho spend a fewhours browsing beforecatching a connectingflight, Kangerlussuaqhas several boutiquesselling local crafts andclothing. Butik Fryd-kjær offers the town’smost colourful collec-tion including clothes

spun from muskoxwool, jewellery madeof muskox horn andsealskin ornaments.The store’s charmingowner, Nini FrydkjærHolstebro, feels a deepconnection with hercreations, which aresustainably sourced.The horns and fur are

Greenlandic is difficult for non-nativespeakers to learn and pronounce, but a sim-ple greeting is aluu. Most locals speak Dan-ish and many have an excellent commandof English. Bring appropriate clothing forKangerlussuaq’s climate. During winter, themercury can drop as low as -28 C.

Finally, be sensitive on the subject of Dan-ish-Greenlandic relations. Greenlandbecame a Danish colony in 1721 whenmissionaries settled near what is nowNuuk, the capital city. Danish controlended for a while during WWII, when theAmericans rolled in to protect it frompotential attacks from Nazi Germany. Dan-ish links continued after the war, butGreenland was given home rule in 1979,though powers were limited until the2000s. Since then its autonomy has grown,but the Queen of Denmark remains Green-land’s head of state. Many inhabitants ofKangerlussuaq and other Greenlandictowns are Danish (or part-Danish), but feel-ings are mixed about the power dynamicsbetween Inuit Greenlanders and Danes.


around 80 per cent ofGreenland and is sec-ond only to Antarc-tica’s ice sheet in size.World of Greenland(wogac.com) canarrange excursionsthat can include ashort walk on the icesheet. If you have a lit-tle longer to explore,Kangerlussuaq is sur-rounded by terrainthat’s excellent forhiking in summer,though it’s advisableto get a local guide totrack wildlife and tostay safe. The weathercan change quicklyand large swathes ofthe land are uninhab-ited and have no shel-ter. Thousands ofmuskoxen roam thevalley, the largest inthe area, weighing in

at more than 400 kilo-grams. As well asthese huge land mam-mals, the area is hometo Arctic foxes, snowhares and numerousspecies of birds ofprey. In summer,kayaking and fishingexcursions are popu-lar. In winter, you cantour the frozen landby dog sled andpotentially see thenorthern lights;Kangerlussuaq is oneof the best spots in thecountry for sightings.The local companyGreenland Outdoors(www.greenlandout-doors.com) canorganize short ormulti-day excursionsby foot, kayak ordogsled.

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We are pleased to invite you and your colleagues to attend the 48th AnnualConference of the Canadian Mineral Processors to be held in Ottawa, Ontario,from January 19 to 21, 2016. For more than 45 years, the CMP conferencehas provided a forum for discussing best practices and the latestimprovements in mineral processing technology. Almost 600 delegatesattended last year’s conference and profited from the outstandingopportunities in networking, knowledge sharing and personal developmentthe CMP Conference consistently offers.The Technical Program will be the heart and soul of the conference with closeto 40 technical papers presented by fellow mill operators and mineralprocessing professionals. In addition to discussions on Canadian millingpractices, international speakers will weigh in on the mineral processingchallenges they encounter abroad.We look forward to you joining us in the capital this January.

– The CMP Executive

Nous sommes heureux de vous inviter, ainsi que vos collègues, à participerà la 48ème Conférence annuelle des minéralurgistes du Canada qui auralieu à Ottawa (Ontario) du 19 au 21 janvier 2016. Depuis plus de 45 ans,nous préservons notre mission de créer un évènement où la disséminationde méthodes innovatrices d’opération de concentrateurs et de technologiesémergentes sont à l’honneur. Presque 600 délégués ont participé à laconférence l’an dernier pour profiter de cette occasion exceptionnelle deréseautage, de partage d’expériences industrielles et de développementprofessionnel.Encore cette année, le programme technique sera au cœur de l’évènementavec près de 40 articles présentés par des opérateurs d’usines et autresprofessionnels de la minéralurgie. Pendant que plusieurs se concentrerontsur des problématiques typiquement canadiennes, d’autres présentateursdiscuteront des défis techniques auxquels ils font face à l’étranger.En espérant vous voir en grand nombre dans la capitale canadienne enjanvier prochain.

– L’exécutif de la Société cannadienne du traitement des minerais

J A N UA R Y 1 9 TOAU 2 1 J A N V I E R 2 0 1 6 | W E S T I N H OT E L | O T T AWA , C A N A DA

48e CONFÉRENCE ANNUELLE DESminéralurgistes du canada

48th ANNUALcanadian mineral processorsCONFERENCE


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SHORT COURSES | COURS ABRÉGÉSCOURSECOURS

PRESENTERSPRÉSENTATEURS DATE COST

COÛT

ATTENDANCE IS L IMITED, PLEASE REGISTER EARLY!LA PARTICIPAT ION EST L IMITÉE , S ’ I L VOUS PLAÎT, INSCRIVEZ-VOUS TÔT!

A Strategic Approach to Set OperationalVariables on Comminution Equipment toDeal Better with Ore Variability

Presenter: Ben Steyn, Minerality

January 17-18janvier

$700

Rare Earth Production: Beneficiation and Hydrometallurgy

Presenters: John Goode, Volker Moeller, John Goode and Associates; Ben Yu, Niels Verbaan, SGS

Canada; Grant Feasby, Doug Chambers, Senes

January 17

janvier$400

Designing, Using, Monitoring andRetrofitting Metal Accounting Systems

Presenters: Luc Lachance and Donald Leroux, Triple Point Technology

January 17

janvier$400

Classification Cyclones Presenter: Ernst Bekker, MultotecJanuary 18

janvier$400

Chemistry of FlotationPresenter: Akira Otsuki,

Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Géologie, Université de Lorraine

January 18

janvier$400

Leading the Way you Want to –an Exploration of Personalized Leadershipwithin the Mining Sector

Presenter: Rosie Steeves, Executive Works and CIM Leading in Mining Program

January 18

janvier$200

All costs include lunch, coffee breaks and course materials. Tous les coûts comprennent le dîner, les pauses-café et le matériel de cours.

REGISTRAT ION | INSCRIPT ION

The non-member rate includes a one-year membership to CIM.Registration includes the three day meeting, coffee breaks, theTuesday and Wednesday luncheons and evening socialreceptions, the Wednesday reception and awards banquet, aswell as a copy of the proceedings. Conference registration andattendance at social events should be indicated when registeringonline at cmpsoc.ca/events/cmp-2015. All pre-registereddelegates will be able to pick up their registration kits at theConference Registration Desk on Monday evening between19:00 and 22:00 and Tuesday to Thursday between 7:00 and15:00. New registrations will be taken during these times.Note: To pre-register, the form must be received by December 14, 2015. Any requests for refundsmust be made, in writing, prior to this date. As of December 15 an administration fee of $100 willbe charged for new and/or cancelled registrations. No cancellations will be accepted after January11, 2016.

Le tarif des non-membres comprend un abonnement d’un an à l’ICM.Ces frais donnent droit aux conférences, à une copie des comptesrendus, aux pauses-café, au dîner le mardi et mercredi, et à la réceptionsociale en soirée ainsi qu’à la réception/souper le mercredi soir. Veuillez indiquer votre inscription à la conférence et votre participationaux événements sociaux lors de l'inscription en ligne surcmpsoc.ca/events/cmp-2015 (uniquement disponible en anglais).Tous les délégués inscrits à l’avance pourront recevoir leur troussed’inscription en se présentant au bureau d’inscription le lundisoir entre 19 h et 22 h et le mardi au jeudi de 7 h à 15 h. Lesautres délégués qui désirent participer à la conférence pourrontégalement s’inscrire à cet endroit, aux mêmes heures.N.B. : Les formulaires de pré-inscription doivent être reçus avant le 14 décembre 2015 et les demandesde remboursement doivent être faites, par écrit, avant cette date. Après le 14 décembre, des frais de100$ s’appliqueront à toute nouvelle inscription ainsi qu’aux annulations. Aucune annulation ne seraacceptée après le 11 janvier.


EARLY REGISTRATION FEES | CIM/AIME/TMS MEMBERS | NON-MEMBERS |TARIFS PRÉFÉRENTIELS DE PRÉINSCRIPTION MEMBRES DE L’ICM, TMS ET AIME NON-MEMBRESTaxes are included. Les taxes sont incluses. $600 $811.31

TECHNICAL PROGRAM |PROGRAMME TECHNIQUE


ACCOMMODATIONS | HÉBERGEMENTA special rate of $205 (standard/premium) and $255 (deluxe)which includes complementary internet has been negotiated atthe Westin Hotel (reference the Canadian Mineral ProcessorsConference). The Westin Hotel will only guarantee these roomsuntil January 4, 2016 so book your room early to avoiddisappointment. Un nombre limité de chambres a été négocié avec l’Hôtel Westinà un tarif spécial de 205$ en occupation simple/double et 255$pour une chambre de luxe. Veuillez noter que les chambres sontretenues à votre intention jusqu’au 4 janvier 2016 donc réservervotre chambre le plus tôt possible afin d’éviter tout inconvénient.

TUESDAY JANUARY 19

8:30 Opening Remarks | PAUL BLATTER

PLENARY PRESENTATION

8:45 2016 Keynote Speaker

COMMINUTION

9:30 Benefication of Low Grade Ore at the Detour Lake Mine | JEAN-FRANCOIS DUMONT

9:55 Towards a Better Understanding of Stirred Milling Technologies. A Review of Scale-up Methods | PETER RADZIEWSKI

10:50 Cyanidation in Grinding Circuits | MRABET DRISS

11:15 Flowsheet Development for Processing of Dumont Nickel Ore and Concentrate | JOHNNA MUINONEN

11:40 Evolution of Direct Coupled Pinion Drive Technology for Grinding Mills | JOSH SOBIL

PROJECTS

13:35 Development of the Rainy River Project and Processing Plant | DAVID HALL

14:00 Start-Up of the Éléonore Plant | RICHARD SHAW

14:25 The Avanti Kitsault Mine | PETER MAH AND BERNY RIVERA VASQUEZ

15:20 Constancia Project Process Plant Design | KEVIN SCOTT

15:45 Achieving a Great Start-up / Action Plan to Maximize Your Chances | STEVE BELLEC

16:00 Commissioning of a Brownfield CDS Plant: Victories and Pitfalls | JEAN-CLAUDE MILOT

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GENERAL INFORMATIONRENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

The 48th Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Conferencewill be held in Ottawa at the Westin Hotel. The conferencewill feature presentations on various aspects of mineralprocessing including comminution, flotation, gold and ironore processing, mineralogy, mill optimization, processcontrol and projects.La 48e conférence annuelle des Minéralurgistes du Canadase tiendra à Ottawa, à l’Hôtel Westin. La conférencecomprendra des présentations traitant de divers aspectsminéralurgiques tels que la comminution, la flottation, letraitement de l’or et du fer, la minéralogie, l’optimisationdes usines de traitement, le contrôle de procédés et lesopérations minières.

SOCIAL PROGRAM |PROGRAMME SOCIAL

MONDAY | LUNDI 21:00 – Student Mixer Fourth Floor, Westin Hotel 23:00 Soirée « Student Mixer » 4e étage, Hôtel Westin

TUESDAY | MARDI 12:00 Networking Luncheon Fourth Floor, Westin Hotel Dîner de réseautage 4e étage, Hôtel Westin

19:00 Hockey Cup Challenge Carleton University Défi de hockey Université Carleton 21:00 Chairman’s Reception Governor General’s Ballroom Réception du président Salle du Gouverneur

Général

WEDNESDAY | MERCREDI 12:00 Business Meeting Luncheon Fourth Floor, Westin

Hotel Dîner de réunion d’affaires 4e étage, Hôtel Westin

18:00 Executive Reception (by invitation only) Rideau Suite Réception des dirigeants (sur invitation) Suite

Rideau

18:30 Reception Fourth Floor, Westin Hotel Réception 4e étage, Hôtel Westin

19:30 Annual Banquet Confederation Ballroom Banquet annuel Salle Confédération


WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20

PROCESS CONTROL

8:30Recent Developments of Lazer Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Real Time Measurement and Control

of Mineral Processing | PAUL BOUCHARD

8:55 Continuous Real Time Pulp Chemistry Measurements and What TheyTell Us About Metallurgical Performance | CHRISTOPHER GREET

9:20 A Contribution for the Improvement of a Rotary Sample Divider for Iron Ore Concentrate Sampling | JEAN HILAIRE

10:15 Carbon Dioxide Used for pH Control and Greens Creek Mill | DAVE TAHIJA

10:40 A Re-Examination of the Sacred Cows in the SART Process | CHRIS FLEMING

11:05 Geoscan Elemental Analyzer for Optimizing Plant Feed Quality and Process Performance | HENRY KURTH

FLOTATION FUNDAMENTALS

13:00 Woodgrove Flotation Cell Performance at New Afton Mine | KEVIN SWEDBURG AND MIKE SAMUELS

13:25 Performance of the TankCell e500 at the Kevitsa Mine | ANTTI RINNE

13:50 Flotation of the Major Copper Sulphide Minerals – an Electrochemical Viewpoint | NORMAN LOTTER

FLOTATION DEVELOPMENT

14:45 Improved Cleaner Circuit Performance at DeGrussa Copper Mine with in situ Column sparging system | ERIC BAIN WASMUND

15:10 Typical Reproducability of Metal Balances in Flotation Plants | LUC LACHANCE

15:35 Reflectance Spectroscopy with X-ray Fluorescense for Rapid Slurry Analysis' | JUHA TIMPERI

16:00Improvement in Copper Flotation-In Terms of Recovery

and Concentrate with the use of Specialty Chemical- FLEX 31 |SURESH THIRUNAGARI

THURSDAY JANUARY 21

PROJECT OPTIMIZATION

8:30 Increasing SAG Mill Capacity at the Copper Mountain MineThrough the Addition of a Pre-Crushing Circuit | DAVE ROSE

8:55 Extension of the Comminution Energy Curves and Application to Stirred Milling Performance | SARAH BOUCAUT

9:20 Cerro Negro: From Concept to Reality | RICHARD SHAW

10:15 Experimental and Numerical Investigations of the Fluid Flow in a Hydrocyclone in the Ansence of an Air Core | ERDEM KUCUKAL

10:40 Tracking the Mineral Contents of the Ore from Daily Production Samples | CLAUDE BAZIN

11:05 Promoting Energy Efficiency Studies During Mineral Processing Plant Design | SVETLAINA LOIF

MINERALOGY AND HYDROMETALLURGY

13:00 Where did that Ear Bud Come From? Today's Rare Earth Produce | JOHN GOODE

13:25 Magnetic Conditioning of Sphalerite at Red Dog Mine | JASMINE OLIVER

13:50 Dense Media Separation an Effective and Robust Pre-Concentration Technology | ERIN LEGAULT

14:45 Sulfur Burning Sulfur Dioxide Gas Plants for Hydrometallurgical Processes | KYLE LOUTET

15:10 Evaluation of Alternative Lixiviants to Replace Cyanide in Precious Metal Extraction of LaRonde Ore | CAROLINE OLSEN

15:35 STUDENT ESSAY WINNER

16:25 CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

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Authors, session chairs and regional representatives must registeras conference delegates. A speaker’s breakfast will be providedthe day of their presentation at 7:00. Authors, please contact JohnChaulk ([email protected]) for presentation information.

Tous les auteurs, les présidents de sessions et les représentantsrégionaux doivent s’inscrire comme délégués à la conférence.Un déjeuner sera servi le jour de leur présentation à 7 h. Auteurs,veuillez contacter John Chaulk ([email protected]) pourobtenir de l’information au sujet des présentations.

AUTHORS | AUTEURS

SECTIONfrancophone

La version française intégraledu CIM Magazine estdisponible en ligne :

magazine.CIM.org/fr-CA

64 Eaux troublesSoumises à des pressions financières et à un examen public, les sociétés minières sont aux prises avec l’épineux problème de la gestion des résidus miniersPar Eavan Moore

59 Lettre de l’éditeur59 Mot du président

60 Une petite société canadienne lance unconcours d’exploration par externalisationouvertePar Antoine Dion-Ortega

61 Un sentiment hostile à l’uranium freinel’exploration au QuébecPar Kate Sheridan

68 Profil du projet : La mine de rubis Aappalutoq de True North Gems Par Chris Windeyer


lettre de l’éditeur mot du president

Il y a quatre ans, le Canada était l’hôte dela Conférence internationale annuellesur la fermeture de mines. C’était la pre-

mière fois que cet événement se déroulaitau Canada et un sentiment d’urgence pré-valait alors. À cette époque, la Directive074, initiative lancée par l’Energy ResourcesConservation Board de l’Alberta pourendiguer le flux des résidus fins dans lesbassins des mines de sables bitumineux,en était encore à ses balbutiements. Enrevanche, son objectif ambitieux, soit larestauration des terres recouvertes par lesrésidus, était fixé. Qui plus est, le souvenir

des centaines de canards englués dans un bassin de résidus boueux estencore bien présent dans l’esprit de la population.

Lors de cette conférence, l’ingénieur-conseil Andy Robertson a parlé duproblème grandissant que représente le nombre croissant de bassins d’ac-cumulation de résidus pour leur milieu et, ultérieurement, pour l’industrieminière. Son message était le suivant : si nous continuons à bâtir des minesplus grandes pour extraire des minerais à plus faible teneur et à retenir lesstériles qui découlent des activités minières derrière des barrages de tailleaussi imposante, le risque d’une rupture catastrophique montera en flèche.La présentation de M. Robertson a été marquante, car elle illustrait des faitsfort à-propos.

La défaillance du bassin de retenue des résidus de la mine Mount Polleyen 2014 a ravivé ce sentiment d’urgence et, comme l’explique en détail lecollaborateur à la rédaction, Eavan Moore, dans son article intitulé « Eauxtroubles » (page 32), les ingénieurs, les sociétés minières et les organismes deréglementation subissent des pressions pour apporter des changements,mais ils ne sont pas certains des changements qui devraient être faits exac-tement. Par ailleurs, d’autres parties prenantes réclament un rééquilibre desbarèmes qui évaluent le risque de défaillance par rapport aux coûts enmatière de prévention. Il en résulterait une reddition de comptes plus rigou-reuse quant à l’incidence financière et sociale d’une défaillance d’un bassinde rétention, et, probablement, une plus grande motivation à procéder àcertains investissements dans des technologies qui contribueraient àréduire le risque d’une telle catastrophe.

Ceci étant dit, je dois faire remarquer que les organismes de réglementa-tion albertains ont jeté au rebut la Directive 074 un peu plus tôt cette année.Les exploitants de sables bitumineux ont systématiquement fait fi desobjectifs fixés par la directive créée en 2009 en partie pour réagir à la mortde centaines d’oiseaux survenue dans un bassin de rétention, l’année précé-dente. Les défis techniques s’avèrent plus complexes que ne le sont la poli-tique et ses délais prévus. L’ébauche de nouvelles lignes directrices provin-ciales est imminente.

Aujourd’hui, compte tenu des nombreux et nouveaux développementsen suspens, voilà une occasion unique de consacrer du temps et de l’énergieau défi que requièrent la gestion des résidus et leur réglementation, sanssubir de fortes pressions de délais. En ce qui a trait à l’élaboration de poli-tiques, tout comme c’est le cas en ingénierie, une mauvaise conceptionentraînera une défaillance.

Ryan Bergen, Rédacteur en [email protected]

@Ryan_CIM_Mag

L’exploitation minièreest essentielle pourtout ce que nous

avons et réalisons en tantque société, mais, étantmoi-même un piqueur, jeressens constamment lebesoin de défendre sonexistence même. Cetteindustrie est à la base denotre prospérité et elle estau cœur de presque toutesnos entreprises et de nosvaleurs, indépendamment de notre famille, de nos amis, et denos animaux de compagnie.

Beaucoup de gens sont encore persuadés que l’exploitationminière est une activité sale et dangereuse et qu’elle devraitêtre abolie. C’est encore plus irréaliste que de dire que nousdevrions cesser d’utiliser les combustibles fossiles. Au moins,nous disposons de combustibles de substitution alors qu’au-cune solution de rechange à l’exploitation minière ne s’est avé-rée efficace jusqu’à maintenant et qu’un taux de recyclage de100 % de la ferraille n’offre aucune occasion de croissance. Quiplus est, un virage en faveur des sources d’énergie renouvelableest impossible en l’absence des produits provenant des élé-ments que nous extrayons.

Certes, les sociétés minières seront toujours jugées d’aprèsles anciennes pratiques, mais nous devons l’accepter. En effet,sans le passé, nous ne pouvons apprendre ni grandir. Nouscontinuons de mieux faire et, oui, il y a eu des échecs, mais nousnous améliorons constamment.

En tant que géoscientifique, je crois au concept de dévelop-pement durable, ce qui pour moi signifie travailler de façon àpermettre l’extraction, le transport et le traitement sécuritairesdes ressources dont dépend notre survie, et ce, dans le respectet à l’avantage des générations futures.

Nous disons à ceux qui ont une perception négative de l’exploi-tation minière et de ses effets que nous prenons au sérieux laconfiance que la société nous accorde et que nous croyons avoirune obligation de diligence.

Nous devons donc tenir le public informé du bilan de l’industrieminière en matière de sécurité et veiller à ce que nos pratiquessoient les meilleures qui existent, mais aussi les meilleures appli-cables. Quand nous nous apercevons d’une erreur, nous devons lacorriger, et nous devons dénoncer les mauvaises pratiques quandnous en voyons.

Nous persévérerons, car malgré ce que les autres peuvent croire,nous savons que l’exploitation minière est une nécessité et doitdemeurer vigoureuse et durable.

Vivat fodienda…longue vie à l’exploitation minière!

Garth KirkhamPrésident de l’ICM

Réflexions sur le bassin de rétention

L’exploitation minière sous la loupe


Les actualités

Canada (CGC) ; David Rhys, géologue-conseil à Panterra Geoservices, et BrianSkanderbeg, président et chef de ladirection à Claude Resources.

Le complexe Sigma-Lamaqueconsiste en deux mines distinctes : lamine Sigma, de Placer Dome, et la mineLamaque, de Teck. Placer Dome les aregroupées en 1993. Au cours de leurs60 années d’existence, elles ont produitplus de 9 millions d’onces d’or. La pro-priété contient encore 586 000 oncesde ressources mesurées et indiquées.

Quand l’équipe d’Integra a acquis lecomplexe minier auprès de la chance-lante Century Mining Corporationpour 8 millions $ en octobre 2014, ellea reçu une liste de chacun des actifsinclus dans la transaction. Mais unefois arrivés dans le bureau d’explora-tion, les membres de l’équipe ont

découvert plusieurs disques dursexternes abandonnés par les précé-dents propriétaires, lesquels renfer-maient 75 années de données brutesremontant jusqu’en septembre 1939.

« Cette compilation de donnéeseffectuée par les précédents proprié-taires représentait plusieurs millionsde dollars en heures de travail », décla-rait Georges Salamis, président duconseil d’administration d’Integra.« Ils ont fait faillite et n’ont pas eu l’oc-casion de les utiliser. »

Ces données consistaient principa-lement en des numérisations d’imageshaute résolution de vieilles archives surpapier que Sigma avaient accumuléesau cours du siècle dernier et qui setrouvent encore aujourd’hui sur les éta-gères d’une pièce étroite du complexeSigma-Lamaque. Il s’agit pour la plu-

La société Integra Gold basée à Van-couver a lancé en septembre unconcours d’externalisation ouverte (del’anglais crowdsourcing, égalementappelé production participative) dansl’espoir de découvrir un trésor cachésur sa toute nouvelle propriété duQuébec.

La société a officiellement lancé sonconcours, baptisé Ruée vers l’or, le 18septembre dernier, et a invité les inter-nautes du monde entier à analyser desdonnées minières historiques de sapropriété de Sigma-Lamaque, à Val-d’Or, dans l’optique de dénicher unhypothétique futur gisement aurifère.

Une fois inscrit(e)s, lesparticipant(e)s peuvent télécharger lesdonnées sur la plateforme d’externalisa-tion ouverte HeroX et obtiennent l’ac-cès au logiciel Leapfrog de modélisationgéologique en 3D. À peine une semaineaprès le lancement du concours, 1 200personnes de 65 pays s’étaient inscrites,et plus de la moitié avaient déjà télé-chargé les données. Elles ont jusqu’au1er décembre 2015 pour envoyer leurssuggestions concernant les ciblespotentielles et pourront peut-être rem-porter des prix allant de 10 000 $ à500 000 $ pour la première place, pourune valeur totale d’un million $.

Les suggestions seront évaluées parsix géologues, à savoir Neil Adshead,stratège en placement chez le gestion-naire d’actifs Sprott ; Andrew Brown,géologue en chef pour l’Afrique del’ouest chez B2Gold ; Benoît Dubé,chercheur scientifique principal à laCommission géologique du Canada(CGC) ; James Franklin, ancien cher-cheur scientifique principal à la retraiteà la Commission géologique du

Du nuage à la réalité sur le terrainUne petite société minière canadienne lance un concours d’externalisation ouverte dans ledomaine de l’exploration

Par Antoine Dion-Ortega

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François Chabot, directeur opérations et ingénierie à Integra, examine l’une des nombreuses documentsabandonnées par les précédents propriétaires de la mine Sigma. Derrière lui sont entreposées les archives papierde chacun des trous forés sur la propriété depuis 1939.


les actualités

Le climat politique au Québec forceles sociétés d’extraction de l’uranium àtourner le dos à « la belle province ».

Le 21 septembre, la société UracanResources a actualisé le statut des esti-mations des ressources minérales enuranium de son projet de la Côte-Nordau Québec, stipulant qu’aucune res-

Non !Le ressentiment envers l’uranium met fin à l’exploration au Québec

Par Kate Sheridan

source ne pouvait être développée danscette région, ce qui impliquait l’arrêtdu projet. Uracan avait déjà dû amortirl’investissement financier dans le projeten 2012, mais les estimations des res-sources minérales avaient dû être corri-gées pour éviter d’induire lesinvestisseurs en erreur.

« Nous ne prétendons pas que lesdonnées sous-jacentes sont incor-rectes », expliquait Marc Simpson, pré-sident et chef de la direction d’Uracan.« Cependant, étant donné le contextepolitique et le fait que nous devonsavoir la possibilité de développer uneressource pour que la NI 43-101 soit

part de tableaux contenant des relevésgéologiques de chacun des trous deforage de la propriété. Ces numérisa-tions représentaient l’équivalent de sixtéraoctets (To) de données.

Selon M. Salamis, l’analyse detoutes ces données requiert desdizaines de milliers d’heures de travail.« Nous aurions pu demander à nosgéologues de s’atteler à cette tâche,mais cela les aurait détourné de leurtravail à la zone Triangle », indiquait-il. Cette zone de la propriété Lamaquesituée au sud de la mine présente jus-qu’à maintenant de très bons résultatsde forage. « Ils ont conclu qu’il leurfaudrait plusieurs années de compila-tion et d’analyse pour parvenir à uneconclusion satisfaisante [quant aupotentiel de la propriété]. »

Or, les géologues étaient déjà occu-pés à analyser les résultats des cam-pagnes de forage d’hiver et d’été sur lapropriété Lamaque, en plus de dirigerle programme de forage en cours. « Lazone Triangle est prioritaire, aussi nousnous concentrons là-dessus », indi-quait Langis St-Pierre, directeur del’exploitation d’Integra. « C’est danscette zone que nous avons toutes leschances d’ouvrir une mine à courtterme. Ceci ne signifie pas pour autantque l’on ne mettra pas à contributionles données générées par le concours. »

Exploration de donnéesIntegra n’est pas la première société

minière à se servir de l’externalisationouverte comme outil d’exploration.

Sous la direction de Rob McEwen,Goldcorp avait lancé en 2000 unconcours similaire, qui avait mené à desdécouvertes aurifères sous la mine RedLake d’une valeur de plus de 6 mil-liards $. Ce concours n’avait coûté que575 000 $ en prix à la société, et la mineest depuis devenue l’un des plus impor-tants producteurs d’or au Canada.

« M. McEwen et Goldcorp sont lesvéritables pionniers de l’externalisationouverte dans le secteur minier », indi-quait M. Salamis.

Des manuscrits papier aux graphiquesen 3D

Mettre en ligne les archives deSigma n’a pas été facile. En premierlieu, Integra devait transformer sixtéraoctets d’images scannées enmodèles géologiques numériques plusdigestes. Ainsi, elle a embauché leprestataire de services pour le secteurminier InnovExplo de Val-d’Or afinqu’il transforme ces images 2D enfichiers 3D, ce qui, selon M. Salamis,était une tâche extrêmement labo-rieuse. « Pour chaque trou de foragementionné dans la base de données,leur équipe devait retrouver dans lesarchives papier les informations corres-pondantes », expliquait-il. « Si elle neles retrouvait pas, le trou de foragen’était pas pris en compte. »

Au final, cette opération aura mobi-lisé 12 personnes pendant les troismois d’été. En août, les six téraoctetsavaient été compressés en 25 gigaoctets(Go). Le contrat a coûté « des centaines

de milliers de dollars » à la société,indiquait M. Salamis.

Comme si tout cela n’était pas assezcompliqué, les mines Sigma etLamaque, qui ne communiquaient pasavant leur fusion en 1993, utilisaientdes unités de mesure différentes dansleurs diagraphies. Ainsi, tout au longde son existence, la mine Sigma aurautilisé tour à tour les onces par tonne,les grammes par tonne, les penny-weights par tonne et même les dollarspar tonne, selon le prix de l’or del’époque. Quant à Lamaque, elle utili-sait principalement les onces partonne. Les deux mines employaientégalement différentes grilles pour car-tographier les trous de forage. « Il afallu uniformiser les données ; c’étaitune entreprise titanesque », indiquaitM. Salamis.

Même si la base de données a étéréduite à 25 Go, Integra ne pouvait pasl’héberger sur son propre serveur. Ellea donc fait appel aux services Webd’Amazon. « Notre serveur n’aurait passupporté une telle charge si nousl’avions fait nous-mêmes », faisaitremarquer M. Salamis.

Integra ne s’intéresse cependant pasà ce qui coule de source. « Noussommes à la recherche de recommanda-tions spécifiques ou de cibles précises,ainsi que d’un raisonnement géolo-gique, statistique ou mathématique quinous explique pourquoi ces cibles sontcelles qu’il faut tester. Tracer une flèchesur une carte en écrivant simplement“ forez ici ” ne nous suffit pas. » ICM


valide, nous souhaitions prendre lesdevants. »

Cette possibilité, comme l’expli-quait la société, a été réduite à néantsuite au refus du ministère de l’envi-ronnement de la province de lui déli-vrer les permis d’exploration del’uranium, et à un rapport au mois demai du bureau d’audiences publiquessur l’environnement (BAPE), l’orga-nisme provincial de consultationpublique du Québec.

Le rapport du BAPE concluait que sile gouvernement du Québec décidaitd’ouvrir la porte à l’exploitation del’uranium sur son territoire, il devraitrépondre à trois exigences, à savoirl’acceptabilité sociale, des « connais-sances fiables » qui combleraient leslacunes scientifiques et certaines incer-titudes sur le plan technique, et uncadre légal.

« De telles conditions ne peuventêtre assumées de façon réaliste avantplusieurs années », lisait-on dans lerapport. « Ainsi, il serait contre-indi-qué, dans le contexte actuel, d’autori-ser l’exploitation de l’uranium sur leterritoire québécois. »

Le gouvernement du Québec ademandé au BAPE d’établir ce rapporten 2013, année durant laquelle il aimposé un moratoire de facto sur l’ex-ploitation de l’uranium.

Le Québec n’est pas la seule pro-vince à dénigrer le développement dela filière uranifère. La Nouvelle-Écosseet la Colombie-Britannique avaientimposé des moratoires dans les années1980, mais les ont laissés arriver àexpiration. Ces provinces ont rétabli leprojet de loi (des moratoires) ces dixdernières années. D’après la Commis-sion canadienne de sûreté nucléaire(CCSN), la seule province où l’ontrouve des mines uranifères actives estla Saskatchewan. Cette province abritela plus grande mine d’uranium aumonde, McArthur River, conjointe-ment détenue par AREVA et Cameco.

« La Saskatchewan comprend l’inté-rêt de l’uranium, sur les plans politiqueautant que social et économique »,indiquait M. Simpson. « Mieux vautvous installer là où vous êtes les bien-venus. » Uracan détient des options

dans les propriétés de Clearwater et deBlack Lake dans le bassin d’Athabascade la Saskatchewan.

« Les habitants de la Saskatchewansont de fervents défenseurs de l’exploi-tation minière, et notamment de l’ex-traction et de la concentration del’uranium », indiquait Pam Schwann,directrice exécutive de la SaskatchewanMining Association (SMA, l’associationminière de la Saskatchewan). « La Sas-katchewan comprend très bien etapprécie à sa juste valeur le développe-ment des ressources dans la province. »

Cinq des sites uranifères de la Sas-katchewan détiennent la certificationISO 14001 pour leur gestion environ-nementale, déclarait Mme Schwann. En2014, les sites miniers d’extraction etde concentration de l’uraniumemployaient 3 200 personnes dans laprovince.

Une enquête menée par la SMAmontrait que 77 % des habitants de laprovince soutiennent l’exploitation del’uranium.

« L’acceptabilité sociale est le pre-mier facteur à prendre en compte »,expliquait Michel A. Bouchard, confé-

rencier à l’université McGill et experten évaluations environnementales,ajoutant que la notion d’acceptabilitésociale s’était transformée en permissocial d’exploitation. « Elle n’a rien denouveau et c’est une notion queconnaissent bien les sociétésminières. » Cependant, indiquaitM. Bouchard, le rapport du BAPE estcontestable car il ne définit pas cettenotion d’acceptabilité sociale et n’a pasdûment étudié l’expérience de la Sas-katchewan.

« La Saskatchewan est une preuvesuffisamment claire que l’exploitationest tout à fait envisageable avec l’accep-tabilité sociale des Premières Nations »,indiquait-il. « Cela prouve que lorsqueles choses sont bien faites, il est pos-sible de réduire les risques à desniveaux acceptables. »

L’importance qu’accorde le rapportdu BAPE à l’acceptabilité sociale a éga-lement fait l’objet de critiques de lapart de l’industrie et des autoritésfédérales chargées de la réglementa-tion. Michael Binder, président etdirecteur général de la CCSN, aenvoyé une lettre ouverte au BAPE en

Face à l’attitude glaciale du Québec envers l’exploitation de l’uranium, Uracan Resources a décidé en septembred’officiellement mettre fin au développement de sa propriété de la Côte-Nord.

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juillet dans laquelle il qualifiait les résultats du rapport de« troublants ».

« Il est évident que la recommandation du BAPE consis-tant à étouffer les projets d’exploitation est fondée sur la per-ception du manque d’acceptabilité sociale, et non sur desprincipes scientifiquement éprouvés », lisait-on dans la lettreouverte. « Je tiens à rappeler au ministre que la CCSN, dontl’un des commissaires est l’ancien président du BAPE, a prisune décision en 2013 concernant l’approbation d’un projetd’extraction de l’uranium au nord du Québec (Strateco) car ilavait été jugé sécuritaire. »

Bien que le projet de mine Matoush à forte teneur en ura-nium de Strateco ait été approuvé par la CCSN, il s’est vu refu-ser l’octroi du certificat d’autorisation nécessaire de la provincepour poursuivre ses activités. Le président et chef de la direc-tion de Strateco Guy Hébert a également réfuté les critères d’ac-ceptabilité sociale avancés par le BAPE, car ils n’étaient selon luipas suffisamment clairs pour que les sociétés puissent prendreles mesures nécessaires.

Les difficultés rencontrées par la société sont maintenantau cœur d’une poursuite judiciaire de 190 millions $ contrele gouvernement du Québec. Le jugement pourrait com-mencer dès l’année prochaine. Cette société basée au Qué-bec, qui travaille sur le projet depuis 2006, a lancé lapoursuite en justice l’année dernière, prétendant que le gou-vernement provincial avait encouragé le développement duprojet jusqu’à ce qu’il décide arbitrairement de l’inter-rompre. D’après un communiqué de presse de la sociétédatant de décembre l’an dernier, Strateco a investi enmoyenne 20 millions $ par an dans ce projet entre 2006 et2012, date à laquelle elle s’est vu refuser l’octroi du certificatd’autorisation nécessaire pour procéder à l’exploration avan-cée de son projet de mine d’uranium.

Comme le revendique M. Hébert, la société est autorisée àobtenir ce permis au regard de sa conformité avec le proces-sus de délivrance de permis qui existait avant l’entrée envigueur du moratoire. Un communiqué de presse de Stratecode décembre 2014 indiquait que le ministre provincial del’environnement avait refusé d’approuver sa demande en rai-son du manque d’acceptabilité sociale.

Cependant, réfutait M. Hébert, la société mérite bien plusque l’obtention d’un permis à l’issue de la poursuite. « Nousavons dû nous séparer de notre équipement et le vendre à unprix terriblement bas ; nous avons dû licencier tou(te)s nosemployé(e)s », expliquait M. Hébert. « Nous avons égale-ment dû amortir plus de 19 millions $ investis et le cours denotre action s’est tout simplement effondré ». Il ajoutait queles dépenses ont été vérifiées par une société d’expertisecomptable judiciaire. « Les préjudices causés sont perma-nents. Ce qui est fait est fait. »

Il espère être en mesure de récupérer une partie du capitalinvesti afin de pouvoir rembourser ses actionnaires, dont laplupart sont des investisseurs institutionnels.

« Ils étaient prêts à prendre un risque sur ce métal et cemarché », indiquait-il, « mais nous n’étions pas censés êtreconfrontés à ce genre de risque politique au Québec ». ICM

Six mois avant la défaillance du bassin de retenue des résidusde la mine Mount Polley en août 2014, les cendres de charbontoxiques d’une installation de stockage se sont déversées dans larivière Eden en Caroline du Nord. Un mois après Mount Polley,trois travailleurs ont péri dans un incident similaire survenu à lamine Herculano au Brésil. S’agissait-il d’une année exception-nellement mauvaise? Pas nécessairement. Selon un rapportpublié en juillet 2015 par David M. Chambers, président duCenter for Science in Public Participation, et par Lindsay Bowker,militante du Maine ayant de l’expérience dans des projets deconstruction civile, de 1990 à 2010, 33 cas de défaillance d’unbassin de retenue ont entraîné la fuite de plus de 100 000 mètrescubes de résidus semi-solides ou causé des décès. Selon les ten-dances historiques, les auteurs prédisent que onze autres évé-nements du genre surviendront d’ici 2020.

En janvier 2015, un groupe de trois experts nommé pourenquêter sur les causes du déversement de résidus miniers à lamine Mount Polley ont tiré des conclusions semblables, quoiquemoins dramatiques. « Si le nombre de bassins de retenue desrésidus en exploitation en [Colombie-Britannique] demeureinchangé et si la performance future reflète celle du passé, alorsil y aura en moyenne deux défaillances tous les dix ans et sixtous les 30 ans », ont écrit les membres du groupe d’experts.« Devant de telles perspectives, le groupe d’experts rejette fer-mement toute prétention selon laquelle le statu quo peut êtremaintenu. »

Le moment est venu pour les sociétés minières, les ingé-nieurs-conseils, les investisseurs, les organismes de réglementa-tion et la population en général de déterminer comment ce« statu quo » doit être changé et par qui.

La fuite de résidus à Mount Polley a ouvert une discussionentre de très nombreux intervenants au Canada, selon un mem-bre du groupe d’experts, Dirk van Zyl, qui est également pro-fesseur de génie minier à l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique. « Plusieurs ingénieurs responsables de la gestiondes résidus miniers de diverses entreprises sont vraiment réunispour décider de ce qu’il faut faire afin que ce qui est arrivé àMount Polley ne se reproduise plus. »

Gestion des eauxUn champ d’enquête qui s’impose consiste à examiner la

nature même du désastre survenu à Mount Polley : après la rup-ture de la digue, près de 25 millions de mètres cubes d’eau, derésidus et d’eau interstitielle se sont déversés dans le réseau hydro-graphique des rivières Quesnel et Cariboo. Ce type de rupture estun risque inhérent aux bassins de retenue classiques remplis d’eau.

« La défaillance de ces installations de stockage est presqueinévitable à long terme », a expliqué M. van Zyl. Le groupe d’ex-perts a lancé un appel à l’industrie minière pour l’éliminationprogressive, mais complète, des couvertures aqueuses.

KGHM, promoteur du projet de la mine Ajax près de Kam-loops, en Colombie-Britannique, a accueilli avec attention l’appel

Après la catastrophe de Mount Polley, les sociétés minières et les ingénieurs

s’efforcent d’évaluer le risque lié au maintien du statu quo

Par Eavan Moore



lancé par le groupe d’experts pour qu’il revoie son plan degestion des résidus miniers. L’entreprise avait prévu de pré-senter en 2015 une demande d’évaluation environnementaleen lien notamment avec une installation de stockage à cou-verture aqueuse conventionnelle, avec rejet de stériles sousforme de boue d’une teneur en humidité de 68 %. Toutefois,pour donner suite au rapport du groupe d’experts, la mineAjax a commandé une nouvelle étude de compromis afin deréévaluer ses options.

La demande soumise par le promoteur au milieu de 2015était bien différente. En effet, les résidus rejetés seraient épaissisjusqu’à ce qu’ils aient une teneur en humidité d’environ 40 %.Le promoteur de la mine Ajax a également renforcé sa digue parl’ajout d’un contrefort plus haut et plus large que la paroi qu’ilsoutient et en réalisant des travaux géotechniques supplémen-taires dans le but de repérer les points faibles.

La mine Ajax a cependant évité les solutions plus radicales.Dans le cadre de l’étude, on avait également envisagé l’utilisationd’une pâte (d’une teneur en humidité d’environ 30 %) et de rési-dus filtrés, d’une teneur en humidité d’au plus 20 %, que l’onpourrait laisser en lisse sèche sans soutien.

On a estimé que la pâte n’était pas une solution éprouvéepour une installation de la taille de celle d’Ajax. La conclusion aété la même pour les résidus en lisse sèche qui, de l’avis d’ungrand nombre de spécialistes, n’ont fait leurs preuves que pourles mines d’un débit de 20 000 tonnes ou moins par jour. Lamine présentait un défi particulier en raison de son débit de65 000 tonnes par jour.

De plus, le site était « tout près de l’une des principales voiesde communication du Canada et assez près de [Kamloops] », aindiqué Clyde Gillespie, responsable de la mise en valeur desprojets d’Ajax. On craignait également que le vent soulève lapoussière des résidus secs et que le matériel de compactage soitune source de pollution sonore et lumineuse.

En outre, comme l’a admis M. Gillespie, l’installation d’uneusine de filtration supplémentaire est coûteuse, tout simplement.L’achat et l’exploitation d’un épaississeur nécessitent desdépenses en capital et des frais de fonctionnement plus élevésque le matériel de traitement de la boue, mais cette solution estconsidérablement plus abordable que celle de la lisse sèche.

« Je crois que [Mount Polley] a servi à nous montrer quenous devons faire preuve d’un peu plus de rigueur et deminutie pendant le processus de conception », a soulignéM. Gillespie. « Beaucoup de ces outils sont encore probable-ment adéquats, mais ce qui compte, c’est la rigueur dont nousfaisons preuve dès les premières étapes de la conceptiond’une installation, puis pendant son exploitation tout au longde la durée de vie de la mine. »

examen externeLe souci du détail est un concept clé pour le groupe d’experts

de Mount Polley, qui a recommandé, en ce qui a trait aux rési-dus, de confier à des comités d’examen indépendants le soin devérifier que rien n’a été oublié sur le plan de la conception avantque le projet ne soit présenté dans sa forme définitive et soumisaux organismes responsables de l’émission des permis. MountPolley a démontré de façon éloquente que même les plusgrandes sociétés d’ingénierie peuvent faire des erreurs.

« Je crois que le changement de paradigme est d’avoir un exa-men externe », a expliqué Irwin Wislesky, directeur techniquedes résidus et des déchets miniers à SLR Consulting. « Je croisque cela est très important. Certaines sociétés minières le fontdéjà, mais la plupart, non. »

Comme l’a suggéré M. Wislesky, un des principaux pro-blèmes qu’un tel comité d’examen pourrait contribuer à atténuerest celui des soumissions au rabais pour le travail de conceptionproprement dit. Les sociétés minières n’ont pas toujours lavolonté ou la capacité de payer pour des analyses exhaustivesqui tiennent pleinement compte des conditions du site. « Le pro-blème n’est pas seulement lié aux sociétés minières qui hésitentà octroyer un financement approprié, a-t-il ajouté, mais aussiaux sociétés d’ingénierie qui réduisent leurs tarifs pour décrocherun contrat. »

M. Wislesky espère que des critères rigoureux d’applicationde la réglementation seront élaborés dans la foulée de MountPolley afin de définir ce qui constitue un examen indépendantadéquat, faute de quoi, cet exercice risque de n’avoir aucunevaleur. Comme l’a expliqué M. Wislesky, lorsque la Colombie-Britannique a demandé que toutes les installations de stockagedes résidus soient soumises à un examen indépendant, « ensubstance, selon un des commentaires formulés dans un des rap-ports d’examen est que tout était correct parce qu’une sociétéd’ingénierie professionnelle s’était chargée de la conception. »

Le coût initiaL de La Lisse sèche estcompensé par ses avantaGes à LonGterme

Tahoe Resources a bien soumis le plan de gestion des résidusde sa mine Escobal, au Guatemala, à l’évaluation de ses pairs en2012. La lisse sèche s’est rapidement imposée comme une stra-tégie réaliste pour la mise en valeur du minerai argentifère. Lefiltrage des résidus, suivi de leur empilage à sec, comporte denombreux avantages : il permet de conserver l’eau dans les cli-mats arides, il élimine le risque de débordement lors de fortespluies, l’encombrement est relativement faible, le déversementest limité en cas de défaillance de l’installation et la surveillancerequise à long terme est minimale après la fermeture.

L’équilibre hydrique, les contraintes d’espace, l’aspect esthé-tique, l’activité sismique et un certain nombre d’autres considé-rations ont incité Tahoe à commencer à empiler des résidus trèscompactés, d’une teneur en humidité de 15 %, dans une vallée,après avoir construit un mur au pied de la colline.

« Nous avons construit la mine en pensant à sa fermeture »,a mentionné Charlie Muerhoff, vice-président des services tech-niques à Tahoe. « La lisse sèche fait l’objet d’un processus derécupération pendant les travaux de construction ; donc, essen-tiellement, à la fin de l’exploitation de la mine, les délais et lescoûts de fermeture seront très limités. »

Entre la phase de démarrage en octobre 2013 et le milieu de2015, on a placé et compacté à la mine Escobal près de 0,61 mil-lion de mètres cubes, alors que la capacité nominale totale estde neuf millions. Le contrefort avant de chaque gradin successifa reçu une couche de terre végétale de qualité avant d’être ense-mencé. « Lorsque les gens regardent la mine à travers la vallée,ils ne voient pas une grosse pile de roches et de résidus, maisune pente verdoyante », a souligné M. Muerhoff.


Le filtrage et l’empilage des résidus sont unetechnique en plein essor depuis cinq ans environ,mais elle est encore rarement utilisée. L’utilisa-tion de filtres est tout simplement impossibledans certaines mines, comme celles dont leminerai est riche en argile. Malgré tout,M. Muerhoff est un peu étonné que les res-ponsables de la mine Escobal n’aient pas reçuplus de demandes de renseignements de leurshomologues d’autres mines qu’une telle stratégieintéresserait. « Nous croyons que notre instal-lation est un exemple édifiant, a-t-il affirmé,« tant d’un point de vue technique qu’opéra-tionnel et environnemental. Nous en sommestous très fiers. »

Il se peut que certaines mines plusgrandes attendent tout simplement de voircomment cette technologie peut être appliquée àplus large échelle. Selon Robert Cooke, directeur nonassocié au cabinet d’experts-conseils Paterson & Cooke,la plus grande avancée technologique liée à la filtration a étél’augmentation de la taille des filtres à pression, ainsi que lapression utilisée pour ce processus. Ces nouveaux filtres per-mettent d’atteindre un débit de plus de 20 000 tonnes parjour, mais leur efficacité reste à démontrer dans les installa-tions de grande envergure.

C’est la raison pour laquelle les spécialistes des résiduss’intéressent beaucoup au projet de mine de cuivre de Hud-bay Minerals à Rosemont, en Arizona. Avec son débit pou-vant s’élever jusqu’à 80 000 tonnes par jour, Rosemontrepoussera les limites connues concernant la capacité desusines de filtration.

Patrick Merrin, vice-président de l’unité fonctionnelle del’Arizona de Hudbay Minerals, a minimisé le caractère novateurde la technologie mise en œuvre à la mine Rosemont puisqu’ony emploiera en gros les mêmes filtres que ceux utilisés à lapetite mine de fer de Karara, en Australie, la seule différenceétant qu’on aura recours à un plus grand nombre de filtres.« Que l’on ait dix filtres ou 18 filtres, la taille des filtres nechange pas et le processus est le même », a-t-il indiqué. « Pournous, il s’agit d’une technologie raisonnablement éprouvée,malgré le fait que nous l’utiliserons à une échelle beaucoupplus vaste. »

« Les résidus fiLtrés nefonctionnent pas »

Selon Dirk van Zyl, les gens qui l’approchent ne sontpas tous enthousiastes face aux nouvelles technologies. Onpeut résumer les conversations qu’il a avec eux en cestermes : « Vous êtes fous, les gars. Les résidus filtrés nefonctionnent pas. »

Qu’est-ce que cela peut entraîner comme conséquenceslorsque la solution qui fonctionne bien connaît quelques ratéspar année? La pierre d’achoppement pour ces personnes pour-rait être l’absence d’exemples à suivre en fonction du tonnagedésiré, ou il peut s’agir de considérations techniques ou d’en-jeux liés à la gestion des eaux pour un site donné. Par exem-ple, les résidus de la nouvelle mine Constancia de Hudbay ne

sont pas filtrés. « Au Pérou, où il pleut abondammentpendant six mois et où les conditions sont très arides

le reste de l’année, il faut des structures pour cap-ter l’eau ; il est donc plus approprié d’avoir uneinstallation de stockage des résidus qui peut

remplir ces deux fonctions », a déclaréM. Merrin.

M. van Zyl croit cependant que lameilleure analyse de rentabilité que l’on

peut fournir pour les concepts novateursen matière de gestion des résidus – celadevrait être fait, mais ne l’est pas tou-

jours, – consiste à évaluer tout le cycle devie, ce qui inclut le coût d’une défaillance.

Dans chaque évaluation, on reconnaît, d’unefaçon ou d’une autre, que les défaillances ontun coût, mais pour juger de tout l’impact d’une

solution, il faut considérer les défaillancescomme une possibilité importante envisagée dans

le processus de planification.

coûts sociauxLes coûts pour la société ne sont pas systématiquement pris

en compte dans de telles analyses du cycle de vie. FrancoOboni, fondateur du cabinet-conseil Riskope, aimerait remé-dier à cette situation. Dans le cadre de son travail, il s’efforcede considérer des dommages qui semblent incommensura-bles. Pour certains contrats, il a tenu compte de l’éventualitéde la perte de modes de vie traditionnels, ce qui pourrait arri-ver si une catastrophe environnementale obligeait toute unepopulation autochtone à quitter son territoire.

« C’est à ce moment que beaucoup de gens protestent enme demandant comment on peut comptabiliser des pertes nonmatérielles ? », a mentionné M. Oboni. La meilleure réponse àcette question, Riskope l’a trouvée dans l’œuvre des psychiatresThomas Holmes et Richard Rahe, qui ont élaboré une échelled’évaluation du stress connue sous l’appellation d’« unités dechangement de vie » dans les années 1960. Selon leur modèle,des valeurs ponctuelles sont attribuées à des facteurs de stress,comme un déménagement, la perte d’un emploi ou un chan-gement dans les habitudes de sommeil. L’échelle a été validéeen comparant les résultats obtenus par des patients à un testde stress et leur état de santé. La méthodologie ne fait pas l’una-nimité, mais comme le soutient M. Oboni : « Il vaut mieuxfaire quelque chose qui n’est pas exact à 100 % que de se cou-vrir la face en disant : ‘Oh, je ne peux pas le faire, alors je vaisconduire la nuit sans allumer les phares.’ »

une autre paire d’yeuxCe n’est pas le seul problème que M. Oboni entrevoit. Il

estime qu’une évaluation des risques effectuée par un tiersparti complètement indépendant ajouterait un niveau decontrôle indispensable au système actuel, et ferait contrepoidsà l’intérêt que l’entreprise et ses ingénieurs-conseils ont à ceque leur projet se situe dans la zone d’acceptabilité desrisques.

M. Oboni juge qu’il est essentiel d’éliminer les conflits d’in-térêts en faisant appel à des spécialistes de l’évaluation des

risques qui utilisent des outils relativement évolués. Il faitvaloir que l’outil habituel des ingénieurs, la très répandue ana-lyse des modes de défaillance et de leurs effets (AMDE), traiteles défaillances individuellement et ne tient pas compte du faitque chaque petit coup porté à l’intégrité d’une structure faitaugmenter de façon exponentielle la possibilité qu’un incidenttechnique survienne.

Il s’agit là d’un point important, parce que c’est souvent lafaible probabilité d’un sinistre majeur qui incite les entreprisesà aller de l’avant en prenant un risque. Voici ce que M. vanZyl a observé au sujet d’une des méthodes de calcul les pluscourantes : « Si on suppose que la probabilité d’une défail-lance est d’une sur un million et qu’il en coûtera 500 millionsde dollars pour la réparer, alors le coût lié à ce risque est de500 $. Les gens diront probablement qu’ils seraient à l’aise devivre avec un tel coût pour ce risque. Je crois que la questionqu’il faut se poser est de savoir comment on peut planifier larésilience d’une entreprise pour qu’elle survive à un coût de500 millions de dollars ? Pourriez-vous assumer physique-ment un tel coût et poursuivre vos activités ? »

Il y a une autre raison pour laquelle les coûts de déconta-mination futurs semblent perdre de l’importance. Les entre-prises sous-estiment généralement leurs propres passifs à longterme. À l’aide de données hypothétiques, si une entrepriseévalue qu’une fermeture lui coûtera dix millions de dollarsdans 20 ans, elle investira 50 000 $ dans une obligation, enespérant qu’avec l’inflation et les intérêts, ce montant aura étémultiplié quand elle en aura besoin.

« Considérer les coûts de fermeture en fonction d’un tauxd’actualisation est un peu problématique à mon avis », a pré-cisé M. Wislesky. « Cela brouille les cartes. » Le problème, a-t-il expliqué, c’est que les entreprises sous-estimentl’importance de ces coûts ainsi que leur valeur en dollars.Pour la société minière moyenne, une obligation de 50 000$ peut sembler être une meilleure affaire aujourd’hui qu’unépaississeur de 10 millions de dollars. Pour M. Wisleskycependant, une meilleure stratégie consisterait à opter pourune conception qui réduit au minimum les risques liés auxrésidus, parce que les risques finissent toujours par entraînerdes coûts à long terme.

sécuritéC’est rarement avec plaisir que la population accepte les

risques quels qu’ils soient, mais la vérité est qu’elle le fait.M. Wislesky a fait remarquer que les gouvernements finissentéventuellement par assumer la responsabilité à long terme dela fermeture d’une mine, notamment le traitement des résidus,l’entretien et les réfections périodiques ; l’idée est que le mon-tant des dépôts de sécurité que les sociétés minières sonttenues de payer augmentera à un rythme qui permettra de sui-vre l’évolution des besoins.

Cependant, le dépôt de sécurité couvre les frais de remiseen état des sites miniers, mais pas ceux des répercussions enaval. Brian Olding, expert-conseil en environnement quireprésente les Premières Nations T’exelc (bande de Wil-liams Lake) et Xat’sull (bande de Soda Creek) pour les ques-tions liées à Mount Polley, pense que le processusd’évaluation environnementale des projets devrait accorder

beaucoup plus d’importance aux écosystèmes en aval. Le faitde bien comprendre toutes les répercussions permettrait dese faire une meilleure idée des risques liés à une stratégie degestion des résidus par rapport à une autre.

Il est également favorable à l’idée d’un fonds d’obligationsen gestion commune dont les sociétés pourraient acheter desparts quand elles lancent leurs projets, dans l’espoir que celaleur permette de payer pour les mesures d’atténuation desaccidents, leur évitant ainsi de jouer à la roulette avec les res-sources publiques. « Si vous n’avez pas l’argent pour parti-ciper à un tel fonds, vous ne devriez pas être dansl’exploitation minière. Vous n’êtes tout simplement pasprêt », a-t-il affirmé.

Les sommes en jeu pourraient être énormes. Dans leur rap-port publié en juillet, les auteurs David Chambers etLindsay Bowker tentent d’estimer « le coût public qui n’estpas et qui ne peut être financé » associé aux défaillances pro-jetées et arrivent à un total de six milliards de dollars sur dixans. M. van Zyl pense que le rapport est « plus alarmiste qu’ilne devrait », mais qu’il représente bien une rare tentatived’aborder la question du point de vue des défaillances plutôtque des frais initiaux.

M. Chambers et Mme Bowker sont d’avis que les para-mètres économiques actuels de l’industrie minière augmen-tent les risques de défaillances. Les auteurs établissent unecorrélation historique entre, d’une part, le nombre detonnes de minerai et les coûts de production, et la fré-quence des défaillances majeures, d’autre part. Selon leursconclusions, l’exploitation de minerais à teneurs moins éle-vées est devenue plus rentable grâce aux progrès de la tech-nologie, mais le stockage de tous les déchets par ce mineraimoins riche est devenu moins économique, ce qui enretour peut clairement inciter certains à lésiner sur l’entre-posage des résidus.

Même avec l’amélioration des technologies de remplace-ment pour la gestion des résidus, de nouveaux enjeux appa-raissent par suite du déclin de ces teneurs. « La gestion desrésidus va devenir plus compliquée pour tout le monde », aprédit M. Cooke. « Afin de récupérer plus de métal, on a ten-dance à broyer la roche plus finement, ce qui fait que les rési-dus eux-mêmes sont plus fins au final. Et comme ces résidusplus fins sont plus difficiles à assécher, la complexité du pro-cessus d’épaississement et de filtration s’accroît. C’est une ten-dance que nous observons, et je crois qu’il sera difficile d’ymettre un frein. »

Cependant, l’état actuel de l’industrie fournit une bonneoccasion de faire le bilan puisqu’il n’y a pas beaucoup denouvelles mines en construction en ce moment. Cela pour-rait donner un certain répit aux sociétés minières, aux orga-nisations professionnelles et aux organismes deréglementation pour leur permettre d’élaborer de nouvellesnormes.

« Il y a vraiment beaucoup d’activité actuellement », a sou-ligné M. van Zyl. « Cette situation s’explique en partie par leralentissement dans la mise en valeur de nouveaux projets etaussi en partie parce que les gens disent : ‘Nous devons trou-ver une façon de donner suite aux recommandations [dugroupe d’experts].’ » ICM



mine de rubis importante au monde, explique Andrew Fagan,gestionnaire de projet de TNG pour Aappaluttoq.

BOUGER RAPIDEMENTL’exploration du rubis dans le sud-ouest du Groenland n’est

pas particulièrement récente. Ce sont des géologues danoisqui, les premiers, ont découvert les pierres dans la région, aumilieu des années 1960. Une série de sociétés canadiennes etdanoises ont extrait, dans la région, des échantillons et desmini échantillons en vrac prometteurs, mais la productioncommerciale n’a jamais été lancée.

True North Gems, arrivée dans la région en 2004, s’est rapi-dement lancée dans un ambitieux programme d’explorationqui a permis d’obtenir l’automne dernier le financement essen-tiel pour la mine.

La construction sur le site de la mine a commencé enoctobre dernier, et M. Fagan explique que la société renonceraà l’étude de faisabilité traditionnelle, bien qu’elle ait publié

certains égards, le projet est petit.Son coût en capital n’est que de 35 millions de dollars.Son personnel, composé de 45 à 50 travailleurs pour la

phase de construction et de quelque 60 pour la phase de pro-duction, paraîtrait squelettique comparativement au personnelemployé dans certaines mines. À ciel ouvert, la mine d’Aappa-luttoq, qui ne fait que quelques centaines de mètres carrés,n’est pas très grande.

Mais sous d’autres aspects importants, la mine de TrueNorth Gems (TNG), société établie à Vancouver, est énorme. Ils’agit en effet d’un des premiers projets lancés sous le nouveaurégime réglementaire favorable aux mines du Groenland. Enpleine opération, Aappaluttoq devrait devenir un acteurimportant dans l’industrie mondiale du rubis, évaluée à 2 mil-liards de dollars.

Et la teneur des réserves probables de la mine, entre 292 et339 grammes la tonne, se compare favorablement à celle de lamine Montepuez de Gemfields, au Mozambique, la seule autre

Une première étape sertie de rubisCes pierres rouges deviendront les premiers bijoux de la couronne de la toute nouvelle industrieminière du Groenland, True North Gems mettant en place tous les éléments de son projet de minede rubis d’Aappaluttoq.Par Chris Windeyer

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Le camp minier d’Aappalutoq (au centre à droite) est installé prèsde la source d’un fjord sur la côte occidentale du Groenland.

l’usine sera terminée. Les travaux de déblaiement de la minedevraient commencer cet automne.

Dès que l’exploitation minière commencera, la productionpassera de 2 849 tonnes de minerai au cours de la premièreannée, réduite en raison des travaux de construction, à plus de31 000 tonnes pendant la neuvième et dernière année. Lateneur des pierres précieuses contenues dans le corindondevrait atteindre 292 grammes par tonne en moyenne pendantla durée de vie de la mine.

Les stériles extraits de la mine à ciel ouvert seront dynami-tés, le minerai sera percé et les trous seront reliés par unemachine à scier à fil, commune dans le domaine des pierresd’échantillon. Les blocs sciés seront alors brisés en blocs pluspetits par un brise-roche avant d’être envoyés au concasseurprincipal.

LOGISTIQUEAappaluttoq est située à 20 kilomètres du petit village

de pêche de Qeqertarsuatsiaat (240 habitants), lui-mêmedistant de 150 kilomètres de la capitale groenlandaise,Nuuk. Bien que ce lieu puisse sembler éloigné de tout,l’ouest du Groenland bénéficie en fait d’un climat relative-ment doux et possède une infrastructure de transport biendéveloppée.

deux études de préfaisabilité, une en 2011 et l’autre, en marsde cette année.

Ce qui compte, dit-il, c’est la confiance qu’accorde la sociétédans la géologie et l’ingénierie du projet. « La dernière étudede préfaisabilité publiée serait normalement appelée une étudede faisabilité », affirme M. Fagan. L’étude de 2015 explique enprofondeur la conception de la mine, le schéma d’extraction etde traitement, prévoit une concentration en milieu dense et untriage optique plutôt que par bacs à piston et explique leschiffres relatifs aux taxes et aux redevances du projet. La diffi-culté dans la fixation du prix du rubis signifie qu’une étude defaisabilité conforme est impossible à réaliser. « Il n’y a pas decours au comptant pour le rubis, ce qui rend difficile la réali-sation d’une étude de faisabilité », explique-t-il. « Pour les dia-mants, la publication des prix et le système de classificationexistent depuis très longtemps, ce qui n’est pas encore le caspour les rubis et les saphirs. »

« La fixation des prix des pierres précieuses colorées estextrêmement complexe », remarque Hayley Henning, vice-présidente du marketing et du développement de la société.« Il n’y a pas de manuel, et comme le matériau a été nouvelle-ment trouvé au Groenland, il n’existe rien sur quoi fixer unestructure de prix. Nous figurerons la chose en fonction dumarché et de la qualité du matériau. »

Jusqu’à ce qu’Aappaluttoq commence à produire despierres, plus tard cet automne, True North ne saura pas ce queces pierres valent, explique Mme Henning.

Pour le moment, True North se consacre à la constructionet au financement. La société a trouvé une façon originale derégler simultanément ces deux aspects de son travail quand, enoctobre dernier, elle a conclu un accord de financement de 11millions de dollars avec LNS Greenland, branche groenlan-daise de Leonard Nilsen & Sonner A/S, entreprise norvégienned’exploitation minière et de construction présente dans le sec-teur minier en Scandinavie.

En vertu de l’accord conclu avec LNS Greenland, TrueNorth a reçu 6 millions de dollars en espèces contre une par-ticipation de 27 % de LNS dans le projet, et a obtenu de cettedernière qu’elle effectue des travaux de construction d’unevaleur de 5 millions de dollars, ce qui augmentera sa partici-pation dans Aappaluttoq. « Grâce à cet accord, LNS nous aaidés à réduire sensiblement nos dépenses d’investissement »,ajoute M. Fagan. En plus de la construction, LNS s’occuperade l’exploitation minière.

À ce jour, la construction des principales routes reliant leport local au camp et à l’usine de traitement est terminée. M.Fagan estime que 80 % du camp est déjà construit. La mineelle-même est située sur une péninsule, et TNG prévoitabaisser de 10 mètres le niveau de l’eau du lac qui se trouveà proximité, ce qui permettrait de construire une routereliant la mine à l’usine, travail qui, selon M. Fagan, est com-plété à 50 %.

Le secteur de l’usine de traitement a été dynamité, le bétonde la dalle de l’atelier a été versé et les barres d’armature du sitesont en train d’être assemblées. Tout l’équipement de l’usine detraitement est prêt et sera installé dès que la construction de


AAPPALUTTOQ| profil de projet

Une scie à fil sera utilisée pour extraire les blocs de pierre afin de limiter lesdommages aux rubis

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lons pas utiliser de l’acide fluorhydrique au milieu de nullepart. Nous préférons l’utiliser le plus près possible d’installa-tions médicales, et le poste de police ainsi que le principalhôpital de la ville sont situés à environ 15 minutes de routed’où nous effectuerons le triage. »

UN ENDROIT AMICAL ET HOSPITALIERMalgré les exigences logistiques complexes, M. Fagan

affirme que la société voit le Groenland comme un territoire oùl’exploitation minière est bienvenue. Le gouvernement auto-nome à Nuuk désirait depuis longtemps s’affranchir encoreplus du Danemark en remplaçant une partie du financementde 600 millions de dollars qu’il reçoit de l’autorité colonialepar des revenus tirés du développement de ses ressources. Unedes façons dont le Groenland a encouragé ce développementdepuis qu’il a acquis le contrôle de ses propres politiques enmatière de ressources naturelles en 2009 a été de remanier lesrèglements régissant le secteur minier.

Aappaluttoq est le premier projet soumis d’abord aux nou-veaux règlements, lesquels rationalisent, entre autres, le pro-cessus de consultation publique, et ayant ensuite passé à laproduction. Selon M. Fagan, ce régime prévoit des règlessimples et un processus clair permettant aux sociétés de trans-former leur permis d’exploration en permis d’exploitation.

« Nous sommes sans conteste en Scandinavie », explique-t-il. « Le droit prévaut. On doit franchir des étapes précisespour obtenir son permis, et si on les franchit toutes de labonne façon, on l’obtient. »

M. Fagan fait remarquer que la température chute rarementsous les -20 oC, quoiqu’un hiver inhabituellement froid l’andernier ait quelque peu ralenti la construction.

À Nuuk, l’infrastructure de transport est plus développéeque, disons, dans l’Arctique canadien, et des bateaux arriventà son port et le quittent sur une base quotidienne. Par ailleurs,puisqu’il s’agit d’un petit marché éloigné, le transport est rela-tivement coûteux, admet M. Fagan, mais l’infrastructure estfiable. « Puisque la mer ne gèle pas là-bas, nous bénéficions detransport toute l’année, jusqu’à notre porte, pour ainsi dire »,affirme-t-il. « Comme la mer est libre de glaces jusqu’à Nuuk,nous bénéficions donc d’une chaîne d’approvisionnementlogistique plutôt bonne. »

Mais la petite taille de Qeqertarsuatsiaat réduit le rôle que levillage joue dans les opérations. La société a l’intention d’enga-ger la main-d’œuvre locale, mais le village ne possède ni pisted’atterrissage ni hôpital. Par ailleurs, comme on peut se rendreà Nuuk en hélicoptère en 45 minutes, True North exploiterason usine de valorisation dans un parc industriel de la capitale.

Cette usine recevra le concentré brut de la mine, contenantencore de 20 à 30 % de stériles, et le traitera dans un baind’acide fluorhydrique, qui éliminera les silicates restants.Ensuite, les concentrés propres pourront alors être mieux triéset catégorisés.

Ce travail doit être effectué à Nuuk, surtout pour des rai-sons de sécurité. Il est en effet moins risqué de déplacer lecorindon semi-fini à l’usine de triage de la ville et d’y conserverles pierres triées. En outre, explique M. Fagan, « nous ne vou-


Les fondations de l’usine de traitement l’été dernier

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« Cette Entente a été plutôt histo-rique puisqu’elle a été la première à êtresignée en vertu du nouveau règlement »,rappelle M. Fagan. « Lorsque nousl’[avons signée] le 4 juin de l’an dernier,le Groenland a ainsi clairement indiquéqu’il était prêt à accueillir l’industrieminière. »

Selon M. Fagan, la main-d’œuvreembauchée pour la réalisation de ce pro-jet est presque totalement groenlandaise.Les seuls expatriés qui y participerontseront des membres du siège social deTrue North et, à l’occasion, un consul-tant.

L’usine de triage exigera en partiel’embauche d’une main-d’œuvre étran-gère possédant une formation précise,mais M. Fagan affirme que la chose seratemporaire. La société espère former destravailleurs locaux à ces emplois et lais-ser ces compétences en héritage à la finde la durée de vie de neuf ans de lamine.

MARKETINGAprès que les pierres auront été extra-

ites du sol, le défi consistera à les vendre.Bien que les rubis et les saphirs rosessoient très recherchés, ils sont sansconteste des articles de luxe, sans usageindustriel.

Selon Mme Henning, l’origine géo-graphique des pierres précieuses de True North ajoute unautre atout à leur qualité marchande. Le fait que ces pierresproviennent du Groenland attirera certainement l’attention desacheteurs.

« C’est quelque chose d’entièrement nouveau », ajouteMme Henning. « [Aappaluttoq] constitue une source propre,sans problèmes en matière d’environnement, de règles gouver-nementales ou de droits de la personne. »

Mme Henning ajoute que la société a créé un systèmeexclusif appelé « Ruby Track », conçu pour suivre le déplace-ment des pierres précieuses depuis la mine jusqu’à leur traite-ment en passant par le triage. Les consommateurs pourrontalors retracer l’origine de chaque pierre.

Ruby Track attribuera des codes barres à des lots de pierresprécieuses triés de façon à ce que chacun de ceux-ci soitaccompagné d’un certificat d’authenticité, procédé similaire àcelui appliqué à la vente des diamants canadiens. Mme Hen-ning s’attend à ce que d’autres participants de l’industrie despierres précieuses adoptent des systèmes similaires, puisqu’onexige toujours plus de responsabilisation et de transparence.

Bien que les articles de luxe soient difficiles à vendre dansun contexte économique turbulent, Mme Henning est certaineque True North et ses rubis peuvent y faire face. ICM

TNG a aussi signé une Entente sur les répercussions etles avantages avec le gouvernement du Groenland et lescollectivités locales, laquelle encourage la société à embau-cher le plus de travailleurs groenlandais possible et àcontribuer à la formation locale et au fonds de développe-ment social.


AAPPALUTTOQ| profil de projet

Des rubis et des saphirs bruts prêts à être triés

Le niveau du lac (au premier plan) sera abaissé de 10 m afin de construire une route qui reliera le puits de lamine à l’usine de traitement.

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1. BILL STEERCanadian Ecology Centre Making informed choices – Modern mining: Standing still is going backwards!Faire des choix éclairés – Exploitation minière contemporaine : Ne pas bouger, c’est faire marche arrière!

2. DEAN LEE MILLARMIRARCOThe Journey to the 40% mineLe chemin vers la mine à 40 %

3. IAN THOMSONShinglespit Consultants Inc.The social license to operate: the reality, the myths and the dark side Le permis social d’exploitation : La réalité, les mythes et sa face cachée

4. MAURO CHIESAIndependent advisorFull-costing in the selection of good mine projectsMéthode du coût complet dans la sélection de bonsprojets miniers

5. ROUSSOS DIMITRAKOPOULOSMcGill University Smart mining complexes and value chains: a technological perspective on risk management and sustainabilityComplexes miniers intelligents et chaînes de valeur : une perspective technologique sur la gestion du risqueet la durabilité

6. WILSON PASCHETOXPS Consulting & Testwork ServicesMaterials technology in the mining industry, opportunities and challenges Technologie des matériaux dans l’industrie minière :occasions et défis

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The discovery of gold and silver inthe American West during themid-19th century came at a

fortuitous time. Just as production of theprecious metals began in earnest, tin andcopper mining in Cornwall, England,started to decline. As one sustainedmining rush ended, another began, andthe renowned Cornish miners crossedthe Atlantic to help it flourish. But theybrought more than just their famoushard-rock mining skills; they alsoimported their superstitions and lore,specifically a belief in mine-dwellingfairies called Tommyknockers.

Cornish miners began immigratingto America in the 1860s and quicklyearned respect at American mines. Theyhad years of experience tunnelling andmining that Americans at the timelacked, and their seemingly uncannyability to sniff out veins of ore madethem extremely valuable to statesidemine owners.

They also popularized many of the mining terms thatbecame part of the permanent industry lexicon, like shafts,levels, winzes, raises and adits. The creation of the miner’scode of signals, which allowed hoisters to communicate withminers below using bells, is also credited to the Cornish.

Their success often led mine owners to ask them if theyknew others back home with similar experience who wouldbe willing to immigrate for work. The typical answer was,“Well, me cousin Jack over in Cornwall wouldst come, couldye pay ‘is boat ride.” That common refrain eventually earnedthem the nickname Cousin Jacks.

The origins of the Tommyknockers (also known as Knock-ers) vary depending on the telling, but most miners agreedthey were small, dwarf-like creatures that were somewherebetween one-and-a-half and two feet tall. Some believed themto be greenish in colour and outfitted in miniature miners’clothes.

The Knockers were, according to some Cornish folklore,the spirits of miners who had died in previous cave-ins; otherlore described them as the ghosts of the Jewish men who cru-cified Jesus Christ and were sent by the Romans to work asslaves in the mines.

However they came to be in the mines, the Tommyknock-ers were generally regarded by the Cousin Jacks as benevolent


but mischievous little pranksterswho would filch miners’ picks,candles or clothes on a lark. Butthey also proved useful to theminers: some said they wouldknock on the mineshaft walls toalert miners to a particularly richvein of ore, the sound gettinglouder as the men moved closerto the vein.

Cornish miners also thoughtthey looked out for the welfareof the mine’s employees. Justbefore cave-ins, Tommyknock-ers would knock loudly on thewalls of the mine as a warning,to give the miners enough timeto escape. Cousin Jacks consid-ered the Knockers their protec-tors and essential to their safetywhile they worked.

They could become mali-cious, however, if neglected oroffended. Whistling was

thought to disturb the fairies and for that reason consideredto be bad luck. Miners who spoke ill of the Knockers did soat their own risk. To keep the sprites in their good books orto say thanks for overseeing their safety, miners would leavebehind pieces of their pasty from lunch for the Knockers tonibble on.

Mine owners came to accept that doing business with theCornish meant entertaining their belief in the Knockers. Thatbelief was so strong that in 1956, when a large Californiamine ended operations, miners lobbied the mine’s owners tohold off closing up the mine long enough to let the Tommy-knockers make their way out, so they could go to work inother mines. The company complied.

Many of the phenomena attributed to the Tommyknock-ers can be easily explained by more earthly factors. Before acollapse, mine caves have a tendency to creak and groanunder the weight they can no longer shoulder. And in such apoorly lit, expansive place, it is easy to misplace a tool or apiece of food, and then find it later – or not. But mines at thetime were dark and dangerous places, and in such a precari-ous and risky occupation it is easy to understand why minersdeveloped myths and lore. It was their collective imaginationthat cemented the Tommyknockers’ place in American min-ing culture. CIM

Knock, knock, who’s there?By Kelsey Rolfe

Cornish miners immigrating to America in the mid-19th centurywere renowned for their mining and tunneling expertise.

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cim magazine november 2015

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