Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd (NAK)

[sherman106]

Mining News
Pebble sweetens the deal by making its resource 'strategic'
Michael McCrae Michael McCrae
Thursday August 20, 2020 18:48
Kitco NewsShare this article:

Northern Dynasty Minerals announced today that the Pebble deposit contains substantial quantities of rhenium – a metal used in jet engines and other military applications, and to produce high-octane fuels.

<a href="https://www.kitco.com/news/2020-08-05/President-s-son-opposes-Pebble-Mine.html">Pebble is the controversial Alaska-based project Northern Dynasty is trying to advance</a>. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a final environmental analysis last month supporting the mine, a reversal from the Obama administration's previous decision stating that the mine should not be built. Opponents to the mine cite risks to salmon runs, as well as preserving the natural beauty of the area. Northern Dynasty's Pebble Project is located in southwest Alaska.

Northern Dynasty said the US Geological Survey considers rhenium a strategic metal and confirms the United States currently relies on foreign producers for 82% of its rhenium needs.

“Certainly the US military has identified Rhenium as a critical mineral, and one the United States must develop additional domestic production of in order to enhance its military security,” said Ron Thiessen, Northern Dynasty President & CEO. “The development of Alaska’s Pebble Project would clearly go a long way toward filling that gap, while also addressing substantial US domestic supply deficits for other critical minerals – notably copper and silver.”

The inclusion of rhenium into the Pebble resource estimate is based on more than 58,000 analyses from 699 core holes, totaling more than 840,000 feet of drilling.

If permitted, the Pebble mine will be North America’s largest mine, according to a study by the Center for Science in Public Participation. On the Northern Dynasty's website the current resource estimate for the project is 6.5 billion tonnes in the measured and indicated categories containing 57 billion lb copper and 71 million oz gold.

By Michael McCrae
For Kitco News


Contact [e-mail]
www.kitco.com