TANBREEZ MINING GREENLAND A/S TANBREEZ PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT DECEMBER 2014 Orbicon A/S Ringstedvej 20 DK 4000 Roskilde Denmark Phone + 45 46 30 03 10 Version Final Date 09. December 2014 Prepared FPJE Environmental Impact Assessment, TANBREEZ Mining Project, Killavaat Alannguat, Greenland 2/118 TANBREEZ MINING GREENLAND A/S TANBREEZ PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT MAIN REPORT December 2014 Orbicon A/S Ringstedvej 20 DK 4000 Roskilde Denmark Phone + 45 46 30 03 10 Environmental Impact Assessment, TANBREEZ Mining Project, Killavaat Alannguat, Greenland 3/118 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY and conclusion ..............................................................11 2 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................14 2.1 TANBREEZ Project ..........................................................................................................14 2.2 Project setting ..................................................................................................................14 2.3 Environmental Impact Assessment for TANBREEZ project .......................................15 2.4 Geographical scope of this EIA ......................................................................................15 2.5 TANBREEZ Mining Greenland A/S .................................................................................16 2.6 Project history ..................................................................................................................16 3 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK AFFECTING THE PROJECT ..........................................18 3.1 Greenlandic legislation ...................................................................................................18 3.2 The Mineral Resource Act ...............................................................................................18 3.3 BMP Guidelines for environmental emission values ...................................................19 3.4 International obligations .................................................................................................20 3.5 Shipping regulations .......................................................................................................21 4 EIA PROCESS ..................................................................................................................22 4.1 The aim and purpose of the EIA .....................................................................................22 4.2 The BMP guidelines for EIAs for mine operations .......................................................22 4.3 Baseline sampling ...........................................................................................................22 4.4 Environmental scoping and Plan of Study ....................................................................23 4.5 Public hearing ..................................................................................................................24 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................26 5.1 Overall mine design .........................................................................................................26 5.2 Alternatives to the Project ..............................................................................................26 5.3 Processing of ROM ..........................................................................................................27 5.4 Tailings management ......................................................................................................28 5.5 Waste rock ........................................................................................................................28 5.6 Dust management ............................................................................................................29 5.7 Product storage ...............................................................................................................29 5.8 Port facility........................................................................................................................29 5.9 Shipping ............................................................................................................................30 5.10 Supporting infrastructure ...............................................................................................30 5.11 Energy supply ..................................................................................................................30 5.12 Water supply.....................................................................................................................30 5.13 Accommodation ...............................................................................................................30 5.14 Workshops and warehousing .........................................................................................30 5.15 Domestic and Industrial Waste Management ...............................................................30 Environmental Impact Assessment, TANBREEZ Mining Project, Killavaat Alannguat, Greenland 4/118 5.16 Construction work ...........................................................................................................32 5.17 Alternatives considered ..................................................................................................32 5.17.1 Zero alternative ........................................................................................................... 32 5.17.2 Process technology and location of process plant ...................................................... 32 5.17.3 Energy supply alternatives .......................................................................................... 33 5.17.4 Methodology of tailings deposition .............................................................................. 33 6 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ...............................................................................................34 6.1 Physical setting ................................................................................................................34 6.2 Geology .............................................................................................................................35 6.3 Water ressources .............................................................................................................35 6.4 Water Quality in Lakes and Rivers .................................................................................40 6.5 Sea ice ...............................................................................................................................44 6.6 Fjord oceanography ........................................................................................................44 6.7 Atmospheric setting ........................................................................................................46 6.7.1 Climate ............................................................................................................................ 46 6.7.2 Air quality ........................................................................................................................ 48 6.8 Natural environment ........................................................................................................49 6.8.1 Vegetation ....................................................................................................................... 49 6.8.2 Fauna .............................................................................................................................. 51 6.8.3 Birds ................................................................................................................................ 52 6.8.4 Aquatic ecology ............................................................................................................... 55 6.8.5 Arctic char ....................................................................................................................... 56 6.8.6 Marine fish ....................................................................................................................... 59 6.8.7 Protected areas and threatened species ........................................................................ 59 6.8.8 Summary of biodiversity in the project area .................................................................... 60 7 SOCIO AND ECONOMIC SETTING .................................................................................62 7.1 Population and local use of the area .............................................................................62 7.2 Archaeology and cultural heritage .................................................................................62 8 IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY ......................................................................64 9 IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION OF MITIGATION MEASURES ...........68 9.1 Physical Environment .....................................................................................................68 9.1.1 Removal of ore and waste rock ...................................................................................... 68 9.1.2 The use of Fostersø as tailings pond and waste rock dump .......................................... 69 9.1.3 Re-profiling of the landscape for infrastructure construction at the plateau of Killavaat Alannguat ....................................................................................................................................