Photo: Alaska Railroad Corporation
Photo: Alaska Miners Association
Coal transported via the Alaska Railroad.
Underground at the Niblack Prospect. national demand, coal remains in a strong position as an efficient energy supplier to six interior Alaska electrical power plants, including three military sites. In the fiscal year 2014 capital budget, the Alaska State Legislature approved a series of grants, revenue bonds, and loans to replace the UAF power plant. The project will replace existing coal boilers with circulating fluidized bed coal boilers, providing 17 megawatts of power and enough steam to heat the campus – greatly reducing the risk of a winter shutdown. In 2014, Golden Val-
ley Electric Association broke ground and began upgrades for a 50 megawatt coalfired power plant dubbed Healy 2. This project is expected to stabilize electric rates by utilizing cost effective coal – ensuring increased demand for Alaska’s coal industry.
Continued exploration and project advancement Recent activity during late 2014 and early 2015 includes: • The Donlin Gold partnership is mov-
ing forward on permitting of the Donlin Gold project. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers is expected to publish a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public review before the end of 2015, which would pave the way for a final EIS to be published in early 2017 followed by a Record of Decision later that year. (http://www.donlingold.com/) • NovaCopper Inc completed 14 drill holes at Arctic for a total of 3,056 metres of core. The 2015 in-fill drill program was designed to evaluate vertical
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Mining North of 60 | 2016