VANDERHOOF – People in northern BC will benefit from improved air quality when a remote mine switches to a clean energy source, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution, while creating good, clean jobs.
The Province is contributing $440,000 to help install an overhead powerline from Mount Milligan Mine, located north of Vanderhoof, to a nearby pumping facility at Phillips Lake. This will replace diesel-powered generators and pumps with grid-connected electric equipment.
The partnership between the Province and mine owner Centerra Gold Inc. will cut local air pollutants at the mine and is expected to reduce roughly 48,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next decade. This is like taking more than 17,000 cars off the road for a year.
“Centerra Gold Inc. recognizes that planning for climate change and a low-carbon future are critically important to successful business practices in our industry,” said Michael Parrett, chair and director of Centerra Gold Inc. “By working together with the Province through the CleanBC Industry Fund, our Mount Milligan Mine operations will have a lower carbon footprint, improved operating costs and potential for clean investment in the future.”
“British Columbia has some of the lowest greenhouse gas emission-intensive mines and smelters in the world. We are a leading supplier of low-carbon metals and minerals that are essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure and consumer technologies. This investment from the CleanBC Industry Fund will help lower emissions further and support employment in local communities,” said Michael Goehring, president and CEO of Mining Association of BC.
The Mount Milligan Mine project is funded in part by the CleanBC Industry Fund, which uses carbon tax revenues paid by industry to fund emission reduction projects around the province.
