A CANADIAN company has submitted a planning application to build a gold mine in Co. Tyrone.
Dalradian has described the Curraghinalt gold deposit site in the Sperrin Mountains as “one of the best gold projects on the planet”.
The company says the construction and operation of the underground mine will create 350 jobs and provide a $1billion (£750million) boost to the local economy over the 25-year life of mine.
However it is likely the project will face opposition from local campaign groups, who have previously expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the operation.
Commenting on the 10,000-page application, Dalradian's President and CEO, Patrick Anderson, said: "This is an exciting day for Dalradian and for Northern Ireland.
“It is the culmination of seven years of exploration, engineering and environmental work on the Curraghinalt deposit and financings that have raised more than circa $260million for our work in Northern Ireland.
“We have transformed the project from a small, early-stage deposit to one of the best gold projects on the planet.”
He added: “We appreciate the contributions of local residents, consultants, regulators and other stakeholders whose input has contributed to our plans for a mine at Curraghinalt."
However local environmental groups are concerned about the threat of pollution from the use of cyanide in extracting gold from ore.
Cormac McAleer, from Save Our Sperrins, recently welcomed Sinn Féin’s support at their Ard Fheis for a motion opposing the use of cyanide in mining.
He said: “No amount of spin can paper over the cracks in the propaganda being pumped out by PR consultants or fool the public on the toxic time bomb that a full-scale gold mining operation, complete with processing plant, would be for the children of Greencastle, Rouskey and of Ireland.”
The Curraghinalt project was deemed "regionally significant" and so the decision to grant planning approval rests with the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure.
it is expected that a Public Local Inquiry will be held prior to a final decision being made, which could take up to two years.
