Canadian miners see bright future in Mongolia

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2008

OYU TOLGOI, Mongolia (AFP) — At a remote outpost in the Gobi Desert, hundreds of kilometres from any paved road, Keith Marshall is poring over satellite images, geological surveys and sheets of statistics, literally mapping out Mongolia's economic future.

Working out of a wind-lashed military-style tent dubbed the "Weather Haven", the British engineer is laying the groundwork for what he says will be one of the biggest copper mines in the world.

Oyu Tolgoi, or Turquoise Hill, will have the capacity to churn out a million tonnes of copper each year, as well as gold, a potentially big boost to this impoverished country's economy, which still relies heavily on Soviet-era infrastructure and donor aid money.

Sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia has a...