NOVAGOLD
Located in Western Alaska, in the Yukon Kuskokwim region, Donlin Gold is one of the largest known, undeveloped gold deposits in the world, with probable reserves estimated at 33.8 million ounces of gold.
Based on exploration results, the Donlin Gold project will be an environmentally sound, open-pit gold mine. Located about 10 miles from Crooked Creek Village, the project would process approximately 59,000 short tons of ore per day.
The Donlin Gold project would provide thousands of jobs during construction, which is estimated to take three to four years. Throughout the estimated 27+ year operational phase, a variety of positions and shift work will be available.
Infrastructure plans call for a power-generation plant, water-treatment plant, access roads, housing, two ports, a natural-gas pipeline and an airstrip.
Donlin Gold estimates that the proposed mine could produce an average of 1.3 million ounces of gold annually during operation. This production level would make Donlin Gold one of the world’s largest gold mines.
PROJECT DETAILS
How big would the Donlin Gold mine be?
As per the second updated feasibility study, Donlin Gold has the potential to become one of the largest gold-producing mines in the world; slated to produce approximately 1,500,000 ounces of gold annually during the first five years of operation and approximately 1,100,000 ounces per year over its 27-year life.
With approximately 34 million ounces of gold (504.8 million tonnes at an average grade of approximately 2.1 grams per tonne) in the proven and probable reserve categories, Donlin Gold is one of the largest and highest-grade gold projects in development today. At the end of the project’s mine life, Donlin Gold’s open pit would be about 1,550 acres, its tailings storage about 2,350 acres, and its waste rock storage about 2,300 acres.
The EIS states that the Donlin Gold project would have a total footprint of approximately 16,300 acres.
What lands would be affected and for how long?
The Donlin Gold project has three main project components: the Mine Site, the Transportation Corridor, and the Pipeline.
The Mine Site includes the pit, processing facility, Waste Rock Facility (WRF), Tailings Storage Facility (TSF), and power plant. Development of the open pit, the waste rock disposal area, and the TSF would permanently alter the landscape at the Mine Site. At the end of operations, other Mine Site facilities, such as the power plant, the process facilities, the camp, roads, and fresh water storage ponds, would be decommissioned and the land reclaimed.
The Transportation Corridor includes improvements to the Knik Bethel Yard Dock, annual barging on the Kuskokwim River from Bethel to a new upriver port at Angyaruaq (Jungjuk), construction of a 30-mile access road and a 5,000-foot dedicated airstrip.
The Pipeline includes a 316-mile, 14-inch, buried natural gas pipeline to support power generation at the Mine Site, to be built from Cook Inlet to the Mine Site. Most of the Pipeline would be installed underground, so the project would affect the lands only during the construction period, after which the affected areas would be reclaimed. The pipeline-related land disturbance total 14, 038 acres.
How long will it take to build Donlin Gold?
Construction is expected to take approximately 3-4 years due to the extensive infrastructure requirements, limited access, and variable weather conditions.
What components, facilities and infrastructure are needed to support the mine?
As currently envisioned, the Donlin Gold mine will require an expanded port in Bethel where cargo and fuel will be transferred from ocean barges to river barges, and an upriver port in Angyaruaq (Jungjuk) for offloading river barges and transferring cargo and fuel to the site over a 30-mile access road using trucks.
Other infrastructure and mine facilities would include a 315- mile natural gas pipeline from Cook Inlet, power generation plant, process plant, wastewater treatment plant, as well as a new airstrip and camp. Donlin Gold will be a fly-in/fly-out project for staff and crew.
How long do you anticipate the mine will be operational?
Donlin Gold’s mine life is estimated to be at least 27 years. The project has significant exploration potential as its current mineral endowment covers only three kilometers of an eight- kilometer-long mineralized corridor. Even after operations cease, site care and maintenance will continue.
What are the mine site features?
Open pit mine: where mining would occur to remove ore (rocks that contain gold) from the ground.
Waste rock facility: to access the ore, ore with no gold content (“waste rock”) would be removed from the open pit and stored in an engineered facility onsite.
Ore processing facility: ore would be reduced in size to fine particles by crushing and grinding, then flotation would separate the gold-bearing sulfide minerals from non- mineralize rock. The floated material would be treated using pressure oxidation technology in autoclaves, and the gold would be recovered from the floated material in a carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit. Gold dore´ bars would be produced at site, and then shipped to a custom refiner for further processing.
Tailings storage facility: left over ground rock, water and chemicals from ore processing would be stored in a state-of-the-art, lined onsite facility.
What is Donlin Gold doing to protect the environment during construction, mining and closure?
Environmental planning and protection is a fundamental element of the Donlin Gold project. The EIS describes the proposed action and reasonable alternatives, evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives, and considers potential mitigation measures. The federal agencies will use the EIS to inform the decisions on the permits Donlin Gold has applied for and is working with the agencies to establish the conditions under which those permits would be issued.
The State of Alaska will issue numerous permits that will impose operational performance and monitoring requirements on Donlin Gold. Most importantly, by taking the steps today to carefully design the project to prevent and mitigate environmental impact, we are reducing both near- and long-term risk during construction and operation, and after closure.
Donlin Gold’s extensive environmental evaluations and baseline data collection, combined with the owners’ collective experience, are all key factors in being better prepared to plan, avoid, mitigate and respond should an event/incident occur. Moreover, the State of Alaska also has an experienced staff with a strong track record in regulating large mining projects.
The best available technologies will be utilized to meet or exceed all air and water quality standards with extensive environmental monitoring and reporting during all project phases. Best practices will also be carefully implemented for safe management of water, waste rock, tailings, fuels and chemicals and for control of dust. Adaptive management practices will use the results of monitoring to modify operating practices, develop mitigation measures, and take other appropriate action to protect the environment.
How will you ensure proper closure of the mine?
Financial assurance will be proposed by Donlin Gold and approved by the State prior to the commencement of construction. The State will then hold the financial assurance to ensure that there would always be sufficient funds in place to treat and reclaim the land to a chemically and physically stable condition following the operating period. The financial estimates on which the assurance is based are reviewed at least every five years to ensure that the funds set aside to pay for long-term care and maintenance remains sufficient.
Once operations are completed, the structures would all be removed from the property and water would be pumped out of the tailings storage facility to the open pit. The waste rock would be regraded, covered with soil and revegetated. The pit would begin to fill with water over a long period of time; approximately 50 years. The managed water level in the pit will be 30 feet lower than the water level in Crooked Creek to prevent pit water from discharging to Crooked Creek.
When the pit lake reaches the managed level, water from the pit will be pumped to a closure water treatment plant to maintain this water level. The water will first be treated to meet State water quality standards, and then will be discharged to Crooked Creek in a controlled manner during the summer. Monitoring will continue post-closure to ensure that all environmental standards are met.
