Talon Metals Drops North Dakota Processing Plant as Minnesota Mine Advances This Week
The company behind Minnesota’s most advanced proposed copper-nickel mine has scrapped plans to build a $365 million processing plant in Beulah, North Dakota, about 80 miles northwest of Bismark. Toronto-based Talon Metals Corp. last week said it will instead process its ore at an existing facility in Michigan.
The shift comes as Minnesota regulators prepare to release key environmental review documents for Talon’s mining project in Tamarack, Minn., about 50 miles west of Duluth. The release of those documents this Tuesday will open the first public comment period and likely intensify scrutiny of whether copper‑nickel mining can be done safely in the state’s water‑rich landscape.
Tamarack is far ahead of other copper‑nickel proposals such as Twin Metals near the Boundary Waters and NewRange Copper Nickel (formerly PolyMet). Talon has spent three years refining its underground mine plan and responding to more than 1,600 comments during the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ scoping process. The DNR is expected to release documents Tuesday identifying potential environmental impacts and data gaps, marking the first opportunity for public comment.
The project sits in a complex web of aquifers flowing toward Big Sandy Lake and the Mississippi River, an area the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe calls the “crown jewel of wild rice habitat.” Tribal leaders warn that acid mine drainage could threaten manoomin beds central to Ojibwe culture. Tamarack Mayor John Cyrus, however, says he trusts Talon’s assurances and Minnesota’s regulatory rigor.
Meanwhile, North Dakota last week lost a project once touted by leaders as a major economic boost for coal country (Talon was going to build its processing facility at a former coal mining site). Talon said Thursday Michigan made more sense financially after it purchased the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in January. That mine and mill operation provides it with the nation’s only operating nickel concentrator, an experienced workforce and a proven environmental track record.
Talon employs about 500 people in Minnesota and Michigan.
