COAL TRANSPORTATION – Pipeline proposed for Mount Klappan

BRITISH COLUMBIA - FORTUNE MINERALS of Toronto has proposed building a slurry pipeline to move anthracite coal from its Mount Klappan project 150 km northeast of Stewart. A buried pipeline is seen to have fewer environmental impacts than truck or rail haulage over long distances.

Three separate routes will be studied for a pipeline that would handle between 1.5 and 3.0 million tonnes of clean coal per year. One would go west from the mine along the same corridor as truck haulage to the port of Stewart, a distance of about 260 km. Or it may go south along the existing B.C. Rail right-of-way to a new facility at Minaret about 150 km away, and the coal would then be shipped by rail through Prince George to Prince Rupert. The third option is to build the pipeline south from the mine to Minaret and then to New Hazelton about 350 km from the mine. A new facility could be built to trans-ship the coal via the CN main rail line to Prince Rupert.

The feasibility of building a briquetting facility at the end of the pipeline is also being examined.

Complete information about the Mount Klappan project is available at www.FortuneMinerals.com.