Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PRECIOUS PLANS FOR GOLD MINE
Firm says project to unearth 350 jobs and £750million economy boost
MINERS have applied for permission to dig for gold in an operation they claim could bring 350 jobs to Northern Ireland.
Dalradian Resources Inc wants the green light for a large scale underground mine in Tyrone in a project they say “is expected to give a £750million boost to the local economy”.
The Canadian company also said it has secured £46.3million of financing for the project at the Curraghinalt gold deposit, near Greencastle, which they describe as “one of the best gold projects on the planet”.
It has “submitted its planning application to permit the building of an underground mine and associated infrastructure at the Curraghinalt gold deposit in west Tyrone to the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure”.
Dalradian chief Patrick FN Anderson said the move is “the culmination of seven years of exploration, engineering and environmental work and financings. He added: “We have transformed the project from a small, early-stage deposit to one of the best gold projects on the planet.
“Building and operating a mine at the Curraghinalt deposit will create at least 350 permanent direct jobs and is expected to give a £750million boost to the local economy over the 25-year life of mine in the planning application.
“This will be one of the largest foreign direct investments in Northern Ireland in recent years.
“We are proud of the rigour and quality of the application. It comprises more than 10,000 pages, including nearly 40 detailed reports by independent experts from globally recognised environmental consulting firms.
“I am confident our submission demonstrates that we can deliver a sensitively designed and well-thoughtout project that will provide economic benefits to the region and solid returns to our shareholders using environmental best practices.
“We appreciate the contributions of local residents, consultants, regulators and other stakeholders whose input has contributed to our plans for a mine at Curraghinalt.
“We are confident that a gold mine in Tyrone will not only be economically transformative for the county but will help
DALRADIAN RESOURCES
support a range of businesses across Northern Ireland.
“We are proud to build on Tyrone’s strong engineering and manufacturing base.”
Despite the promise of jobs and investment, the plan has raised some concerns about its environmental impact, in particular in terms of what techniques will be used at a processing plant to extract gold from raw mined materials.
Mr Anderson said the financing, from Orion Mine Finance Fund II LP and Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd, “is a strong vote of confidence in our project”.
The company said its planning application “is supported by an Environmental Statement, including contributions from many local agencies and independent experts”.
It said it has held over 40 meetings with regulators along with “consultation sessions attended by more than 270 people to gain vital information needed to finalise the application”.