Twin Metals Minnesota has instructed Bechtel Engineering to prepare the NI-43-101 prefeasibility study on the Twin Metals project. This massive project is sure to become one of the world’s great mines and there is an initial article in the April issue of International Mining. The Duluth Complex is a large, composite mafic intrusion in northeast Minnesota that extends about 240 kilometers northeast from Duluth, Minnesota to the Canadian border.

It is considered to be the largest known copper-nickel field in the world after Sudbury and Norilsk. The mineralization consists predominantly of disseminated sulphides that collectively constitute over 4,000 Mt of material averaging 0.66% Cu and 0.20% Ni. The study is to be based on the following parameters:
1. A vertically integrated mining complex
2. Large scale phased underground mine plan and development
3. Evaluating different scenarios respecting to both on site and off site surface facility alternatives including examining options in milling capacity up to approximately 80,000 tonne per day through put

4. A hydrometallurgical plant with a minimum capability of producing copper cathode, nickel hydroxide and a PGM concentrate.

Mr Vern Baker president of Duluth Metals stated that “Bechtel and the other consultants are aggressively working to define a large integrated mining operation that respects the environmental and social values of Minnesotans and which will benefit the State of Minnesota for generations. This project is being planned with the latest technologies in order to protect Minnesota’s environment and will be a long term economic engine for Northern Minnesota.”

Source - Im-mining.com

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