Northern Dynasty Minerals’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Alaska-based Pebble Ltd Partnership (PLP) has contracted ASRC Energy Services, Alaska Inc (AES), a subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corp (ASRC”, to work with the Pebble project’s Alaska Native village corporation partners in an effort to enhance future Alaska Native contracting opportunities at Pebble.
“As we gear up for our 2017 field season and prepare to take the Pebble project into federal and state permitting, we are also renewing our commitment to maximize contract and employment opportunities for local companies and local people,” confirmed Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier. “We know very well the challenging economic circumstances that confront Alaska Native village corporations and their shareholders in southwest Alaska, and we are making investments now to ensure they will benefit to the greatest extent possible at each stage of the Pebble project’s development – during permitting, construction, operations and even closure.”
AES consultants will lead a collaborative business development planning initiative to include Alaska Native village corporations with land holdings near the Pebble Project site, and who have had contract relationships with PLP in the past. The goal of the engagement is to inform an Alaska Native contracting strategy for Pebble – one that establishes complementary contracting roles for participating village corporations, and directs strategic business development investments to enhance local companies’ capabilities to fulfil Pebble’s future contracting needs.
“For the past 10 years or more, Pebble has had a local contracting and local employment preference to ensure our project provides meaningful benefits for local people,” Collier said. “But as we move forward into permitting, it is the appropriate time for PLP to invest in a more formalized business development program to ensure that Alaska Native village corporations in our region will have the experience and capacity necessary to provide contract services when this project advances to construction and operations.”
Collier said ASRC Energy Services was selected to lead Pebble’s business development initiative based on its experience working with Alaska Native village corporations to optimize business opportunities associated with resource development on the North Slope.
AES is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASRC, the largest Alaska-owned company employing some 12,000 people worldwide, and nearly 4,000 in Alaska. ASRC has a long history of supporting responsible resource development in the state, and sharing the benefits of development with its shareholders and other Alaska Native corporations.
Northern Dynasty’s principal asset, owned through its wholly-owned Alaska-based US subsidiary PLP and other wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world’s most important mineral resources.
The Pebble deposit is one of the greatest stores of mineral wealth ever discovered. The current resource estimate includes 6,440 Mt in the Measured and Indicated categories containing 57 billion lb copper, 70 Moz gold, 3.4 billion lb molybdenum and 344 Moz silver; and 4,460 Mt in the Inferred category, containing 24.5 billion lb copper, 37 Moz gold, 2.2 billion lb molybdenum and 170 Moz silver. Quantities of palladium and rhenium also occur in the deposit.