Even though it’s the same mine and the same pit, Osisko Metals has no acquired operating rights in place, points out Jean-François Boulanger, mining expert.
The advantage to revive an old mineaccording to the professor of mining engineering at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, it is to know the terrain well.
However, over the past 20 years, the standards have changed.80 and even in the years2000 on tailings management, for example.”,”text”:”It won’t be starting from scratch, he says, but there are several demonstrations to be done and ways of doing things that are different from what has could have been in the 80s and even in the 2000s in terms of waste management, for example.”}}”>It will not be starting from scratch, he says, but there are several demonstrations to be done and ways of doing things that are different from what may have been in the 80s and even in the 2000s in terms of waste management. , for example.
Osisko Metals will have to obtain all necessary environmental authorizations. Probably, certainly, it will be a project that would go through a public hearing office, the BAPE
believes the specialist.
Tourism, mountains and mines
Osisko Metals will also have to ensure social acceptance, particularly that of Murdochville’s tourism industry, which has developed in recent years around nature and the outdoors.
The issue does not seem to worry the CEO of Osisko Metals: We plan for the long term. I see no reason why the tourist industry could not coexist with the mining industry.
The management of the Chic-Chac adventure tourism and accommodation group agrees with him in part.
In a press release, published at the start of the day on Friday, the co-founder of the company, Guillaume Molaison, invites the mining company to discuss issues of cohabitation, such as the use of natural spaces and their protection.
According to the Chic-Chac, there can be no compromise when it comes to protecting the health of the population.
« The social and financial impact, the effect on vitality and the local ability to take matters into their own hands are all issues to be put on the table, as is the protection of landscapes. »
Mr. Molaison would like to obtain a detailed plan of the mining company’s intentions for the next 20 years.
The tourism company argues that a constructive coexistence between the two industries, mining and tourism, could promote labor retention.
Enlarge the pit
Paradoxically, despite the environmental impacts of mining, the project is part of the global desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and turn to green energies. The ecological transition that we want to make towards electric vehicles and all that versus the perception of wanting to protect the environment and wanting to reconcile the two. This is the big challenge
comments Mr. Boulanger.
For the mining extraction expert and teacher at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, it is indeed the price of copper that rekindles Osisko Metals’ interest in Murdochville. He recalls that 20 years ago, the price of copper was below US$1 per pound of copper, and that it is now close to $5.
Jean-François Boulanger thinks that, in this context, the Murdochville deposit is recovering in value. It testifies to the interest in a rather unique place. It is not for nothing that we went to exploit [le cuivre] in the middle of Gaspésie, a place that is difficult to access, but that’s because there were interesting quantities of copper and there probably still are.
The end of mining at Murdochville had however been attributed to the depletion of ore reserves.
The municipality of Murdochville, in Gaspésie, in 1953, at the very beginning of mining. Noranda will permanently close its facilities 49 years later. (Archives)
Photo: Gaspésie Museum
Obviously, that wasn’t quite true. When a mine says there is no more copper, it means there is no more profitable copper
commented Robert Wares, CEO of Osisko Metals on Radio-Canada.
Jean-François Boulanger explains that in an open-pit mine, like that of Murdochville, the mining company must enlarge the pit to fetch the additional ore. It’s getting more and more expensive to enlarge a whole pit to get a little ore from the bottom. That doesn’t mean there’s no material left, just that it costs more to go get a ton of material.
Initially, it will effectively be a project to enlarge the existing pit, said Robert Wares, presenting the mining company’s intentions.
There is still a long way to go from the cut to the lips. The price of copper will have to be maintained, since it will take at least five years before commissioning.
If its project proves viable, the company promises more than 700 jobs and an investment of up to $1 billion. Between 1000 and 1500 people would be needed to rebuild the mining facility.
Osisko Metals would produce copper concentrate. The foundry would not be rebuilt. The concentrate could be sold at the Rouyn-Noranda smelter, the only one in Canada, or shipped to Europe by boat.
Before getting there, the next step is scheduled for June 2022. Osisko should then announce whether or not it will invest to develop the project.