Poly Met Mining has obtained a permission to construct and operate its designed NorthMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota.
The open pit mine is expected to bring about 1.2 billion pounds of copper, 170 million pounds of nickel, 6.2 million pounds of cobalt, and 1.6 million oz of precious metals over a mine life of 20 years, the company said.
“The bulk of work will start with the 2019 construction season and is expected to be approximately 24-30 months and require about two million construction hours,” Poly Met said in a statement. The company “aims to be the first to commercially produce copper and nickel, in addition to platinum, palladium, gold and cobalt, from the world-class Duluth Complex in the Iron Range’s historic mining district.”
Poly Met says its permission is the first non-ferrous mining permit to be issued in Minnesota.