Developers Of Minnesota Copper-Nickel Mine Aim For Cost Efficiency

Developers of a long-delayed copper-nickel mining project in northeastern Minnesota announced that they plan to conduct a series of studies over the next year to explore potential ways to improve environmental safeguards and make the mine more cost- and energy-efficient, which could lead to significant changes in the design, Steve Karnowski reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The project is a 50-50 joint venture between Swiss commodities giant Glencore and Canada-based Teck Resources. I Photo: Teck Resources Limited

The plan is for a $1 billion open-pit mine near Babbitt and a processing plant near Hoyt Lakes that would be Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine, producing minerals necessary for the clean energy economy.

The project is a 50-50 joint venture between Swiss commodities giant Glencore and Canada-based Teck Resources. The project was renamed NewRange Copper Nickel last year but is still widely known by its former name, PolyMet.

The project has been stalled for several years due to court and regulatory setbacks, but company officials say they are still moving ahead with preparations at the site.

“The bottom line is this is all about improving efficiency, looking for ways to improve our carbon footprint, and reduce greenhouse gases,” NewRange spokesman Bruce Richardson said in an interview.

“If there’s a net environmental benefit, which is one of the end goals here, then it’s pretty hard to criticize.”

However, environmental groups that have been opposing the project said the announcement is tantamount to an admission that the current mine plan is fundamentally flawed.

They argue that mining the large untapped reserves of copper, nickel, and platinum-group metals in northeastern Minnesota poses unacceptable environmental risks due to the potential for acid mine drainage from the sulfide-bearing ore.