MARQUETTE — Eagle Mine on Tuesday officially applied to state regulators for an amendment to its Part 632 mining permit, which, if approved, would allow the mine to complete its tunnel to the Eagle East deposit and begin extraction.

Matt Johnson, Eagle Mine’s external relations manager, said the application to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality begins a six-month regulatory review process.

The Eagle East deposit, located about 1.5 miles east of the Eagle Mine, was discovered in June 2014. It is about 2,500 feet deeper than the nickel and copper deposit currently being extracted in Michigamme Township.

Preliminary economic assessments have shown the potential for Eagle East to be economically viable, according to a press release from the company.

“The existing Eagle ore body has world class nickel and copper grades; Eagle East is only one-third the size but has grades that are even better,” Johnson said.

In May 2016 Eagle Mine updated the DEQ with its plans to begin construction of the tunnel between the two sites, Johnson said, and held a community forum in July to discuss the discovery of Eagle East and the start of construction of the underground access tunnel.

“At that time Eagle’s existing permits offered environmental protections required for the initial decline construction during the exploration and feasibility phases,” Johnson said.

If the amended permit is approved, Eagle Mine would be allowed to continue constructing the tunnel, which technically declines toward the Eagle East site, and to begin extraction.

“After all regulatory and board approvals are complete, Eagle East will be incorporated into Eagle’s existing mine plan,” Johnson said. “Construction of the access tunnel will take approximately two years with Eagle East ore scheduled for extraction in 2020.”

Johnson said additional employees will be required for continued construction of the access tunnel and preparation of the Eagle East extraction.

“In addition, mining Eagle East will strengthen Eagle’s business (and) secure jobs for the existing workforce into 2023, which benefits their families and our community,” he said.

No other major operational changes are expected if Eagle East is mined, the release states. The mining company will use all of its current facilities, workforce, operating procedures and transportation route.

Eagle Mine began operations in 2014. It was originally projected to extract 365 million pounds of nickel and 295 million pounds of copper through 2022. It is a subsidiary of Lundin Mining Corp., headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ryan Jarvi can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 270. His email address is rjarvi@miningjournal.net.