Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 19, 2008

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With construction at De Beers Canada's Snap Lake Mine completed, the Jericho Diamond Mine closed and a small diamond recovery project now on hold at Rio Tinto's Diavik Diamond Mine, the number of northbound loads on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road will be down from last year, according to the road's director, Erik Madsen.

"As it stands right now, we're looking at a 7,000 load year, or an estimated 215,000 tonnes of material that will be hauled," said Madsen.

That estimation does not take into account the amount of back hauls that will occur. With less goods being shipped up the road, the secondary winter road from Giaque Lake to Gordon Lake will not be constructed, added Madsen.

"The last couple of years, we knew that we were probably going to be close to 8,000 to 9,000 loads," said Madsen. "That's why the decision was made to run the secondary route."

Last winter, as Snap Lake readied for its official opening and the Jericho mine went through its second year of operations, the road accommodated 7,476 northbound loads and 890 back hauls, for a total of 8,366 loads.

"Last year was the largest back haul year ever," said Madsen.

"It's more of a typical supply year now," he said. "As per other years, the majority of the loads are diesel, cement, and ammonium nitrate," the latter of which is used to make explosives.

Work on the road will begin on Dec. 27. Madsen expects it will open between the last two days of January and the first five days of February.

The last 250 kilometres of the 600 kilometre road - going from the BHP Billiton's Ekati mine to the Jericho diamond mine - will not be built in light of Jericho's sale from former owner Tahera Diamond Corporation to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

INAC has indicated it will retain some former Tahera workers to continue maintenance of the mine, which went under bankruptcy protection in January and ceased mining and processing operations in March.

"There's no use building a road that no one's going to use," said Madsen of the Tahera leg.

Approximately 150 workers from Nuna Logistics (which will build the road), Secure Check and EBA Engineering (which will ensure the safety of odd-sized loads) will be employed by the road this year.

"It will be a reduction from the last couple years," said Madsen. Typically between 150 and 165 workers work on the road, he said.

Doug Ashbury, acting spokesperson for Diavik - which recently announced it is delaying the start of underground mining by several months next year - said his company will mainly be shipping fuel, general freight and cement.

"For the 2009 winter road, we are anticipating approximately 3,600 loads northbound to the Diavik Diamond Mine," said Ashbury. "Currently, Diavik's shipments represent about half the expected total shipments up the 2009 winter road."

There are currently 2,800 bags of cement in storage in Yellowknife awaiting shipment to Diavik. With the mine going fully underground by 2012, cement will be a crucial component in putting together the paste-backfill mixture used to plug holes created by drilling underground.