A representative from Pebble Limited Partnership presented in front of a joint Kenai / Soldotna Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday, pledging that the Pepple Project is getting closer to completion.
In December 2017, the Pebble Limited Partnership submitted its application with the corps to initiate permitting for a 20-year mine development plan for the Pebble Deposit. It has been met with controversy for primarily environmental reasons, but the Pebble Partnership has changed their plans over the years to suit those concerns.
Mark Hamilton, Vice President of External Affairs for the Pebble Project, says the project is well on its way to officially getting a permit: “We are very confident that we’re going to get that positive record decision because we’ve done the work. We’ve listened to the concerns, we’ve listened to the suggestions, and we’ve listened to some of the guidance given by the folks involved in the project, by the Corps, by EPA and the like. Ultimately, you pieced together a project that is nearly what you wanted. It meets all of the requirements that are demanded by the agencies that are investigating it.”
As much progress as the project is making, Mr. Hamilton also is quick to put into perspective the larger scope of the project’s time frame: “A junior in high school could get a Master’s Degree in Mining Engineering by the time we produce our first ingot of copper, all things working out the way we planned. It’s quite a long project, quite a difficult one, and quite an expensive one. We’ve certainly spent in the neighborhood of a billion dollars thus far. It’ll probably be four years of construction to the tune of north of four-billion dollars. That’ll be a huge impact to the state, by the way: 2,000 jobs for four years building that mine. They’ll feel this coming before we actually produce any copper.”
Stay with KSRM for updates on the progress of the Pepple Project.
