Graymont executives are obviously pleased the company’s quarry and lime plant, planned for northeast of the city, has received its Environmental Assessment Certificate.
“We welcome the issuance of the EA Certificate, which enables us to continue advancing this strategically important project,” said Graymont President and Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Godin, in a press release.
Earlier this week the province granted the certificate to Graymont Western Canada Inc. for its Giscome Quarry and Lime Plant project, which is located near Giscome. There are 25 conditions that are part of the Environmental Assessment Certificate. Design requirements are specified in the certified project description. Each of the conditions and the certified project description are legally-binding requirements that Graymont must meet to be in compliance with the certificate.
Godin said the new plant is designed to ensure a long-term supply of lime to mines and other industries in the North.
“A lot of hard work went into the EA process,” said David Chamberlain, Giscome Project Manager. “We continue to work closely with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and the local community.”
He said Graymont is now actively working on project permitting through the Major Mine Permitting Office, which is the next hurdle for the project to clear. The project entails development of a limestone quarry and construction of a lime processing plant which, according to the company, will use low-emission kiln technology.
Key conditions and requirements for the project mean that Graymont must:
- Hire an Independent environmental monitor to audit whether Graymont is complying with the conditions in the Environmental Assessment Certificate;
- Abide by the greenhouse gas emissions cap in the certified project description and meet the requirements set out in British Columbia’s Climate Action Plan (including payment of a carbon tax) to ensure the lowest greenhouse gas-emitting fuel options;
- Develop management plans to monitor and mitigate effects on wildlife, fish and fish habitat, air quality, and water; and
- Establish a Community Advisory Committee that will receive information about how well Graymont is managing effects on air quality, groundwater and surface water quality, wildlife interactions, visual mitigations, public access management, and noise management, and will provide a venue in which to raise and address concerns about the project with Graymont.
- The Giscome project will require various federal, provincial and local government permits to proceed. The Environmental Assessment Office will co-ordinate compliance management efforts with other government agencies to ensure that the office is satisfied that certificate conditions are met throughout the life of the project.
With a cost of between $80 million and $90 million for the first phase and approximately $25 million for the second phase, the Giscome project will operate for at least 50 years, according to the province. The project will initially extract up to 600,000 tonnes of limestone per year, with a future potential limestone extraction rate of up to 1.7 million tonnes per year. Employment during construction is estimated by Graymont to be approximately 90 person-years, with an estimated 1,000 person-years of employment during operations.
