SELENIUM: BQE Water signs on to provide water treatment for Centerra’s Kemess Underground project

[caption id="attachment_1003725618" align="aligncenter" width="461"] The mill at the site of the former Kemess open pit will treat ore from the new Kemess Underground. (Image: Centerra Gold)[/caption] BRITISH COLUMBIA – Vancouver-based BQE Water has entered into an operating services agreement with a subsidiary of Centerra Gold for water treatment at the Kemess mine site 430 km northwest of Prince George. The treatment plant will remove heavy metals and selenium. The selenium removal portion of the overall treatment will utilize BQE Water’s patented Selen-IX process and treat up to 6,400 m³/day of mine impacted water. The initial term of the agreement is five years beginning on Jan.1, 2020, and includes a provision for a three year term extension subject to satisfactory plant performance. The services provided by BQE Water under the agreement and the compensation received, will be similar to the Raglan mine water treatment agreement with Glencore where BQE Water earns treatment fees linked directly to the volume of water discharged into the environment subject to effluent water quality meeting project requirements. “We have been working with BQE Water for the past three years to advance our Kemess Underground Mine project in BC,” stated John Fitzgerald, Centerra VP projects and technical services. “After a successful pilot program, we received regulatory approvals for advancing the project with Selen-IX as the means of controlling selenium in environmental discharge over the project life.” David Kratochvil, president and CEO of BQE Water, commented, "The signing of this agreement represents a major milestone for us. Not only does it increase the portfolio of plants operated by BQE Water and will contribute recurring revenue in North America, but crucially it assigns the responsibility for the start-up and operation of the first commercial scale Selen-IX plant to us as the technology provider. Based on our 14 years of operations experience at the Raglan mine project, we believe that this agreement provides an excellent platform for Centerra Gold and BQE Water to develop a long term relationship vested in the success of the Kemess Underground project.” Detailed engineering for the plant has been issued for construction and the project is currently in early stages of procurement and equipment fabrication. The plant is expected to complete commissioning by the end of 2019 with operations beginning in 2020. Visit www.BQEwater.com for more information about BQE Water and the uses of selenium.