Where is the Mason project located?
Mason Resources is in northwestern Nevada, in Lyon County, approximately 5 miles west of Yerington.
What are the expected economic benefits?
The cost of building the project is estimated at $2.1 billion. Based on a similar-sized mine, we’ll need approximately 600 contractors to construct the project and 300 full-time employees for operations. Based on these numbers, we will create another 2,000 “indirect jobs” in the community. A project of this scale will also generate millions of dollars of tax revenues for state and local governments.
What is the status of the Mason Project?
We are in the early planning stages of the project. We have conducted a scoping study to test the project’s viability and are engaging with various stakeholder groups to understand their views. Our next step is to perform baseline and pre-feasibility analyses that will be used in the permitting process. We anticipate the permitting process to take between 3-5 years. After we receive our permits, constructing the mine will take approximately three years.​
What will be mined
at Mason?
Copper is the main mineral, but some gold, silver, and molybdenum are also present.
Will you be hiring local contractors?
Hudbay is committed to using local sources for our workforce, contractors, and suppliers whenever possible. Our goal is to use the existing Nevada workforce to minimize the impacts of an influx of people. However, we will need to bring in temporary contractors for specialized activities. As part of our planning process, we will identify housing and other resources to accommodate these temporary workers to minimize the impact on the local community.
How will you extract
the copper?
Most ore on the property is copper sulfide. The conventional processing option for copper sulfides is to crush and grind the ore and then use flotation to produce a 25-30% copper concentrate product.
How much water will be required for operations?
Many factors contribute to water usage, and we need to finalize the mine's design and decide which technologies to use. Based on the options we are considering, the Mason Project will require between 7,000 and 16,000 acre-feet of water annually.
Water conservation and protecting neighboring wells will be essential. Modeling the groundwater levels and developing mitigation strategies will be part of the design and permitting processes.
Where will the water
come form?
We have secured an option agreement for 8,000 acre-feet of water rights annually from an existing user.
Smith Valley groundwater (Basin 9-107) is fully allocated, and no new water rights are available. Any additional water rights we need must be purchased from existing water rights holders and transferred for mining use. The State Engineer must approve any transfers.
How will water resources
be protected?
The short answer is the law. Regulations have improved significantly over the last thirty years. Before beginning operations, we must obtain a Nevada Division of Environmental Protection permit to ensure groundwater quality. The permit dictates the quality and quantity of water discharged into the environment. We must also monitor and report our water use to ensure compliance.
Modern reclamation laws require mining companies to estimate the cost of reclaiming a mine before construction and guarantee that the money will be available when needed. This “financial assurance” is typically provided through a bond in favor of a government agency that functions like insurance to cover reclamation costs if the company cannot pay them. This practice ensures that money is available for reclamation regardless of the operator's financial status at closure.
Where will the tailings storage facility be located?
The ideal location is in the valley between the Buckskin and Singatse Ranges, but that is subject to change pending baseline, environmental, cultural studies, and permitting reviews.