The mining company’s green energy plan raises hopes and fears

MOOSE RIVER — A proposal to turn a former gold mine in Nova Scotia into a clean energy hub is drawing both support and skepticism from community advocates who say that while the plan shows promise, at least one of the player’s environmental achievements lacks confidence.

Australian mining company St Barbara announced last week that its subsidiary Atlantic Mining has teamed up with Halifax-based environmental engineering firm Natural Forces to conduct a feasibility study of transforming the closed Touquoy gold mine near Sheet Harbor into a “renewable energy hub.” , which uses water flowing down from an elevated reservoir to generate electricity “in combination with photovoltaic panels.”

According to a St Barbara/Atlantic Mining press release issued on June 6: “This approach to the final development of the Touquoy mine site would involve the creation of a system to pump water from the open pit lake to an on-site reservoir to store the water, ready for hydropower generation once the water is released back to the open pit if required… Ideally this would work in conjunction with an on-site solar PV system, providing the province with clean and consistent energy.

In a release, Atlantic Mining managing director and CEO Andrew Strelein said the initiative reflects the company’s efforts to “implement innovative solutions across all aspects of our operations, including the closure… mine reclamation phase.”

But last week, in an email to The Journal, Scott Beaver, president of the St. Mary’s River Association, based in Sherbrooke, expressed skepticism about Atlantic Mining’s involvement, stating: “I am cautious about any proposed projects coming from St. Barbara, especially if they throw the word “green” around. “Let us not forget this company’s tainted, not-so-distant past, (including) multiple provincial and federal environmental fines.”

Karen McKendry, senior wildlife coordinator at the Ecology Action Center in Halifax, also questioned Atlantic Mining’s involvement, noting that the company was ordered to pay a $250,000 penalty after pleading guilty in 2022 to violating provincial and federal regulations environmental protection laws at the Touquoy mine.

What’s more, she told The Journal in an interview: “A lot of the way the Nova Scotia Mining Association is trying to convince us to mine is, as they say, ‘temporary use of the land that we’re clearing, and in some cases it’s even better than it was before. However, we know that mines across Canada are sometimes cared for and maintained forever and never actually need to be cleaned up… Sometimes mine remediation is the responsibility of the government.

“I would like to believe that this (renewable energy hub) is consistent with the remediation plan. However, we will have to hear from the government on this matter because no one other than the company and the government can see the reclamation plan. (Still) they (Atlantic Mining) bear the financial and moral responsibility to complete the construction and recover it.

But in an email to The Journal, Andrew Taylor, vice president of Atlantic Mining, insisted that the “feasibility study partnership” with Natural Forces would not impact St. Patrick’s “legal obligation.” Barbara regarding the reclamation of the Touqouy mine area.

“Exploring final site development options is part of the remediation process and entering into a feasibility study with Natural Forces will determine whether such a positive final site development is feasible,” he said. “While the feasibility study is ongoing, St Barbara continues to work to accelerate remediation and meet regulatory requirements. Of course, if the feasibility study yields a positive result, discussions with provincial regulators and additional permits will be required.

According to Amy Pellerin, an environmental engineer and director of Canadian development at Natural Forces, an independent producer of 300 megawatts (MW) of operational renewable energy in Canada through community partnerships, the partnership with Atlantic Mining is currently a good fit.

“The evolution of the proposed feasibility study occurred naturally between Natural Forces and Atlantic Mining,” she said in an email. “As mining operations at the Touquoy mine wind down, Atlantic Mining wanted to explore various remediation options (and) the team began exploring rezoning options in the fall of 2023… As Nova Scotia moves more renewable energy into its energy portfolio, storage will be necessary to help integrate these resources as well as maintain network stability.”

Referring to the proposed technology, she said: “The pumped hydro project is an excellent energy storage solution, and one that enables the repurposing of existing mining infrastructure would have an additional added benefit… We will be primarily responsible for managing the study’s consultants and technical staff necessary to produce a water pump feasibility study…We are optimistic about the future of the mining site as a hub ensuring a clean and consistent energy supply to the provincial grid.”

Said McKendry: “If they (Atlantic Mining) get out of the gold business, great. If they’re starting a new job, maybe we should be open to that.

Added Beaver: “At this stage, this is a very advanced proposal and we will need more information and details regarding the proposed design.”

Alec Bruce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal