In an email on December 1, Steve Thompson of the National Parks Conservation Association passed along "...the latest announcement from Australia about a new study underway to evaluate market potential for the Lillyburt coal deposit in the Flathead bottomlands near the old town site, approximately 20 miles north of the border and about 58 kilometers southeast of Fernie." Steve also pointed out that, "Wasabi Energy Resources previously announced plans to invest $2.5 million in Lillyburt in partnership with Western Canadian Coal. This project is unrelated to Cline Mining Co.'s proposed open-pit Foisey/Lodgepole coal mine, which the company says is slated for initial production by Sept. 2006."
(Note that Western Canadian Coal's overview of the "Lillyburt Property" can be found here. It includes a photo and a rather poor map.)
Here's the announcement of the Lillyburt study. Access to the full article requires a subscription. . .
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
International Longwall News
AUSTRALIAN-listed Wasabi Energy and joint venture partner Western Canadian Coal Corp said yesterday they would begin a scoping study to determine the economic potential of extracting thermal and coking coal from the Lillyburt Coal Project in south-east British Columbia.
The project was initially reviewed by Shell in the 1980s as a thermal coal deposit, but Wasabi and WCCC will look at the potential of the project as a thermal and coking coal opencut mine.
The study, due in April next year, will involve a review and reassessment of the geological database using 3D geological and digital topographic models.
"Further stages of exploration can be expeditiously commenced if the scoping study outcome is favourable, indicating sufficient resources can potentially be developed to meet ongoing coking and thermal coal worldwide demand," Wasabi director Tim Wise said.
Under the joint venture Wasabi will invest $C2.5 million ($A2.7 million) by December 2008 and will have the right to earn up to 50% of the thermal coal project. The company will earn 5% in the joint venture for each $C250,000 spent.