The B.C. government granted Avanti Kitsault Mine Ltd. conditional environmental approval on March 19 for its desired open-pit molybdenum mine project, located at the head of Alice Arm, approximately 140 kilometres north of Prince Rupert.
The project is controversial because the Nisga’a Nation wanted the government to hold off on making a decision on the approval and not be rushed because of the looming May 14 provincial election.
Vancouver-based Avanti, however, had said that it spent four years and $13 million guiding the regeneration of the mothballed mine through the environmental process and that there was no reason for the approval to be delayed.
The decision was made after considering the review led by British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office (EAO), which concluded that the project is not expected to result in any significant adverse effects, based on the mitigation measures and conditions of the Environmental Assessment Certificate.
The Environmental Assessment Certificate includes 34 conditions and a
Certified Project Description. Each of the conditions is a legally binding requirement that Avanti Kitsault Mine Ltd. must meet to be in compliance with the certificate.
The estimated total capital construction cost of the project is $836
million and the operating costs are approximately $120 million per year.
The project will create an estimated 960 person-years of direct
employment during construction.
