NICO Project - Conceptual Closure and Reclamation Plan (CCRP) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“NICO Project - Conceptual Closure and Reclamation Plan (CCRP)” December 2013

 Fortune Minerals Limited’s (Fortune) is planning to build the NICO Gold-Cobalt-Bismuth-Copper Project (NICO Project) in the Tłįchǫ region of the Northwest Territories.  The mine will operate for approximately 20 years. After that, it will be closed and reclaimed according to an approved Closure and Reclamation Plan.  The current Conceptual Closure and Reclamation Plan (CCRP) will form part of the licence for the Project. Financial Assurance will be put in place.  Interim Closure and Reclamation Plans (ICRPs) will be updated every 3 years during operations.  A Final Closure and Reclamation Plan will be approved prior to end of operations. 2

 The NICO Project will include the following main components:  underground and open pit mining stages;  a mineral processing plant;  supporting buildings, infrastructure and equipment;  transportation routes: internal access, haul roads;  NICO Project Access Road (NPAR);  a Co-disposal Facility (CDF) for tailings and mine rock;  waste management facilities;  water management facilities: Seepage Collection Ponds (SCPs), a Surge Pond, an Emergency Spill Containment Pond, water diversion channels; and  effluent treatment facilities: an Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) and Constructed Wetland Treatments Systems (CWTSs). 3

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 The CCRP has been prepared and submitted to WLWB for review and approval (currently under review).  Fortune has used initial feedback from Tłįchǫ community members to refine the NICO Project design and the closure plan.  The CCRP will be updated with ongoing community engagement.  The closure plan (CCRP , ICRPs, and FCRP) will be updated through the detailed design and operational phases of the NICO Project. 5

 The overall goal of the CCRP for the NICO Project is to return the mine site and affected areas to viable and, wherever practicable, self-sustaining ecosystems that are compatible with a healthy environment and with human activities.  The overall closure goal is supported by the four closure principles of: physical stability, chemical stability, no long- term active care requirements and compatibility with future land uses for each component of the NICO Project. 6

 Where possible, closure activities will take place progressively during the mine operation.  The mine has been designed with final closure in mind. The designs of the CDF, dams, and mine water management facilities have been chosen to reduce the overall post- closure impact of the NICO Project.  Environmental design features and mitigation, as well as current wildlife management practices used in other mining projects in the NWT (e.g., Ekati, Diavik, and Snap Lake mine sites) for closure, will also be used at the NICO Project as much as possible. 7

 Progressive reclamation takes place during the operational years of the mine  Progressive Covering of the CDF :  The soil cover will be placed on each bench of the CDF perimeter dyke when the bench is completed and the next bench becomes active.  The soil cover will be placed on inactive parts of the top surface of the CDF after they reach final grade.  The majority of the area of the CDF will be covered before mining ceases.  Development and Testing of the CWTSs :  CWTS No. 1, 2 and 3 will be constructed and tested prior to the end of operations to demonstrate that CWTS technology is the appropriate for the Project.  CWTS No. 1, 2 and 3 are to be ready for operation when closure occurs. 8

 There will be four main stages of closure at the NICO Project:  Active Closure Stage (Closure Years 1 to 2) during which:  CWTS No. 1, 2 and 3 will be operational when mine operations cease (Figures 2 and 3).  The decommissioning of major facilities will occur and active flooding of the open pit will be started using water pumped from the Marian River.  Active care, maintenance, and monitoring will be required for the decommissioned and remaining facilities.  Physical, chemical, biological, air, and social monitoring will be required during this stage (Figures 4 and 5).  Passive Closure Stage - with Active Pit Flooding (Closure Years 3 to 12) during which:  The active flooding of the open pit will be completed, and the SCPs and the CWTSs will function to improve the quality of water being drained into Nico Lake.  Passive care, maintenance and monitoring will be required for the decommissioned and remaining facilities.  Physical, chemical, biological, and social monitoring will be required (Figure 6). 9

SCP No. 3 SCP No. 5 SCP No. 1 SCP No. 2 SCP No. 4 Surge Pond Open Pit CWTS No. 1 CWTS No. 3 CWTS No. 2 CWTS No. 4 Peanut Lake Nico Lake Contingency Note: CWTS No.4 is part of the contingencies at closure. In the event that water quality in the filling pit lake indicates that water from the open pit at initial discharge requires additional treatment, the CWTS No. 4 would be established. Figure 2 - Flow Diagram Between the Water Management Components and the CWTSs at Closure 10

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 Passive Closure Stage (starting in Closure Year 13) during which:  The open pit overflow will be discharged into Peanut Lake. (CWTS No.4 is a contingency if the open pit overflow water is unsuitable for direct discharge into Peanut Lake.).  The SCPs and the CWTSs will function to improve the quality of water being drained into Nico Lake.  Passive long-term care, maintenance and monitoring will be required for the decommissioned and remaining facilities.  Ultimate Closure Stage:  Which will occur when the CWTSs become redundant, because the water quality in the SCPs will be suitable for discharge even without CWTS treatment.  The CWTSs will be left to overgrow and the SCP dams will be breached.  At the Ultimate Closure Stage, all requirements for on-going care, maintenance and monitoring will cease.  The NICO Project site is then expected to be in a “walk-away” condition (Figure 7). 15

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 The major closure and reclamation activities are expected to occur within the first two years of closure.  The CDF will be covered with layers of sand and till to and effectively shed water to reduce infiltration. The cover will be vegetated to reduce wind and water erosion.  After the pit overflows (around Closure Year 13), water will be conveyed from the open pit to Peanut Lake through an HDPE pipeline.  Monitoring and maintenance of the CWTSs and SCPs, and reclaimed facilities will be required until the Ultimate Closure Stage is achieved. 17

 The quality of water seeping from the CDF and from the SCPs will get better over time. Eventually treatment in the CWTSs will no longer be needed.  When treatment is no longer required, the monitoring and maintenance of the CWTSs will stop and they will be allowed to overgrow.  As the quality of CDF seepage water improves further, the SCPs and Surge Pond will no longer be required.  Once no longer necessary, the SCP and Surge Pond Dams will be breached, leaving a non-erodible sill in place to provide shallow residual ponds to contain sediments. 18

 After the SCP and Surge Pond Dams are breached, the CDF seepage water will continue to flow through the abandoned CWTSs then into Nico Lake.  Monitoring and pilot studies will be carried out during operations.  The major uncertainties related to engineering and re- vegetation strategies necessary for closure and reclamation of the NICO Project include:  surficial water quality within the flooded open pit;  CDF cover performance; and  CWTSs performance. 19

 Contingencies have been developed in case the proposed closure and reclamation activities do not perform as planned:  Flooded Open Pit: If the open pit water cannot be directly discharged into Peanut Lake, in-pit treatment by chemical and biological means or passive treatment through CWTS No. 4 will be considered.  NICO Project Access Road (NPAR): If the Tłįchǫ do not wish to take over maintenance of the NPAR, the road will be scarified and re- vegetated and culvert/bridges will be demolished.  CDF: If the water quality in the SCPs at closure/post-closure is poor due to the poor performance of the cover on the CDF, repair, augmentation or reconstruction of the cover could be considered. 20

 CWTSs: Modeling indicates that the quantity and geochemical quality of the seepage from the CDF can be adequately treated by the CWTS No. 1 to 3 and directed to Nico Lake. If this proves to be not the case, then water will be pumped from the SCPs to the Open Pit for in-pit treatment.  ETF will be mothballed and left on site for ~ 5 years to use if CWTSs are not yet performing.  Re-vegetation: The CDF covers rely on vegetation to limit erosion and also to reduce infiltration by means of evapo-transpiration. If the vegetation is damaged, it will regenerate. Rock armoring may also be used to provide long-term stability of rock slopes or other features that may not be suitable for re-vegetation. 21

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