Summer Program At Southwest Alaska’s Pebble Project

VANCOUVER - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. reported that its US-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership is preparing crews and equipment to undertake a 2021 field program at the Pebble Project site in southwest Alaska this summer, with a focus on environmental management, sustainability and regulatory compliance.

The Pebble Partnership's site office in Iliamna, Alaska will be the base of operations for a six-week, helicopter-supported program to begin in July 2021, with additional field visits to occur throughout the year as required. The principal focus of the 2021 field program will be: Continuation of select environmental baseline studies; Site care and maintenance, including demobilization of facilities and equipment no longer required; Inspection, containment and permanent closure of select drill holes and monitoring wells to maintain compliance with State of Alaska regulations and permitting requirements; Support and data collection for ongoing engineering studies; and Support for third-party site visits and annual inspection by State of Alaska regulatory officials.

"While our appeal of the November 2020 federal Record of Decision for Alaska's Pebble Project progresses, there is important work to be done to maintain and enhance our key asset, the Pebble deposit and surrounding mineral claims," said Ron Thiessen, President & CEO. "We are very proud of the continuity and quality of our environmental management, social engagement and regulatory compliance at the Pebble Project site, and fully intend to maintain that performance this year and into the future.

We continue to believe in the rarity and unique value of the Pebble deposit, noting it is the world's most significant undeveloped copper resource, located on US soil, at a time when the world is facing unprecedented shortfalls of critical metals related to the transition to a low-carbon future, including copper. The work we are funding this summer is really an extension of our fundamental belief in the Pebble Project. That it can be developed safely and responsibly, that it can co-exist with the Bristol Bay fishery and that it can make an important contribution to America's minerals independence and climate change goals."

The Pebble Partnership's 2021 field program is not only related to environmental studies, care and maintenance and permit compliance, however, although those are critical elements. The Company is also investing in engineering, metallurgical and other technical studies - including evaluating emerging technologies and new development scenarios - to inform both internal and external understandings of how the project can be developed safely and profitably in future.