Government bureaucracy is only one obstacle SIRG n
Post# of 4018
The biggest hurdle is time. Even when all permits are in place, and funding secured, there is a lot of logistical work that has to take place before the mine is producing, and selling, copper. I don't care how much cleanup has been done...this is a mine that has sat idle for a decade. You don't just flip the switch and start mining. That's naive and fails to take into account the practicality of running a mining operation.
Like I said, once permits are in place, they have to secure financing, hire crews, perform in-depth assessments, plan operations, do construction as needed, get equipment up and running....the list goes on and on. This is at least a 6 month job, and that's just to get things moving again.
I predict it will be late 2013, perhaps even early 2014, before we sell our first ounce of mined copper.
By setting expectations that this will happen in Q1 2013, we set ourselves up for significant disappointment. I expect there will a lot of grumbling come May 2013 when the mine is still not producing, and still seems months away. The pps will suffer, and funding will continue to be expensive because of it. I am more interested in getting the realistic picture out there, and if we beat that estimate it will be a pleasant surprise, and the pps will benefit.