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Ekati diamond mine owner Burgundy has withdrawn its application to regulators for permission to turn its Sable open pit into an underground mining operation.
In a letter to the Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board on Tuesday, one day before a public hearing into the application was due to begin, Burgundy said it needed more time to “improve” the application after feedback from groups intervening in the process.
“We need to take the time to get this right,” chief executive officer Kim Truter said in a letter to the regulator.
“The information provided by the intervenors and the Tłı̨chǫ Government has been the subject of careful deliberation by Burgundy, and has led Burgundy to conclude that more time is needed to improve the application for the proposed project,” Truter wrote.
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Previously, Burgundy had characterized beginning to mine underground at Sable as an important milestone in its attempt to keep the NWT mine running until 2040.
Recent drilling at Ekati’s Misery pipe – a separate former open pit being mined underground – found “a larger ore body at depth” than was previously recognized. Burgundy now says Misery can keep Ekati going while it does more work on the Sable application.
“The extension of the Misery project will allow Burgundy the time to improve the [Sable] project for potential future submission to the board,” Truter wrote.
A public hearing set to run in Behchokǫ̀ on Wednesday and Thursday this week would have heard from Burgundy, the Tłı̨chǫ Government, Ekati watchdog the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency, the GNWT and the federal government.
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The Tłı̨chǫ Government had previously characterized Burgundy’s Sable application as “less complex and involved than some past proceedings,” though it said “important issues remained.”
The Tłı̨chǫ Government’s written intervention had requested some changes in how Burgundy proposed to model and document the expected wastewater from underground mining, plus assurances that water quality criteria would be met. The same intervention asked for assurances that nitrogen compounds would “remain at levels that are safe for fish and other aquatic life.”
Where any significant disagreement remained was not immediately clear. The Tłı̨chǫ Government has been approached for comment.
In his Tuesday letter, Burgundy boss Truter said: “Burgundy appreciates the extensive engagement efforts of the Tłı̨chǫ Government and wishes to emphasize that it intends to incorporate the feedback provided during that engagement process.
“Burgundy has made significant good-faith efforts to reach an agreement with the Tłı̨chǫ Government and feels that there is more work to be done. The decision to withdraw the application will allow more time for Burgundy and the Tłı̨chǫ Government to work towards the objective of reaching agreement with respect to the project.
“Burgundy looks forward to continuing the important and collaborative relationship it has with the Tłı̨chǫ Government.”
The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board said it would still hold a planned community dinner at the Behchokǫ̀ cultural centre from 5pm on Wednesday despite the public hearing being abandoned.
“The board offers its sincere apologies for this inconvenience as it understands the efforts made by parties to prepare for and attend the public hearing,” the board added in an email to participants.
