MIO3 Apr 2015 23:52
AN ambitious zinc mining project which could bring up to 500 jobs to the Allen Valleys is still very much alive.
hxrowan
Minco’s executive director Rowan Maule.
That’s the message from Irish-based firm Minco, which has spent £1.7m exploring a vast area of land between Allenheads and Nenthead, which is rich in zinc deposits.
Following a winter break, the investigative work on site is set to resume in the spring, and Minco’s executive director Rowan Maule said the scheme is on schedule for mining to start within the next four to five years.
“We have been waiting for the weather to improve, but we are looking to resume our work there in April or May,” he said. “We have been drilling for two years now and it has been very positive.
“There is a lot more drilling to do this year, but we are very encouraged by the results so far, because we have detected a lot of the mineralisation we have been looking for. Everything we said last summer still stands. We are on track.”
Although he stressed that not all exploratory drilling leads to a mining project, he believes there is potential for a viable scheme at the site, which would provide zinc for the galvanisation industry.
Zinc is used in the production of alloys, including brass, and in many other industries. Its primary use is in galvanisation – providing a corrosion-resistant plating on iron.
Other applications are in electrical batteries, as well as in paint, medicines and ointments, deodorant and shampoo.
Although the firm, which has bases in both Dublin and Canada, is focusing its attention on zinc, Mr Maule said a small amount of lead remained in the area.
Lead was the mainstay of the Allen Valleys’ economy for centuries. The area has also been worked for silver and coal in the past.
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