In the latest issue of International Mining Project News Northern Dynasty has confirmed that the Pebble gold-copper-molybdenum project, in southwest Alaska, is economically robust after receiving the results of a NI 43-101 compliant preliminary assessment (PA). The PA indicates that the mine could remain in production for up to 78 years to become “one of the most important producers of the 21^st century” according to Wardrop.The open pit mine, located in Bristol Bay which is believed to contain the world’s richest salmon fishery, has come under heavy environmental fire in the past. However this positive report, with peak annual recoveries of 62 Mlb molybdenum, 1.1 Moz gold and 1,096 Mlb copper, confirms Pebble’s potential and the Pebble JV partners (including Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Mitsubishi) seem confident that the massive project will get a clean bill of health from the Environmental Protection Agency in its upcoming review of potential mining impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed.

Pretium Resources has revealed significant resource increases at its adjacent Brucejack and Snowfield projects in northern British Columbia. Gold and silver resources at the combined project has increased by 64% and 33% respectively with Measured and Indicated resources now standing at 34.1 Moz gold and 191.9 Moz silver. Westgold Resources has lodged a Bidder’s statement outlining its goal to create a top 10 ASX listed gold producer within five years by combining the company with Aragon Resources. Amongst other things the combination would result in a 3+ Moz gold equivalent resource base and substantial development and exploration potential, including the “virgin” gold-copper discovery Rover 1 in the Northern Territory, where a feasibility study is currently underway, and historical mines in the central Murchison region of Western Australia which are being reopened by Aragon. Westgold sees three major underground mines at Rover 1, Big Bell and Great Fingall/Golden Crown providing the backbone to a 200,000 oz/y gold production profile for the combined entity within 5 years.

After its incredible success at the Paulsens mine, in Western Australia, it is unsurprising that Northern Star Resources has agreed on an exclusive option with Sipa Resources to purchase the 668,000 oz Ashburton gold project which comprises 961 km² of mining and exploration tenements stretching to within 5 km of the Paulsens gold mine. The company will focus on bringing Ashburton into production once the purchase is complete. Tanami Gold has yet again increased its gold resource at its Central Tanami project, located in Australia, with total (Measured, Indicated and Inferred) resources reaching 21.3 Mt at 3 g/t Au for 2.03 Moz gold.

Over the past two years Tanami has regularly struck gold in its exploration activities to increase its resource by over 300% from the initial 0.5 Moz estimate. This latest increase has convinced the company to concentrate on completing a feasibility study on the CTP with an eye to restart production, using the project’s existing infrastructure and 1.2 Mt/y treatment plant, although with the granting of two more exploration licenses, and the strong potential of the Groundrush open pit, the company will hope to discover more resources in its 2011 drilling programs. Southern Cross Goldfields has also reported excellent results, from recent in-fill drilling at the Battler deposit, which will form part of a feasibility study designed to confirm and, the company hopes, extend Battler’s current, 504,000 t @ 2.3 g/t Au (Indicated and Inferred), JORC resource estimate. Battler is just one of seven deposits in Western Australia that Southern Cross plans to develop, as part of an initial 30,000 oz/y gold production strategy, so more drilling results can be expected soon.

In the Northern Territory TNG Ltd has decided to follow up its recent scoping study on the Mount Peake iron-vanadium project with a second scoping study aimed at evaluating the possibilities of processing its vanadium pentoxide product into highly valuable ferro-vanadium. So far the company estimates that Mount Peake will operate for just under 24 years to produce 349,000 t V₂O₅, 27.18 Mt Fe and 6.46 Mt TiO₂. After its $16.7 million raising Alcyone Resources has updated the market on development and exploration activities at its wholly owned Texas silver and polymetallic project in southeast Queensland. Despite freak Australian floods the company has managed to stay on track to achieve full scale silver production by Q3 2011, and has secured all the necessary supplies for a storm water dam at the Twin Hills project, where the company has already started mine construction.

Brockman Resources has received the final environmental approvals for the development of its 17-20 Mt/y Marillana iron ore project in the Pilbara. Brockman can now look forward to completing its BFS on the 25 year project by Q3 2011 to generate LoM revenues of over A$60 billion at current iron ore prices. In northern Sweden Avalon Minerals is continuing intensive drilling programs, with over 15,000 m RC and diamond drilling being conducted across three open pit zones, at its wholly owned Viscaria copper-iron project. The initial results appear promising with drilling south of the ‘D Zone’ indicating far wider, higher grade, mineralisation than that previously encountered.

All this and much, much more in International Mining’s Project News….

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