The company behind plans to develop a $30 billion gold mine in Northern Ireland says the project will deliver economic and social benefits for both the UK and Irish economies.
Dalradian has welcomed the start of a public inquiry into the project, which is due to open on Monday, after years of planning delays amid local opposition and environmental concerns.
The company’s managing director says that beyond a “modest” site covering 150 acres, “there will be no surface impact” on the countryside.
The Canadian firm says Monday’s inquiry will be the “appropriate forum” to consider all aspects of its plans for the mine, which would also exploit rich deposits of silver and copper under the County Tyrone countryside.
The Curraghnihalt site is estimated to contain almost 200 tonnes of gold, and the inquiry comes at a time when global prices for the commodity have soared.
The Department of Infrastructure has been engaged in a back and forth with Dalradian over its plans since 2017 – after it first sought approval in 2015. During that time, Stormont has sought further information from the company on environmental and other planning issues.
Dalradian wants to conduct underground valuable minerals mining and exploration, surface level development including a processing plant and related developments.
In 2021, Stormont’s infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon stalled the project further by ordering a public local inquiry into the application – saying it should be “robustly scrutinised” in public.
Dalradian say that they have invested around $400 million (£300m) on their Curraghinalt project since 2009.
Brian Kelly, managing director of Dalradian, told the News Letter: “The ‘in-situ’ value of the gold modelled to date, at today’s price is approximately $30 billion. There will, of course, be a cost to recover the metal. The full deposit has not been mapped so this number will change in the future with further work. Copper and silver are also present, and have additional value, and there are certain other critical minerals that can be mined”.
Asked the surface area acreage of the potential gold mine in the Sperrins, he said: “Beyond the modest proposed infrastructure covering 150 acres, there will be no surface impact. Underground, tunnels that will be mined will be filled back in again.”He rejected claims of critics that it represents the destruction of the Sperrins or the industrialisation of it.“Our site is no bigger than some farming operations and certainly smaller than many quarries. The largest impact will be economic growth and further investment into the area.”He also said: “The strategic and geo-political benefits of mining have never been more important. The UK Government, through its Critical Minerals Strategy, sets targets for domestic production and specifically recognises County Tyrone as an area that can contribute to producing the metals and minerals that will underpin the UK Industrial Strategy and the number one Government priority of growth.”
Ahead of the opening of the inquiry on Monday, a spokesperson for the company said: “Dalradian welcomes the start of the public local inquiry (13th April) into its planning application for an environmentally responsible, economically transformative underground mine in Tyrone. The deposit includes gold, silver, copper plus other critical and strategic minerals.
“Dalradian has submitted extensive proposals for the project which will deliver economic and social benefits for not only our local community but the wider UK and all-island economies.
“The public inquiry is the appropriate forum to consider all aspects of the project.”