Athabasca Minerals (AMI) has been chosen by the Canadian province of Alberta to construct, operate and manage the Coffey Lake Public Pit north of Fort McMurray.
The 15-year deal includes the management of gravel operations along with the following services:
- assessment of the surface material type and quality, including grades of gravel,
- vegetation removal in accordance with applicable regulatory authorisations,
- stripping and excavation in accordance with applicable regulatory authorisations,
- crushing and stockpiling as needed of the appropriate grades of gravel,
- monitoring of surface material loading and removal,
- the collection of Royalties,
- accounting of Royalties and volumes,
- the collection of Reclamation Surcharges from operators.
Robert Beekhuizen, chief executive officer of AMI, says: “with the scheduled closure of the Province of Alberta’s Susan Lake Public Gravel Pit after 20 years of operation, by the end of March this year, we recognise the strategic importance that the Province’s Coffey Lake Pit represents to sustain aggregate supply in the Fort McMurray region for the next 15 years.”
Dana Archibald, chief operating officer and the corporation’s project executive for the Coffey Lake pit development programme says: “AMI is committed to ensuring the Coffey Lake Gravel pit is developed in a timely and environmentally responsible manner, using industry best practices. This Contract enables AMI to leverage its 20-years of experience in large-scale pit management operations from Susan Lake Public Pit for the benefit of local industry and stakeholders for the next 15 years at Coffey Lake pit. We are committed to continuous improvement as we deliver our services.”
AMI will commence the regulatory and permitting programme immediately to achieve a planned opening of the Coffey Lake Public Pit in the second half of 2019.
