Canadian Mining Journal | April 2022 by The Northern Miner Group

THE

BATTERY ISSUE BATTERY MINERAL PROJECTS FOR CANADA’S FUTURE SHARING THE BATTERY BOOM WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

> USE RENEWABLES TO CUT CARBON FOOTPRINT APRIL 2022 | www.canadianminingjournal.com | PM # 40069240

> TAILS & ESG

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APRIL 2022 VOL. 143, NO.3

FEATURES 14 Using renewable energy at your mine site can cut the carbon footprint considerably. Learn what the options are.

19 The world’s top 10 copper mines, as determined by MiningIntelligence.

BATTERY MINERALS 21 How to ensure Indigenous peoples participate fully in the battery minerals mining boom.

23 Potential new Canadian mines that will increase our production of battery minerals.

29 How to ensure lithium is mined and recovered in the most environmentally responsible manner.

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES 27 Some of the advances in battery electric vehicles that all miners will rely on before long.

DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITORIAL | Electricity without the static. 5 CSR & MINING | Carolyn Burns explains how to account for tailings in the new ESG reporting requirements. 7 LAW | How taxation figures into investing (with a little help from The Beatles). 9 UNEARTHING TRENDS | Alex Morrison looks at improved sustainability for the steel sector.

11 FAST NEWS | Updated technology for the mining industry. 33 ON THE MOVE | Tracking executive, management and board changes in Canada’s mining sector. .

37 IN MY MINE(D) | SRK Consulting offers practical tips on tailings as part of ESG

About the cover: Canadian manufacturer MacLean Engineering is at the forefront of BEV creation and automation. CREDIT: MACLEAN ENGINEERING

Coming in May 2022 Canadian Mining Journal turns 140 years old with comments from former editors. Plus, features on cybersecurity, data mining for miners and mineral processing.

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Please visit www.canadianminingjournal.com for regular updates on what’s happening with Canadian mining companies and their personnel both here and abroad. A digital version of the magazine is also available at https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/digital-edition/

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 3

FROM THE EDITOR APRIL 2022 Vol. 143 – No. 3

Electricity without the static Marilyn Scales

nce again, we are pleased to bring CMJ readers the latest about reducing their carbon footprints. The net zero mine is not just a trend but the future of a sustainable and responsible mineral industry. Powering your operations with electricity – particularly if its is generated by renewable sources – is a giant step toward a smaller footprint. The options to use battery electric power are growing, not only in the mining sector but also for global industry, governments and individuals. If the Earth’s population does not embrace this change, global warming will continue, and climate change alter the planet permanently. Read about the various renewable power sources, beginning on page 14. Our mining sector has grabbed the lead in mining industry electrification. Individual mines are quickly making changes. All-electric mines such as the Borden underground gold mine in Ontario, the Matawinie open pit graphite mine in Quebec, and the Crawford nickel mine in Ontario are a reality. These are important leaders in the adoption of battery electric vehicles. With all this electricity zooming around, beware of static – meaning opposition to a project from the Indigenous community or the environmental lobby. CMJ offers help to build consensus. Indigenous people for the most part want to participate in mining as it provides a better income option than relying on the federal government. Learn what the authors of the book “Weaving Two Wolds: Economic Reconciliation Between Indigenous Peoples and the Resource Sector” have to say about how Indigenous inclusion can be accomplished (see page 21). Environmentalists are difficult, as well. They have little-to-no practical understanding of the industry and will object on principle rather than on science. They have succeeded in adding another layer to ESG reporting, that of engagement with local communities about tailings management. Learn more by reading the contributions from our columnists on pages 5 and 37. Lithium has become much in demand for lithium-ion batteries to store energy generated by renewable means. The price of battery-grade lithium carbonate has skyrocketed in the first three months of this year to US$76,700 per tonne. Last year it was trading at US$13,400 per tonne. Such price activity also has miners looking to build more mines to meet demand, but mining a green metal should be done in the “greenest” way possible. Take a look at Carl William’s article on page 29 to learn more about mining and processing lithium without the high-carbon footprint of traditional means. For operators who are adopting or ready to start the journey to net zero mining, CMJ has included information bout the latest battery-electric vehicles that are available to operators above and below ground (page 27). CMJ FINAL THOUGHT: Canada is past the point where incremental adjustments are good enough. Achieving our country’s 2030 emissions reduction target is critical after decades of missing the mark. –

WICK

M CO C AIR O CA A A S

4 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

ET ERO A

ISOR

225 Duncan Mill Rd. Suite 320, Toronto, Ontario M3B 3K9 Tel. (416) 510-6789 Fax (416) 510-5138 www.canadianminingjournal.com Interim Editor Marilyn Scales mscales@canadianminingjournal.com Interim News Editor Jackson Chen jchen@mining.com Production Manager Jessica Jubb jjubb@glacierbizinfo.com Art Director Barbara Burrows Advisory Board David Brown (Golder Associates) Michael Fox (Indigenous Community Engagement) Scott Hayne (Redpath Canada) Gary Poxleitner (SRK) Manager of Product Distribution Allison Mein 403-209-3515 amein@glacierrig.com Publisher & Sales Robert Seagraves 416-510-6891 rseagraves@canadianminingjournal.com Sales, Western Canada George Agelopoulos 416-510-5104 gagelopoulos@northernminer.com Toll Free Canada & U.S.A.: 1-888-502-3456 ext 2 or 43734 Circulation Toll Free Canada & U.S.A.: 1-888-502-3456 ext 3 President, The Northern Miner Group Anthony Vaccaro Established 1882

Canadian Mining Journal provides articles and information of practical use to those who work in the technical, administrative

and supervisory aspects of exploration, mining and processing in the Canadian mineral exploration and mining industry. Canadian Mining Journal (ISSN 0008-4492) is published 10 times a year by Glacier Resource Innovation Group (GRIG). GRIG is located at 225 Duncan Mill Rd., Ste. 320, Toronto, ON, M3B 3K9. Phone (416) 510-6891. Legal deposit: National Library, Ottawa. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used only for your personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make use of any of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information please contact Robert Seagraves at 416-510-6891. Subscriptions – Canada: $51.95 per year; $81.50 for two years. USA: US$64.95 per year. Foreign: US$77.95 per year. Single copies: Canada $10; USA and foreign: US$10. Canadian subscribers must add HST and Provincial tax where necessary. HST registration # 809744071RT001. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-888-502-3456 ext 3; E-mail: amein@glacierrig.com Mail to: Allison Mein, 225 Duncan Mill Rd., Ste 320, Toronto, ON M3B 3K9 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

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CSR & MINING

Taking ESG Reporting to the next level By Carolyn Burns

n February, the Responsible Mining Foundation launched the 2022 Responsible Mining Index Report. This is the third report that the RMF has produced which looks at publicly available information from 40 mining companies. The report uses this information to assess their ESG policies and practices and some of their basic actions at the mine site level. This year analysts looked at over 6,500 documents and the majority of the companies participated in the assessment, providing additional evidence previously unreleased. The report includes company specific information, including where possible at the mine site level. There are some good news stories, but the main headline isn’t great. ESG reporting in the mining sector isn’t hitting the mark. The RMI Report highlights that companies are not disclosing information at a mine site level. Specifically, “ the vast majority of the assessed mine sites across 53 countries cannot demonstrate that they are informing and engaging with host communities and workers on basic risk factors such as environmental impacts, safety issues or grievances. A few mine sites show better practices on some of these issues, proving ‘it can be done’.” The reality is that aggregated data and one-off stories don’t have the context or accountability that build confidence with stakeholders. The MI eport goes on to note that “ it is at mine site level that these issues matter most – for local stakeholders who risk exposure to harmful impacts, for investors who need to know about asset-level risks, for board members and senior executives to know if risks are being well managed, and for companies seeking to show respect for their neighbours and host communities.” The RMI Report also notes that there are some examples of good practice, but systematic evidence across companies and the industry is missing. There is some improvement on technical issues like emissions reductions or e ciency gains. ut this is not seen across ESG issues. “Applying the same level of effort and leadership to, for example, social performance issues or the management and disclosure of local environmental impacts, would do much to help the industry meet society expectations on these critical issues.” The report has some great resources including specific indicators that need work and a database of industry best practice. There are a number of reasons why these reporting challenges still plague the industry. The RMI report includes a number of detailed recommendations that you should check out on their website. To get you started, here are a few key things that companies can focus on to improve their ESG reporting. APRIL 2022

1 | Rethink your audience. Most reports are written for investors or major civil society and advocacy groups that have the time and ability to pour over the reports and data. This ignores a huge audience at the local level. A social licence to operate’ is continuously acknowledged to be a major risk in the industry. However, timely, useable local level information is not often available at the site level. As a result, rumours, anecdotal experiences and assumptions fill the void. Sharing information about how benefits are shared and how impacts are mitigated in an accessible manner can go a long way to building trust and stronger relationships with community members and other local stakeholders. This will look different in every community. For some it could be a downloadable spreadsheet. In others it might be a regular update in the local newspaper or posters at the bus station. 2 | Don’t shy away from the tough topics. Particularly as it relates to social performance, companies continue to focus on good news stories and data that shows their contributions through jobs, local spending, social investments and tax dollars. ut we all know that this is only part of the story. Information about negatives impacts is often already in the public realm – through public ESIAs, media report or comments on social media forums. When we ignore the negative environmental and social impacts of mining, ESG reporting can come across as fluffy . It is also a lost opportunity to focus on the many ways companies mitigate negative impacts. In January, Rio Tinto released the outcomes of an internal assessment on bullying, harassment, racism and assault. The company shared the Everyday Respect Report publicly, which is a first step is being held accountable and indicating that they are taking it seriously. 3 | Show people how you’re being responsible. Companies continue to focus reporting on commitments like an internal human rights policy, or signing a pledge for responsible mining. These are important indicators that a company is focused on good performance. However, they need to be accompanied by action and information that illustrate how the company is achieving that commitment. The RMI Report refers to this as commitment vs. effectiveness, some others refer to it as effort vs. effect. In addition to sharing commitments, companies need to provide evidence that they are effectively meeting these commitments as well as tracking their performance. For example, reporting the number of dollars spent on social investment CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 5

CSR & MINING programs is interesting. Including the change in community health outcomes over time provides important context that illustrates the contribution these programs make. Likewise, reporting on the companies local hiring policies is interesting. Including the percentage of local employees at the site level, disaggregated by sex (and other relevant demographics) gives context that shows how the company is realizing that policy on the ground. Providing turnover and promotion rates for local hires goes even further to show the effectiveness of local hiring programs. To be understood, this data needs to be consistent, easy to access and provided on a regular basis. 4 | Work with others. One of the great challenges in ESG reporting is that companies control the data collection process, analysis and reporting. nlike financial reporting, most companies don’t have a transparent audit process that is well understood by stakeholders. Working with others, like having transparent audits by third parties or collaborating with local partners to collect data can go a long way to build confidence and trust in reporting. There is also a huge opportunity for companies to participate in cumulative impact reporting. The benefits and impacts from mining activity are not experienced in a silo, however the cumulative environmental and social changes in an area are rarely tracked. Cumulative reporting can provide invaluable information about the real changes stakeholders are

It is at mine site level that ESG issues matter most. Local stakeholders, investors, board members, and executives need to know if risks are being well managed. experiencing and provide a platform for multi-stakeholder collaboration. The RMI Report not only illustrates the current issues with ESG reporting in the industry but provides some great resources and recommendations. Ultimately, moving the needle on ESG Reporting requires a fundamental shift. We need to think differently about the purpose of reporting, who the audience is, how we collect information and how we talk about tough subjects. This will require courage and resources from industry leaders big and small. CMJ CAROLYN BURNS is a director at NetPositive, a non-profit that works the diverse stakeholders to help local communities see sustained positive outcomes from mining (www.netpositivenr.org).

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LAW

When 5% appears too small and the government decides to take it all … 1

By Alison FitzGerald and Martin Valasek

he Beatles had a song for virtually every human condition, taxation being transcendent as a part of the human – and corporate – experience. Taxation can either enable investment or kill it, and in particularly pernicious scenarios do both in succession over time. For this reason, foreign investment is very often driven by tax planning. Securing protections to preserve the value of an investment as a part of that planning is critical to the long term success of capital intensive projects which are exposed over time to changes in laws and policies around taxation.

‘Let me tell you how it will be … Should 5% appear too small’

Expropriation risk for foreign investors is on the rise due to a confluence of factors, such as resource nationalism, the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, and a sustained rise in populism and nationalist sentiment around the globe. While direct takings, which occur when the state seizes title to or ownership of an asset, remain a live risk for foreign investors especially in the extractive sector, indirect expropriation through taxation has become an acute risk. This can occur in a wide variety of scenarios, such as an increase in taxes, the imposition of new taxes, changes to the royalty regime applicable to the investment, changes to the cost recovery regime applicable to the investment, the revocation of tax free entitlements, changes to the interpretation of legislation that result in the assessment of taxes, as well as the enactment of new legislation imposing fees or charges on the investment, such as a carbon tax. All of these scenarios can result in a dramatic change in the economics of the investment – so dramatic in some cases as to reduce the reasonably expected return on investment to nil. At one end of the spectrum, such a loss may be attributable to the state’s exercise of its police or regulatory powers and not compensable for this reason. At the other end, the loss may be attributable to an unlawful state measure purposely designed to destroy the value of the investment and compensable for this reason. Often, tax and other similar measures reflect a desire by the state to rebalance the economics of the investment or advance revenues from the investment in a manner that may or may not be lawful under international law.

‘If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street …’

Extractive sector investments are particularly exposed to expropriation risk because of their long-term, capital intensive nature. As governments are now fully seized of climate change concerns, extractive sector investments are being more closely scrutinized than at any previous point in history. While extractive sector investments typically generate substantial revenues for the host APRIL 2022

state through negotiated government take, royalties, profit tax and withholding tax, among many other taxes and charges, the long-term trajectory of such investments coupled with changes in government and shifts in national priorities can generate pressure to extract more out of the investment for the state or rebalance the costs, real or perceived, of hosting the investment on the local environment and its people.

‘Don’t ask me what I want it for … If you don’t want to pay some more …’

Protections against a changed tax environment commonly come in the form of stabilization clauses included in agreements negotiated with host governments. Investment treaties also offer some protection in the form of general conduct standards that are increasingly invoked to address measures adopted by host state governments that erode or extinguish investment value through taxation. However, many new generation treaties contain carve-outs to exclude taxation measures from the scope of claims that may be advanced under the treaty. Not all of these carve-outs are drafted in the same way. Some require claimants to provide notice to the home country government and host country government of claims in respect of a taxation measure and, where the governments jointly determine that the measure does not contravene the treaty or does not constitute an expropriation, the claim may either be at an end or narrowed in scope. The contracting parties may have also agreed in advance that only certain conduct standards would apply in respect of measures characterized as taxation measures, thus at an early stage narrowing the scope of protection that may be available for foreign investors.

‘Now my advice for those who’ invest …

Even the most detailed and diligent planning to protect an extractive sector investment over the long-term cannot in every case insulate the investment against changes that threaten to deprive a foreign investor of the substantial value of its investment. However, recourse is available in many cases to seek redress. When tax and other similar measures threaten to erode investment value – when the tax man comes knocking –it is important to seek advice in order to understand what options are available and how to exercise those options optimally. CMJ MARTIN VALASEK is Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s head of International Arbitration ALISON FITZGERALD is Of Counsel, International Arbitration. 1 The Beatles, “Taxman”, released August 5, 1966, on the album Revolver, written by George Harrison.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 7

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UNEARTHING TRENDS

Exploring the emerging technologies helping to improve the sustainability of steel By Alex Morrison

merging from tariffs set by the US government in 2019, Canadian steelmakers are experiencing strong market conditions from growing global demand. Whether driven by oil drilling, infrastructure or government investments, the International Energy Agency forecasts production will grow by 30% by 2050. But as demand for steel grows, so does the call for low-carbon supplies. At the recent COP26 environmental summit, Canada signed on to the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative, requiring green factors to be considered for the purchase of materials. This is pushing many companies – such as automakers who use about 12% of the world’s steel – to accelerate decarbonization initiatives and seek cleaner inputs in an effort to reduce Scope 3 emissions. The challenge is that steel is one of the world’s most energy-intensive industries, accounting for an estimated 9% of global carbon emissions. The good news is Canadian steelmakers are among the greenest compared to their global industry peers, and are expected to see continuous improvement as they strive towards 2050 net zero goals set by the Canadian Steel Producers Association.

The good news is Canadian steelmakers are among the greenest compared to their global industry peers, and they are expected to see continuous improvement as they strive towards 2050 net zero goals

The industry is already seeing great progress. Algoma Steel announced a $703-million plan to go electric by converting its blast furnace to an electric arc furnace (EAF) – with support from the federal government. The Government of Canada will also be investing $400 million in ArcelorMittal Dofasco, which is pursuing a . billion project to phase out coal-fired steelmaking at its facilities. These two projects combined will look to remove up to six million tonnes of carbon a year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Compare emerging and new technology for greener steel. CREDIT: EY CANADA

APRIL 2022

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 9

UNEARTHING TRENDS Though, the journey to net zero won’t technologies to reduce emissions should be easy. The continued move to EAFs will consider the following: help to drive down emissions, but creating a genuinely sustainable industry will > Carbon capture: Can recycle up to require broader, bolder measures from 90% of the exhaust gas from blast furall players across the steel value chain. naces, reusing it for combustion. The Achieving this will depend a lot on tech- remaining highly CO2-concentrated 10% nology – much of which isn’t commer- can be stored or used. Determining cially available yet. Steelmakers consid- whether carbon capture is suitable may ering adopting of these emergingAd _EN_(4.5x7.5in)_C1_A_ depend on overall operating 16670 some ITI Critical_Minerals_CMJ PRINT costs, with

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technology costs still high at this stage of maturity. > Innovation in production mix: Moving to scrap-based EAF production will reduce emissions, but each steelmaker will need to decide whether and how to transition based on the affordability and availability of scrap and the desired quality of the end product. > Hydrogen: Use of green hydrogen (generated by renewables) with direct reduced iron (DRI) and EAF is likely to be the cleanest alternative for steelmakers in the future, although it’s likely to be some time before hydrogen is economically feasible and scalable. > Alternative smelting reduction process: Some newer commercialized smelting reduction processes can offer better emission control compared with integrated plants, but their economic viability depends on overall power consumption and use of export gases. Producers don’t currently receive a price premium for lower carbon steel, but tighter procurement rules could further boost demand for it. Companies must take advantage of today’s market environment and stronger balance sheets to invest in initiatives that will position the company as a low-cost producer in the future. Making this shift includes realizing the potential of new technologies and achieving economies of scale, while improving sustainability across the steel value chain. While this will require substantial up-front capital, aligning investments with cyclical market conditions can help to fund the high cost of capital, providing long-term benefits of more sustainable operations and improved ESG performance. Global emissions may be high, but we can’t let that paint a negative picture. Steel is one of the world’s most sustainable materials – permanent, forever reusable and the most recycled substance on the planet. Building a more sustainable production process is a long-term investment that will yield enormous environmental benefits over the full life cycle of green steel. CMJ ALEX MORRISON is a partner and Strategy and Transactions central market leader at EY Canada, based in Toronto. For more insights visit www.ey.com/en_ca/mining-metals.

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FAST NEWS • AUTOMATION |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

Freeport deploys world-first autonomous rockbreakers from RCT

n a world-first technology project, T Freeport Indonesia has rolled out a fully autonomous fleet of mobile rockbreakers at its West apuan mine in partnership with smart technology specialist T. T Freeport’s corporate policies mandate safer mining practices to remove personnel from working in areas of the underground Grasberg block cave (G ) and eep Mill evel zone ( M ), which are prone to wet muck rushes. To fulfill this safety-driven mandate, T Freeport engaged T to implement its fully autonomous ontrolMaster guidance product across the rockbreaker fleet. This project is the first time ontrolMaster Guidance – which has more than million hours of autonomous operation across load-haul-dump ( ) production fleets – has been integrated with mobile rockbreakers. The successful rollout of the rockbreaker fleet yet again demonstrates that ontrolMaster is a truly interoperable solution and can integrate with any machine make or model. T Freeport worked closely with T’s dedicated onsite technical team to commission the four mobile rockbreakers and extensively tested the machines in the underground panel cave mines. The work forms part of T Freeport’s overall mandate for T to automate the mine’s diverse underground ancillary fleet which includes the mobile rockbreakers, Getman Water arts and at clean-up machines. In line with T Freeport Indonesia’s overall mine development plan, the fully autonomous ancillary fleet will operate in a designated autonomous mining area (AMA) within G and M . Going forward, machine operators will manage the ancillary fleet via ontrolMaster automation centres located within the stateof-the-art remote operations room ( O ) on the mine’s surface. y utilizing the automation centre’s Multi-Fleet Select (MFS) capability, operators can switch control of the mobile rockbreakers, water carts or clean-up loaders in line with changing fleet requirements at short notice. Working from the O safeguards machine operators from hazards found at the mine face and enables “hotseating” which signifiAPRIL 2022

The rockbreaker is safely guided from the remote operations room. CREDIT: RTC

cantly reduces shift handover time across fleet operations. T account manager Shane Smith said the technology significantly optimizes mobile rockbreaker fleet operations in addition to safeguarding the machine operators. “The mobile rockbreakers are utilized in the extraction level draw points to clear larger rocks. owever, these draw points are prone to wet muck rushes which represented a significant safety hazard to site personnel. “Initially, we commissioned the rockbreakers with our ontrolMaster tele-re-

mote solution, which allowed machine operators to directly manage the machine from the O . ontrolMaster guidance enables independent fleet operations including faster tramming and consistent machine operations and prevents the machine from impacting against the walls of very narrow draw points,” Smith added. “This solution reduces unplanned machine maintenance downtime while consistent machine operations allow for better planning and forecasting activities,” he concluded. CMJ

SNC-Lavalin to buld CNL research lab CANDU ENERGY, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), announced it has won a contract to deliver specialized engineering and design services to Eclipse Automation, in support of the development of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ new Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC). Under the contract valued at approximately $13 million, SNC-Lavalin will design the structures and foundations for 12 shielded hot cells at the cuttingedge laboratory research complex in Chalk River, Ontario. The work is expected to last two years. Once complete, hot cells will safely enable post-irradiation examination of small modular reactor (SMR) components and next generation nuclear fuels. The hot cells will support the development of new nuclear technologies, such as advanced fuel fabrication concepts, and new SMR components. SNC-Lavalin will also design and develop an active liquid waste management system for the laboratory. CMJ CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 11

FAST NEWS • FLOTATION |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

FLSmidth expands flotation portfolio with Wemco II and RFC850

Smidth launched two exciting developments in their flotation portfolio – the Wemco II and the reflux flotation cell ( F ) – at the recent SME Annual onference and Expo in Salt ake ity, tah. The Wemco II flotation cell builds upon the success of the industry standard, Wemco, but with optimizations to the rotor and stator-hood that greatly improve power consumption, air flow and pumping. The combination of e cient aeration and optimum solids suspension increases recovery and concentrate grade performance, as well as reducing reagent consumption. The Wemco II design features full air control without blower and froth maintenance, which elevate kinetic performance and lower operational costs. The result is better hydrodynamics and circulation, improved kinetics and performance, optimized energy e ciency and lower operating costs and the ability to control air without an external air supply. Also getting an o cial launch at SME was the reflux flotation cell. On display is the smallest industrial scale version of the F , a ground-breaking technology that reduces plant footprint as well as water, air and energy requirements.

• LOGGING |

The F reduces capex by and with no direct power input, this results in less energy use in a flotation circuit. Improved kinetic e ciency also reduces the amount of water used in the recovery process.

The F is a high-e ciency flotation cell and can be applied as a rougher, scavenger and cleaner across all minerals providing our customers with an option that maximizes recovery and improves grade. CMJ

Hexagon introduces GeoSlate app to simplify data collection for drill hole logging

exagon’s Mining division has introduced xG Mine lan GeoSlate, a mobile, geological drill hole logging application that simplifies the field data collection process. uick and easy to use, GeoSlate collects field drill hole data via a recommended field-ready mobile tablet. It integrates with Mine lan , completing the geology workflow from exploration through resource estimation. uilt for optimal performance and designed for the field geologist’s workflow, GeoSlate saves time by eliminating the hassle of configuring logging templates from scratch. GeoSlate solves

12 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

FLSmidth introduced its new Wemco II and RFC at the latest SME conference. CREDIT: FLSMIDTH

HxGN MinePlan 3D data display. CREDIT: HEXAGON

many of the challenges facing geologists who are tasked with geological, explora-

tion, production, sampling, geotechnical, hydrogeological and other field data collection and data management needs. ata can be instantly published over Wi-Fi using exagon’s microservice architecture, syncing directly to connected Mine lan drill hole databases for subsequent geologic analysis and workflow execution. Instead of spending time exporting importing, collating, and transmitting data, customers can use exagon technology to securely store and transfer data from the field to the centralized database at the click of a button. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

www.canadianminingjournal.com

• SOFTWARE |

Minerva Intelligence welcomes Jaguar Mining as its first licensed SaaS customer

“ aguar is committed to inerva Intelligence, an artiembracing new technologies to ficial intelligence software enhance our workflow, and we company focused on decision have been very impressed by support tools for mineral exploMinerva’s river software,” said ration, mining and climate risk, on ill, aguar’s of explorahas reached a major milestone tion. “The autonomous geological with the signing of its first recurmodelling technologies offered ring annual licensed SaaS (softby river are game-changing for ware as a service) customer, agmany aspects of the mining value uar Mining, for its AI software chain. river. “In river, we can produce river is Minerva’s proprimodel realizations of all aspects etary AI product developed to Data delivered by Minerva’s Driver software can substantially of our drilling datasets in virtual service the mineral exploration cut drilling costs. CREDIT: MINERVA INTELLIGENCE real-time, bringing us unheard and mining industry by helping of benefits for dynamic drill tarthem better understand and evaluate drill data to pinpoint drill tar- ically creates models of all aspects of geting and comprehensive geological gets, geo-metallurgical domains, and the dataset in a matter of minutes, and deposit understanding. river is helping more through modelling. automatically identifies and catalogues our geologists identify important geo, and then interacAfter being successfully used for a the important zones of interest. These chemical zones in number of one-off consulting jobs, insights are valuable for exploration, tively test the relationships between river is now a highly scalable, cloud-en- metallurgy, environmental protection those zones to help guide our decisions in the field,” he added. CMJ abled SaaS product. river is licensed and mining. per seat on an annual recurring basis. Minerva offers three licence levels for end user clients of varying size as well as for existing and future partnerships. river delivers its insights by combining cloud processing capabilities with Minerva’s proprietary machine learning technology to automatically evaluate the spatial continuity present in geological numeric data. The software automat-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

“Access to data should take minutes, but often takes days, even months,” said erek adner, product manager, exagon’s mining division. “As part of the integrated Mine lan portfolio, GeoSlate minimizes time to data. When connected to Wi-Fi, data can be published from the app and synced in seconds to any authenticated Mine lan drill hole manager solution around the globe. “ aluable time wasted performing data reformatting and quality assurance is minimized using the app’s automatic data validation in the field. We believe GeoSlate will quickly become essential for any mine’s data collection and management needs.” GeoSlate will be sold as part of Minelan’s Exploration Geo package. CMJ

100% ownership of KSM, the world’s largest undeveloped gold and copper project that will use green power. TSX: SEA NYSE:SA www.seabridgegold.com info@seabridgegold.com

RENEWABLES

> By Wayne Peel

carbon fo SHRINK YOUR

wind

solar

biogas

hydrogen

Add renewable energy to cut carbon emissions and power costs

e are in the midst of one of the greatest energy transitions of our lifetime. And it has every industry asking itself: What can we do to promote sustainability and reduce our overall carbon emissions?

14 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

uildings are being electrified and retrofitted with energy saving solutions. The transportation sector is embracing electric vehicles and alternative fuels to reduce emissions on our roadways. And power producers are taking steps to reduce the carbon intensity of the energy

they provide to the electrical grid. The same is true for the mining industry. Right now, mine operators around the world are searching for ways to truly become net zero carbon emitters and reduce their reliance on traditional power sources. This can be a tall order

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as mines require a significant amount of power to operate. But it is a challenge we must overcome if we hope to reach our sustainability goals by 2050. Some people may be wondering why we can’t just shut down these mines and cut the associated emissions. But we can’t. Why? Because the precious minerals and metals that we’ll need to get us through the energy transition are still in the APRIL 2022

ground. They must be mined to produce the green technologies of the future. Look no further than electric vehicle production as the world moves away from fossil fuels and combustible engines. Compared to a conventional car, building an electric car uses approximately six times the amount of minerals. And whereas conventional cars require mostly copper and manganese, electric vehicles require

> Scope 2: Indirect emissions that result from a company’s energy needs, such as those associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling. > Scope 3: Indirect emissions that result from a company’s upstream and downstream processes, such as the transportation, processing, and use of its end products. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 15

R O GE O ERT KO TRAST OTO ESIG

> Scope 1: Direct emissions that come from an organization itself and anything it owns or controls, such as facilities or vehicles.

AMES GA

energy storage

When a mine operator is considering ways to reduce GHG emissions, they must first understand the three kinds – or scopes – of emissions. The S Environmental rotection Agency (E A) measures an organization’s overall carbon footprint as follows:

IO ETTASTOCK IA T OTO

Brief rundown of scopes of emissions

IMAGE:

hydropower

copper, manganese, nickel, lithium, cobalt, and more. But we also need most of these mined materials for renewable energy production, too. From solar panels to offshore wind turbines, our capacity to produce green energy relies on our ability to mine these materials. It couldn’t be clearer: If we hope to move towards a green and electric future, we’ll need the minerals and metals to do it. So, we are facing two realities. We must reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And we must mine for the necessary materials to do that. These two realities must co-exist. So, the question remains: How can we reduce the carbon footprint of the mining industry and become net zero emitters? One of the simplest solutions is by offsetting energy needs from fossil fuel power producers with renewable energy sources.

ETMA /ISTOCK

otprint

RENEWABLES There isn’t much that mine operators can do about Scope 3 emissions. Once the material is purchased and shipped out, emissions are out of their control and usually in the hands of the downstream producers. But there are a lot of actions that mines can take to reduce their Scope and Scope emissions. Electrification and producing power with renewable energy sources can help solve both. Let’s look at some examples below.

Becoming a power producer

Depending on the mine’s location, mine operators either purchase power from local energy providers or they will generate their own power. Becoming a power producer or supplementing purchased power with self-generated power sources is a good way to give mine operators more control of their Scope 2 emissions. A combined heat and power plant (CHP) is a great self-generation solution for mine sites. Also known as cogeneration, a CHP plant generates electricity and thermal energy at the same time. This is a more sustainable solution for

Becoming a power producer gives mine operators more control of their Scope 2 emissions. CREDIT: STANTEC

mine operators because the heat, which would otherwise be lost in the process, can be reused for other purposes. These include industrial processes, creating steam to generate electricity, heat buildings, or run steam chillers for cooling. Not only does a CHP generate a cleaner

Connecting People. Powering Communities.

EPC+ Engineering

Procurement

16 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Construction

form of electricity, but it gives mine operators more control of their Scope 2 emissions. If a mine operator is going to build a CHP on site, they’d be best off to develop their own microgrid and distributed energy resources as well. This creates

No matter how large or complex your mine’s power needs are, Valard has the resources to deliver a successful outcome. From engineering and procurement to construction and maintenance - get in touch with us for a simple, cost-effective solution.

www.valard.com

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A look at some renewable energy options

There are many different forms of renewable energy that can be useful on mine sites. And with the global focus on the energy transition, technology is improving, and the cost is coming down. Let’s review some of the renewable energy technology that mine companies should be considering: > Solar power: Solar energy is an effective way of integrating renewable energy at mine sites. This is particularly true at mines with a large amount of unused land, and which have favorable solar radiation. This land can be used for cells of solar panels to help supplement the energy supply when the sun is shining. Consider all the renewable energy technology that is available today to reduce operational emissions. CREDIT: STANTEC

what is essentially a mine’s own power grid, making the operator less reliant on power providers and offering more flexibility and higher e ciency rates. It also allows mines to bring together many forms of power generation and use them towards a common goal. For example,

energy produced at the CHP plant can be supplemented with renewable energy sources like solar, wind or hydrogen. This gives operators even more leverage when they are working to reduce their Scope 1 emissions. Let’s look at some examples below.

> Wind power: Electricity generated from wind turbines is another great source of renewable energy at mines. Wind power also takes advantage of land that isn’t being used on mine sites to augment the energy supply when the wind is blowing and reduce the operator’s carbon emissions. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Leading the charge... EV-Ready now!

APRIL 2022

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 17

RENEWABLES > Hydropower: Several mining clients already generate a substantial amount of their energy from hydropower. Further developments in microturbine technologies also provide opportunities to recover energy from gravity flow liquid systems within a mine to generate additional renewable energy.

The solar power installation built by TransAlta Renewables at BHP’s Northern Goldfields mine in Australia. CREDIT: STANTEC

> Biogas: While biogas is not a new concept, the adoption of it has grown significantly as improvements to technology and reductions in cost have occurred over time. Biogas can be used as fuel to power operations at a mine in more sustainable way – and it reduces the amount of physical waste at landfills in the process. > Hydrogen: A rather new addition to our energy infrastructure is hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and it releases no GHG emissions upon combustion. Green hydrogen – or hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources – is a great way to augment a mine’s energy supply sustainably.

> Energy storage: attery energy storage systems ( ESS), pumped storage, and electro-mechanical flywheel energy storage all have potential uses of being incorporated into a mine’s microgrid. These technologies help to level demand by reducing peak loading and storing excess renewable energy generated. It is important to understand that there is no silver bullet solution here. What worked for one mine might not work

at another. If your mine is in a location that gets a lot of sunshine, then solar is part of your answer. If not, you’ll likely turn to wind power generation or hydrogen. If you have access to hydropower, of course use that. As you can likely tell, each mine will have its own conditions to navigate – there is no cookie cutter approach.

A (shining) example from down under

Now, let’s look at solar power in action. Recently, Stantec has been working with TransAlta and BHP Nickel West (BHP) to develop a large-scale solar power project for a mine site down under. ocated in the Goldfields of Western Australia, the orthern Goldfields solar project will help BHP power it’s Leinster and Mount Keith operations with two solar farms and a ESS. The project will reduce the amount of power directed to the mines that is currently supplied by diesel and gas. This will help BHP reduce Scope 2 emissions at its Mount Keith and Leinster operations by 12%, resulting in an estimated reduction of 54,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. There are a few different components to this project. The first is a 27.4-MW solar farm at Mount Keith. The next is a 10.7-MW solar farm at Leinster, as well as a storage system that can hold up to 10.1 MW of energy (5.4 MW/h). The project also includes the interconnecting transmission infrastructure, all of which will be integrated into TransAlta’s -MW Southern ross Energy North remote network. This renewable energy project is the first solar photovoltaic build in Australia for TransAlta. It is also the first large-scale onsite solar farm and battery that BHP has commissioned and supports BHP’s emissions reduction targets. All while delivering lower-carbon, sustainable nickel to its customers.

Continuing to dig for sustainable solutions

ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD

FrontierLithium.com | TSX.V: FL

The orthern Goldfields solar project will be successful for a couple key reasons. Of course, the fact that it will cut 540,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the first years of operation and save on fuel costs is a significant achievement. But even better, the project can be used as a great example for other efforts to follow suit. Even for TransAlta and , who hadn’t done anything like this before and can now look back at this project with a sense of certainty that these kinds of projects can be replicated at other sites. But more, now other mine operators who may have been skeptical of these kinds of projects can understand the great benefits that they can bring. The mining industry needs to be looking at projects like this if they truly hope to reach net zero by 2050. As I said earlier, we must mine, but we must also mine in the most sustainable way. CMJ Wayne Peel (wayne.peel@stantec.com) is general manager energy and resources at Stantec, Australia.

18 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

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TOP 10 COPPER MINES

> By MINING.com Editor

Ranked

WORLD’S TOP 10 COPPER MINING PROJECTS – 2022

Drillers at the KSM copper-gold project in British Columbia. CREDIT: SEABRIDGE GOLD

opper, often called the bellwether metal as a barometer of global economic health, is a metal vital to the green energy transition. Demand has been growing for the red metal, and energy and metals researcher Wood Mackenzie expects enduse copper demand from passenger EVs to jump to around 2.9 million tonnes over the next decade from about 600,000 tonnes in 2021. For a snapshot of the copper supply chain of tomorrow, MINING.COM and sister company Miningintelligence compiled a list of the top 10 largest undeveloped copper projects and ranked them according to copper resources in the measured and indicated and inferred categories. Based on our criteria, we excluded Udokan Copper’s Udokan in Russia, Zijing’s Timok in Serbia and Anglo American’s Quellaveco in Peru, which have moved into the construction and commissioning phases.

#1 PEBBLE Development status: Preliminary Economic Assessment. Geology: Porphyry, Supergene Copper Northern Dynasty Minerals’ Pebble project in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska leads the list by a distance, containing 37.18 million tonnes of copper. Pebble has been plagued with controversy, delays and environmental opposition over the years, and the project’s key water permit was formally rejected by the US Army Corps of Engineers last year. This year, the Biden administration said it will relaunch a process that could permanently protect Bristol Bay from APRIL 2022

development. The decisions are currently being challenged by Northern Dynasty Minerals, and in October 2021 the company released a preliminary economic assessment. If permitted, Pebble would be North America’s largest mine.

#2 RESOLUTION Development status: Feasibility. Geology: Porphyry Rio Tinto and BHP’s Resolution copper project in Arizona comes in second with a 27.7 million tonne copper resource. The world’s top two miners have spent $2 billion over 26 years trying to launch Resolution into production but have faced continued opposition from Native American groups and environmentalists. A 2014 decision by former President Barack Obama and Congress set in motion a process to give Rio federally owned Arizona land that contains more than 40 billion lb. of copper and would be one of the world’s largest underground mines.

#3 LA GRANJA Development status: Advanced Exploration. Geology: Porphyry Rio Tinto’s La Granja property in Peru is in third place with 22.06 million tonnes of copper. Rio Tinto acquired La Granja over 12 years ago but renewed the concession in 2019 and paid $5 million to continue exploring. The same year, it was rumored that Rio may team up with First Quantum to develop the mine. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 19

TOP 10 COPPER MINES #4 KSM Development status: Prefeasibility. Geology: Porphyry, Skarn Seabridge Gold’s Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) project in British Columbia is in fourth place with 21.25 million tonnes of copper. The $5.3 billion project hosts four mineral deposits that will be operated as a combined open pit and underground mine. Late last year, Seabridge announced its plans to reshape KSM by integrating the Snowfield porphyry deposit, acquired from Pretium Resources in December 2020.

#5 NUEVA UNIÓN Development status: Prefeasibility. Geology: Porphyry Teck and Newmont’s Nueva Unión 50/50 joint venture in Chile takes fifth place with a . million tonnes copper resource. The project is located in the Atacama region, and annual copper production is estimated at , tonnes during first years of production.

#6 TAMPAKAN Development status: Feasibility. Geology: Porphyry The Tampakan deposit on the Philippine island of Mindanao is in sixth place with 15.25 mt of copper. Sagittarius Mines is seeking local approval for the proposed mine, which is estimated to yield an average of 375,000 tonnes of copper a year over a 17-year mine life.

#7 EL PACHON Development status: Advanced Exploration. Geology: Porphyry Glencore’s El Pachón copper and silver project in San Juan Prov-

ince Argentina takes the seventh spot with a 15.04 mt resource. Glencore acquired the project from Xstrata Copper. El Pachón is a major long-life development project with the potential to initially produce 400,000 tonnes of copper per year.

#8 LOS AZULES Development status: Preliminary Economic Assessment. Geology: Porphyry, Supergene Copper McEwen Mining formed a new company, McEwen Copper, to advance the 13.42 mt Los Azules project in Argentina. The first thing the company said it intends to do is construct a new, low-altitude northern access road to provide year-round access to the site. The current exploration road is only passable about five months a year.

#9 TWIN METALS Development status: Prefeasibility. Geology: Magmatic Sulphide Angofagasta’s beleaguered Twin Metals project in Minnesota contains 12.96 million tonnes of copper. The company has asked S o cials to reconsider a proposed -year ban on mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters region, a plan announced last fall that would block Twin Metals altogether.

#10 FRIEDA RIVER Development status: Feasibility. Geology: Epithermal, Porphyry Guangdong Rising’s Freida River project in Papua New Guinea rounds out the list with a 12.45 mt resource. Freida River’s estimated mine life is 20 years. CMJ n Download the data at Miningintelligence. https://www.miningintelligence.com/top-10-copper-projects-2022/

World’s Top 10 copper mines PROJECT

COUNTRY

MAJORITY OWNER

DEVELOPMENT STATUS

GEOLOGY COPPER mt

CONTAINED

Pebble

United States

Northern Dynasty Minerals

Preliminary Economic Assessment

Porphyry, Supergene Copper

37.18

2 Resolution

United States

Rio Tinto

Feasibility

Porphyry

27.27

3 La Granja

Peru

Rio Tinto

Advanced Exploration

Porphyry

22.06

4 Kerr-SulphuretsMitchell (KSM)

Canada

Seabridge Gold

Prefeasibility

Porphyry, Skarn

21.25

5 Nueva Union

Chile

Teck Resources/

Prefeasibility Newmount

Porphyry

16.69

6 Tampakan

Philippines

Sagittarius

Feasibility

Porphyry

15.25

7 El Pachon

Argentina

Glencore

Advanced Exploration

Porphyry

15.04

8 Los Azules

Argentina

McEwen Mining

Preliminary Economic Assessment

Porphyry, Supergene Copper

13.42

9 Twin Metals Minnesota

United States

Antofagasta

Prefeasibility

Magmatic sulphide

12.96

10 Frieda River

Papua New Guinea

Guangdong Rising

Feasibility

Epithermal, Porphyry

12.45

Note: Pebble and KSM are also ranked top 10 for gold Source: Miningintelligence

20 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

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BATTERY METALS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

> By Michael McPhie, M.Sc., QEP and Christy Smith, B.NS., MBA

POWER to Indigenous Peoples Shasta Baker Project, Northwestern British Columbia. Site visit Chu Cho Environmental, an Indigenous owned environmental consulting business owned by the Tsay Key Dene Nation. CREDIT: CHRISTY SMITH

How reconciliation is key to unlocking the full potential of the battery sector.

anada has a long history of mineral discoveries and production, there are about mines in the country today, producing over different minerals. Some are new mines but most have been around for decades, and some, in the established centres of Timmins, Sudbury, al ’or, abrador and . .’s ariboo, much longer than that. Globally, Canada is one of the most active jurisdictions in financing, prospecting, building and operating mining projects in over different countries. Our ecosystem of geological talent, mining expertise, financial and legal strength, environmental stewardship knowledge, Indigenous participation and engagement experience, and respected academic institutions make the entire country a entre of Excellence’ for many aspects of mining. This is not something we need to create, it is something we have today – and is, we would argue, unparalleled in the world. Canada has a rich and growing Indigenous population whose peoples have been here since time immemorial and whose territory covers the landscape of the country. These lands, some of which are part of historical or modern treaties, and are identified as traditional territories, also contain the majority of both known and yet to be discovered mines and minerals. Canada is one of the few nations in the world to adopt, in legislation, at both the national level and in some provinces, the APRIL 2022

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Incorporating policies such as free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) along with enhanced obligations by government and industry to consult and engage in a meaningful way, Indigenous communities are having a greater and greater level of influence over how and whether mineral exploration and mining projects proceed. So, that is our starting point in this discussion: A rich history of mineral discovery and development, a country with extraordinary future mineral development potential, a significant Indigenous influence and presence across the entire country, and an evolving area of law and public policy. Including expectations with respect to what constitutes a respectful relationship between a resource company and Indigenous communities and nations.

Economic reconciliation

So, what is it that we mean when we discuss the idea of economic reconciliation between the resource sector and Indigenous eoples A useful starting point is to refer to the definition of reconciliation as defined by the anadian Truth and econciliation ommission (T ) in their final report “Reconciliation is about establishing and maintaining a CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 21

BATTERY METALS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and nonAboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.” As with the negative consequences of such policies as Canada’s residential school system, there has been harm inflicted on Indigenous Peoples from the exploitation of natural resources – without, in many cases, any material benefits coming back to them. And these have often been the same people who endured the most harm through environmental destruction, loss of livelihood, cultural and community displacement, and the legacies of scarred landscapes or waterways. Basically, they were enduring all the risk and harm and receiving none of the benefits. Economic reconciliation is about acknowledging this past and the harm that has come from it, atoning for the causes, and taking concrete steps to change behaviour. This includes recognizing Indigenous rights, ensuring prior and informed consent, collaborating and shared decision-making, sharing of benefits, and equity participation.

Opportunity of increased demand for battery metals

With economic reconciliation in mind then, let’s consider the future opportunity of mining and in particular the increased demand associated with so called battery metals’. The global mining and minerals market is expected to reach a value of . trillion in , with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%. Further, as noted by the editorial board of Mineral Choices, “Population growth, urbanization, and consumerism, coupled with the urgent need to decarbonize has triggered a dramatic surge in the demand for minerals.” Consider the opportunities associated with electric cars and battery manufacturing, for example. The total global fleet of vehicles on the road is predicted to rise from . billion in to . billion in . From the perSign of Welcome to the Bralorne Gold Mine in Bralorne, BC in both English and the language of the St’at’imc Nations from southwestern British Columbia.

Photo of underground exploration at the Bralorne Gold Mine near the BK vein. In the photo is Michael McPhie, Benjamin Eggers and Antoine Soucey, exploration geologists with Talisker Resources Ltd. Bralorne is being developed by Talisker in partnership with the Xwisten First Nation.

CREDIT: MICHAEL

CREDIT: MICHAEL MCPHIE

MCPHIE

spective of electric vehicles (E ), over that same period, the E percentage of that is expected to grow from today to which equates to a total of million electric vehicles in the next years. With that, the demand for batteries and the elements used in making them will increase exponentially. As a country, as governments, and as the professionals that make up the industry, we know how to discover, build, finance and operate mines that are economically viable, protect the environment and contribute to the well-being of communities. We increasingly understand the need for reconciliation and can be proud that the Canadian mining sector boasts many examples of Indigenous communities and companies working together and creating sustainable enterprises and value. And we have a knowledgeable and highly skilled workforce that can both extract the minerals from the ground and turn them into value-added products that the world needs. To do that though and to realize the full potential that is before us, Indigenous Peoples must be at the decision making table with industry and government defining a sustainable path forward. One that respects Indigenous ways of life and culture, legal rights, the environment, and the interest of future generations. There is an extraordinary opportunity here to translate our existing assets and expertise into future success in a world that is both hungry for minerals and committed to a low-carbon path. CMJ n Michael McPhie, M.Sc., QEP, Co-Chair and Founding Partner, Falkirk. Christy Smith, B.NS., MBA, Partner and Vice President, Indigenous and Stakeholder Relations, Falkirk 1 Mining Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030; Research and Markets, January 2021. 2 https://mineral-choices.com/about/ 3 Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Electric Vehicle Outlook 2020. https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook/

22 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

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BATTERY MINERALS PROJECTS

> By Marilyn Scales

POWER TO

CHANGE CMJ and MiningIntelligence take a look at Canadian projects that will help power a net zero future.

he time has come to take urgent action on climate change. A century and a half of industrialization supported by reliance on fossil fuels has resulted in global warming. The trend is unsustainable. Industry, individuals and governments are turning to responsibly sourced electricity to cut the production of greenhouse gases (GHG), one of the main culprits of temperature rise. Electric power generated from renewable sources reduce car-

bon dioxide emissions. These choices are a large step toward a net zero future, but the energy produced from solar and wind sources must be stored, hence the interest in battery minerals. Canada has these minerals in the ground. Natural Resources Canada estimates that 2020 production of copper was 475,898 tonnes, cobalt 3,535 tonnes, graphite 12,000 tonnes, and nickel 163,362 tonnes. For a brief time in 2018-19 lithium was also produced. These and several

other metals available in this country are critical to creating an economic means of storing renewable power. Unfortunately, Canada’s share of these minerals is dwarfed by countries such as Chile (copper and graphite), Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt), Australia (lithium), and Indonesia (nickel). For this country to be a leading supplier of these and other critical minerals for a sustainable and responsible future, the industry CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

COPPER

IMAGE: METAMORWORKS/ISTOCK

Project

Owner

Location

Status

M+I Resources (Mt)

Grade

Contained Copper (Mt)

1 Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM)

Seabridge Gold

B.C.

Prefeasibility

3,037.7

0.22%

6,652.7

2 Galore Creek

Newmont (50%) Teck Resources (50%)

B.C.

Prefeasibility

1,103.5

0.47%

5,151.1

3 Schaft Creek

Teck Resources (72%) Copper Fox Metals (25%)

B.C.

PEA

1,345.0

0.26%

3,485.6

4 Casino

Western Copper

Yukon

Feasibility

5 Yellowhead

Taseko Mines

B.C.

Prefeasibility

APRIL 2022

2,3790.7

0.14%

3,362.6

1,291.0

0.25%

3,266.7

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 23

BATTERY METALS COBALT Project

Owner

Location

Status

M+I Resources (Mt)

Grade

Contained Cobalt (Mt)

1 Dumont

Watertown Global Resource Management

Quebec

Feasibility

1,666.7

0.011%

178,400

2 Turnagain

Giga Metals

3 Crawford

Canadian Nickel

B.C.

Prefeasibility

1,073.3

0.013%

143,100

Ontario

Construction

653.6

0.013%

4 Nickel Shaw

84,700

Nickel Creek Platinum

Yukon

PEA

323.4

0.015%

48,500

5 Nico

Fortune Minerals

NWT

Feasibility

30.9

0.121%

34,400

is going to have to develop many of the projects listed herein and more. That can only happen when industry, investors, Indigenous communities, and regulators work together with the will to re-establish an exploration and mining powerhouse.

> COPPER

There are over 50 active copper projects in Canada spread from sea to sea to sea. Four of the five largest are in ritish olumbia and the fifth in ukon. The largest project, in terms of contained metals in measured and indicated (M+I) resources remains Seabridge Gold’s

Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) project in . . ast year, the company announced its intention to roll the resources of the Snowfield porphyry deposit into its copper-gold resources for the project. An updated preliminary economic assessment ( EA) that will reflect this change is due before mid-2022. As of this writing, the KSM project contained 6.65 billion tonnes of copper and is poised to grow. Also in . ., is the Galore reek project containing 5.15 billion tonnes of copper. Joint venture partners Newmont and Teck Resources have advanced it to the prefeasibility stage, but work is stalled as

You, your project, and the financier are on different continents…

We’re your common ground. Our global experience gives you expert, integrated solutions at every phase of your mining project.

costs continue to spiral upward. The estimated capital cost rose to $5.15 billion in 2011 from $828 million in 2004. A decade later, costs will be even higher. The Schaft reek project, also in . ., is another Teck (75%) undertaking with partner Copper Fox Metals (25%). The amount of contained copper in M+I resources is estimated at 3.49 billion tonnes. The PEA released in September 2021 put the cost of development at US$2.7 billion. It has the potential to produce 5 billion lb. of copper over a 21-year mine life. Western Copper is conducting a feasibility study for its Casino project in ukon the study is due mid. The prefeasibility study (PFS) completed in June 2021, estimated there are 3.36 billion tonnes of copper in the deposit. The project is expected to mine the oxide portion of the deposit as a heap leach operation for 25 years. The fifth largest copper project is again in . ., Taseko Mines’ ellowhead proposal with an estimated 3.67 billion tonnes of contained copper. The 2020 PFS study put the pre-production capital cost at $1.3 billion. The company is ready to move ahead with the environmental assessment as soon as the initial project description is filed.

> COBALT

srk.com

24 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Cobalt has been mined in Canada for well over 100 years, often as a by-product of nickel or silver production. Its importance continues to rise as does its use in lithium-ion batteries as well as superalloys. The largest cobalt resource in Canada is the Dumont nickel deposit owned by Watertown Global Resource Management in Quebec. There are an estimated 178,400 tonnes of cobalt in an M+I. The project is shovel-ready, but the owner announced in 2020 that they were seeking a buyer.

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GRAPHITE Project

Owner

Location

Status

R+I Resources (Mt)

Grade

Contained Graphite (Mt)

1 Lac Gueret

Mason Graphite

Quebec

2 Matawinie

Nouveau Monde Graphite

Quebec

Feasibility

65.5

17.19%

11.3

Construction

120.3

4.26%

3 Lac Knife

Focus Graphite

Quebec

5.1

Feasibility

13.6

14.95%

2.0

69.8

1.73%

1.2

9.6

13.10%

1.2

4 Bissett Creek

Northern Graphite

Ontario

Feasibility

5 Lac Rainy

Metals Australia

Quebec

Scoping

Giga Metals owns the second largest cobalt resource at the Turnagain project in . . It is at the prefeasibility stage with an estimated 143,100 tonnes of contained cobalt. Giga has plans to develop the world’s first carbon-neutral nickel mine, a venture that will require $1.4 billion. Canada’s next new cobalt producer is likely to be the Crawford project in Ontario. Owner Canada Nickel has begun construction on what is poised to become Canada’s largest base metal mine, eventually producing 69,000 tonnes of nickel-equivalent (including cobalt) annually. There are 84,700 tonnes of cobalt contained in the M+I resource, and exploration drilling continues to expand potential resources with high-grade results. Two other potential cobalt producers are under study. Nickel Creek Platinum’s ickel Shaw project in ukon contains

48,500 tonnes cobalt, and the company continues to drill with the aim of expanding resources. Fortune Minerals’ Nico project in the Northwest Territories contains 34,400 tonnes cobalt, and the company has proposed buying a defunct steel plant in Alberta and turning it into a cobalt refinery.

> GRAPHITE

Graphite is a good conductor of electricity, making it much sought after by makers of electrodes, batteries and solar panels. The largest resource in Canada is in the ac Gueret project belonging to Mason Graphite. The property in Quebec has an M+I resource containing 11.3 million tonnes graphite. The company has patented a battery, which contains coated spherical purified graphite, and it is working on a graphene product

that includes both graphite and silicon nanoparticles. Nouveau Monde Graphite has begun construction on its Matawinie mine in Quebec, where 5.1 million tonnes of graphite have been outlined in M+I resources. This will be the world’s first all-electric open pit mine. Commercial production of 45,000 tonnes of anode material and purified jumbo flake graphite is expected by the end of 2023. Focus Graphite owns the ac nife project (2.0 million tonnes contained graphite) in Quebec, completing a feasibility study in 2014 for a 25-year open pit and plant. Tying for fourth and fifth place are the only Ontario project on our list and another in Quebec. The one in Ontario belongs to orthern Graphite at issett CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

LITHIUM Project

Owner

Location

Status

M+I Resources (Mt)

Grade

Contained Li2O (tonnes)

1 LAN/Authier

Sayona Quebec (private)

Quebec

Scoping

87.8

1.05%

919,900

2 James Bay

Allkem

Quebec

Feasibility

40.3

1.40%

564,200

3 Whabouchi

Nemaska Lithium

Quebec

Construction (stalled)

38.5

1.41%

542, 970

4 Rose

Critical Elements Lithium

Quebec

Feasibility

31.9

0.93%

296,860

5 PAK

Frontier Lithium

Ontario

PEA

10.5

1.75%

183,700

Project

Owner

Location

Status

M+I Resources (Mt)

Grade

Contained Nickel (Mt)

1 Dumont

Waterton Global Resource Management

Quebec

Feasibility

1,666.7

0.26%

4.4

2 Turnagain

Giga Metals

Prefeasibility

1,073

0.22%

2.4

3 Decar

FPX Nickel

B.C.

PEA

1,997

0.12%

2.4

4 Crawford

Canada Nickel

Ontario

Construction

606

0.26%

1.5

5 Nickel Shaw

Nickel Creek Platinum

Yukon

PEA

323

0.26%

0.9

NICKEL

APRIL 2022

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 25

BATTERY METALS Creek (1.2 million tonnes). The other, in Quebec, belongs to Metals Australia at ac ainy ( . million tonnes).

> LITHIUM

The largest Canadian lithium resource is owned by Sayona Quebec, a joint venture of Sayona and iedmont ithium. The operator recently combined the resources from two separate projects –

A and Authier – making it the largest in Canada with 919,900 tonnes of contained lithium oxide. Work is at the scoping stage but trading of shares in Sayona Quebec have been temporarily halted pending a resource update. Allkem, the Australian chemical company, has taken its ames ay lithium project in Quebec through feasibility, estimating there are 564,200 tonnes of

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26 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

lithium oxide in the resource. The company proposes a mine and mill capable of producing 321,000 tonnes of 5.6% lithium oxide annually for 19 years. Canada’s only lithium producer in recent memory was the Whabouchi mine in Quebec that was operated briefly by emaska ithium in - . The M+I resources there contain about 542,970 tonnes of lithium oxide. The mine and mill were operational, but the owner ran out of money before it could complete a planned hydrometallurgical plant. The company emerged from creditor protection in August 2020 under the joint ownership of Investissement Québec, Pallinghurst Group and Orion Mine Finance. ounding out the top five potential new lithium mines are ritical Elements ithium’s Rose project in Quebec and Frontier ithium’s A project in Ontario. Resources contain 296,960 tonnes and 183,700 tonnes of lithium oxide, respectively.

> NICKEL

Canada has a long and proud history of nickel production going back to the early days of the Sudbury asin in Ontario. We already mentioned four of the largest potential new nickel mines in Canada when we referred to their cobalt resources. Here they are again with the slant on nickel, plus a new name in third position. Waterton Global’s Dumont project in Quebec contains 4.4 million tonnes nickel in M+I resources, and Giga Metals Turnagain project in . . has . million tonnes. The new name on the list is Decar, owned by F ickel, in . . A EA has been released with an indicated resource of 2.4 million tonnes nickel (no measured number yet). ast year’s infill drill program at the aptiste deposit returned long intersections including 254.9 metres at 0.151% nickel, including 157.3 metres at 0.154%. The company says the project could produce an average of 99 million lb. of nickel each year in ferronickel briquettes. The final two nickel projects are the under construction Crawford project of Canada Nickel and the Nickel Shaw project, for which owner Nickel Creek Platinum has produced a PEA. At Crawford, contained nickel is 1.5 million tonnes, and at Nickel Shaw, it is 900,000 tonnes. CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

NEW BEVs

> By Canadian Mining Journal Staff

BEV demand

Longer life, better performance and no CO2 emissions are all reasons to convert underground equipment to BEVs, such as this Scooptram from Epiroc.

only goes up CMJ looks at recent offerings from OEMs.

Here is a look at a few battery electric vehicles (BEVs) new to the market with particular capabilities for the mining industry. From automated bolting to the first underground-capable road grader, the selection keeps growing. > EPIROC

attery conversions are a key element of the ongoing electrification of mining operations in anada and across the globe. onversions are cost e cient and utilizes the full potential of low total cost of ownership (T O). When the conversion is included in a midlife rebuild, it helps return equipment to maximum productivity and operating e ciency – all while adding thousands of hours of high-performance with no emissions. Epiroc always offers short turnaround time and flexible payment terms – in parallel with high performance. Epiroc’ battery conversions for underground loaders let you make the switch from diesel to battery on your terms, whenever you are ready. APRIL 2022

MacLean’s GR5 is built from the ground up to work underground.

> MACLEAN ENGINEERING

With the first-ever Mac ean G underground road grader shipped to Africa and additional units scheduled for production, the newest addition to the Mac ean Engineering line of Mine-Mate utility vehicles is ready to be introduced to the mining world. Working with professionals from a former anadian grader CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 27

NEW BEVs OEM, Mac ean developed a fit-for-purpose design for the underground environment. The G is purposely sized to match the tractive effort and drawbar pull of full-sized surface graders. The unit features a A bus control system that allows joystick control technology to be deployed for both steering and application functions simultaneously to ease operator comfort and control, while also boasting an onboard vehicle telemetry package that can monitor the performance and health of the vehicle. On the powertrain side, the unit can be either battery electric or diesel-powered, and comes equipped standard with a sixwheel infinitely adjustable drive system using dual hydrostatic motors and active traction control. It is designed to work optimally in -by- -metre headings. The unit is designed for a minimal turning radius and its moldboard system uses a simpler design than its surface grader counterparts to ensure durability and reliability.

The Utimec personnel carrier from Normet features SmartDive architecture.

ormet Smart rive enables higher productivity, lower operating costs, and zero local emissions. It generates significantly less noise and heat compared with diesel equivalents, which improves the operators’ health and safety. The timec E S fits three people in the cabin and people in the enclosed heated and cooled personnel compartment. It also has many driver-assist functions to ensure optimal control.

Count on MEDATech’s EV-FOS to plan where and when to install underground charging stations.

> MEDATech

As miners gear up to shed O , ME ATech’s electric vehicle fleet optimization software (E -FOS) ensures that the transition to battery-electric vehicle ( E ) power is not only good for the environment, but also profitable. E -FOS is used in mine development and in production to optimize E energy usage. The software compares apples to apples E fleets versus diesel fleets in dollars per tonne by the level, by the year, for fast charging, for battery swapping, and for diesel. E -FOS will also pinpoint where charging infrastructure needs to be, whether moving a station or installing a new one. The big dividends of E -FOS are measuring cost in dollars per tonne and in total O reduction. Measurement takes into account labour, capital costs, operational costs, and ventilation costs.

> NORMET

ormet’s new battery-electric personnel carrier delivers safer underground transportation than other vehicles. The timec MF E S sets the new standard to safety, comfort, and ergonomics with a new fully FO S and O S approved personnel carrier with the ormet Smart rive architecture.

28 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

The Sandvik DS412iE bolter offers up to 90% automatic operation when using one-bolt automation.

> SANDVIK

The Sandvik S iE bolter is sized for -by- -metre headings combining a safe, ergonomic working environment with high levels of automation. Equipped with a completely new carrier, a high frequency rock drill, an intelligent control system and an ergonomic cabin, the S iE offers high levels of safety and e ciency providing peace of mind for all rock reinforcement operations. The bolter is equipped with an electric drive and includes a battery package and electric motor for zero emissions while tramming. It handles a wide range of bolt types and lengths, including a combination of automatic cement mixer and automatic resin injection. ike all the i-class machines, the S iE features high parts commonality. CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

GREEN LITHIUM

greener

> By Carl Williams

LITHIUM MINING

Artist rendering of Controlled Thermal Resources’ Stage 1 Hell’s Kitchen lithium and power project. CREDIT CONTROLLED THERMAL RESOURCES

Lithium is crucial for greening transportation and energy networks. Let’s make mining it greener, too.

aterials made from the soft, silvery-white metal such as lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are essential ingredients for the cathode and electrolyte of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage applications, ranging from residential systems of a few kilowatt-hours to multi-megawatt electric grid technologies. Demand for lithium is set to soar as auto manufacturers move toward EVs, with many countries including Canada, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K., announcing a phase-out of internal combustion engine cars. According to a World Bank report, “Minerals for Climate Action: The Mineral intensity of the Clean Energy Transition,” five times more lithium than is mined currently will be needed by 2050 to meet the expected demand for clean energy technologies. Yet despite lithium’s importance to a greener energy future, there are considerable environmental impacts from obtaining APRIL 2022

lithium using conventional extraction methods. These include carbon emissions, water loss, ground destabilisation, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, contaminated soil, and toxic waste. Presently, most lithium comes from spodumene (hard silicate mineral) or underground brine reservoirs. Extracting lithium from these resources generally involves two methods. Traditional hard rock mining can be expensive and requires a lot of energy that releases significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, consumes large volumes of water, and produces toxic waste streams typically containing salts, surfactants, organic extractants, and solvents. Five of the world’s largest spodumene mines are in Western Australia, including the Greenbushes mine, the world’s highest-grade lithium mine, operated by Talison Lithium Australia . The second method involves pumping salty, mineral-rich CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 29

GREEN LITHIUM brines to the surface from below dried salt flats (called salars) and then leaving it to evaporate, which creates a mixture of manganese, potassium, borax, and lithium salts. The process can take between 12 to 18 months, with the lithium extracted as lithium carbonate. This can be converted into lithium hydroxide through an additional chemical process. Although generally more economical than hard rock mining, the brine process uses vast amounts of water, is chemically intensive, employing a series of solvents and reagents to isolate the lithium from impurities like magnesium, generates large volumes of waste, and is extremely slow. Around two-thirds of global lithium production currently comes from brines in an area known as the lithium triangle – an arid region of the Andes mountains that encompasses parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The area includes the 3,000-sq.-km Salar de Atacama in Chile, which is estimated to have lithium resources of 6.3 million tonnes. Two of the world’s leading lithium producers, SQMand Albemarle, operate there. (It is estimated that mining activities in the Salar de Atacama consume about 65% of the region’s water supply.) Geothermal lithium brines containing hot, concentrated saline solutions and advances in technologies such as direct lithium extraction (DLE) and nanotechnology-based lithium extraction solutions, however, promise a lower-cost and more environmentally sustainable supply of lithium.

Geothermal lithium brines

While geothermal lithium brines currently make up only about 3% of known global lithium resources, extracting lithium from geothermal waters has a minuscule environmental footprint compared to hard rock mining and salars. The Salton Sea in Southern California is the largest-known geothermal lithium brine resource globally. According to David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission, the area “has the potential to supply 40% of global lithium demand … [and] will allow for the greenest way to recover lithium that exists in the world.” Working in the Salton Sea geothermal field in Imperial alley is Controlled Thermal Resources. The privately-held Australian company is advancing its Hell’s Kitchen lithium and power Ghada Nafie, CEO of Litus, holding a lithium salt product produced by its LiNC technology. CREDIT LITUS

30 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Geothermal power plant at Vulcan Energy Resources, Germany. CREDIT VULCAN ENERGY RESOURCES

project, which will combine DLE with renewable geothermal energy to produce an environmentally sustainable source of lithium and renewably generated electricity. Rod Colwell, Controlled Thermal Resource’s CEO, says the project “will not only provide a significant supply of battery grade lithium to meet the expected increase in demand, but the project also offers an environmentally Francis Wedin (left) and Horst Kreuter, co-founders of sustainable source of lithium Vulcan Energy. when compared to pit mining CREDIT VULCAN ENERGY RESOURCES and evaporation ponds.” At full production, the Salton Sea project will have a capacity of 300,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year and a power output of 1,100 MW of clean geothermal energy. According to Colwell, Hell’s Kitchen will use a closed-loop system that first pumps hot brine (at over from below the ground and then separates it into steam – a portion of which is used to drive a turbine to produce electricity – and concentrated brine. The brine and remaining steam react to produce lithium chloride for conversion to lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, with the spent steam and brine returned to the ground. “The process is much more cost-effective than conventional lithium extraction, produces high quality lithium products within hours with virtually zero carbon emissions, doesn’t use any solvents, leaves no tailings, and produces 100% renewably generated electricity that can be exported to the grid. Hell’s Kitchen will have a minimal physical footprint too and will eliminate the need for offshore processing of lithium,” Colwell added. The project has a total inferred resource of 15 million tonnes of lithium carbonate. olwell says the first MW

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of baseload power will be delivered in late and the first , tonnes of lithium hydroxide in the first quarter of . In 2020, Controlled Thermal Resources signed a power purchase agreement with Imperial Irrigation District to supply 40 MW of renewable power over 25 years. Last July, the company also formed a strategic investment and commercial collaboration with General Motors to provide the U.S. auto manufacturer with battery grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide for its EVs. “We are also in talks with other U.S. carmakers and OEMs that are seeking to secure a domestic supply of sustainably sourced lithium products,” Colwell said. Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy also plans to extract lithium from brine at its geothermal operations in the Salton Sea. In Europe, German-Australian firm ulcan Energy esources is also developing a combined geothermal lithium brine and geothermal power project. The company is advancing its Zero Carbon lithium project in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley – considered the largest lithium resource in Europe – and plans to provide lithium products for the European EV market. Using a similar approach to that employed by Controlled Thermal Resource, Vulcan plans to produce “a unique, premium, battery quality [lithium] hydroxide product for EVs, with a zero-carbon footprint,” says Francis Wedin, Vulcan’s co-founder and CEO, in an email. “The Zero Carbon lithium project will have the highest environmental performance, with the lowest impacts of any lithium project anywhere in the world.”

According to an analysis by raw materials experts Minviro for Vulcan, hard rock mining releases 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per tonne of lithium hydroxide at a cost of US$6,855 per tonne, and five tonnes of O2 per tonne of lithium hydroxide at US$5,872 per tonne from brine reservoirs. In contrast, extracting lithium from geothermal brines releases zero CO2 emissions at only US$3,140 per tonne. It’s a similar story for water consumption. Minviro estimates that for every tonne of lithium hydroxide extracted by hard rock mining, 170 m3 of water are consumed, which and rises to 469 m3 per tonne from brines. Lithium extracted from geothermal brines at the Zero Carbon project consume only 80 m3 of water per tonne. In addition to a smaller carbon and water footprint, extracting lithium from the project will also have a much lower physical footprint compared to hard rock mining or extraction from salars, reports Minviro. Their analysis showed that 464 m2 of land is needed to produce one tonne of lithium hydroxide from hard rock mining and a whopping 3,124 m2 per tonne for salars. This figure drops to only 6.0 m2 land per tonne from the Zero Carbon project. Minviro also conducted a life cycle assessment for lithium produced from the project. The study showed that it would produce lithium monohydrate with a carbon footprint of negative 2.9 tonnes of CO2 per tonne. Wedin says that this negative CO2 emission intensity “is a product of the significant impact of the carbon offset generated by renewable geothermal energy production process and the use of geothermal heat to drive lithium processing. This is CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

medatech.ca Serving Customers Worldwide APRIL 2022

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 31

GREEN LITHIUM underpinned by our industry leading move to strictly exclude fossil fuels as an energy source for Vulcan’s planned operations.” This year, the company plans to complete hase of a definitive feasibility study and is targeting the first commercial production in 2024, with 15,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year. In addition, a planned second stage of expansion, slated for 2025, would add 25,000 tonnes of capacity per year for a total annual production of 40,000 tonnes of battery grade lithium hydroxide. “Our binding, definitive lithium offtake agreements with Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, Umicore and Renault Group, and most recently with LG Energy Solution, ensures we have a diversified mix of off-takers from the cathode, battery, and automotive sectors,” Wedin said. Cornish Lithium is also working on plans to extract lithium from geothermal brines. The company said that it has found “globally significant” lithium grades in deep geothermal waters at its United Downs deep geothermal power project near Redruth in Cornwall, England.

Nanotechnology

Spun-out of the University of Calgary in 2019, Litus Energy and Environmental Solutions has developed a nanotechnology-based lithium extraction technology to extract lithium from salars and geothermal brines. The patent-pending LiNC technology uses a nanotechnol-

ogy composite material “that has an extremely high selectivity and absorption rate for lithium ions in brines solutions even in the presence of high concentrations of competing ions such as sodium, magnesium, and calcium,” says Ghada afie, co-founder and CEO of Litus. “This extreme selectivity allows for much higher lithium recovery, with recoveries up to 95%. The process is also very rapid and eliminates the need for several steps used in conventional evaporation ponds, significantly reducing the cost of extracting lithium from brines.” According to afie, the i technology is highly energy e cient and has a small carbon footprint, leaves the brine virtually unchanged, uses significantly fewer chemical reagents, and generates minimal waste. “The technology would extract more lithium from brine sources more e ciently, more sustainably, and more economically than conventional methods.” Litus has partnered with Canadian lithium brine explorer HeliosX Lithium & Technologies, formerly Dajin Lithium. HelixosX is evaluating the LiNC technology as a potential DLE solution for its lithium brine assets in Alberta, which includes over 125,453 hectares of prospective lithium rights. HelixosX is conducting a prefeasibility design for a pilot facility in Alberta in 2023. Another Calgary-based tech start-up Summit Nanotech is developing its denaLi technology that also uses nanotechnology to improve lithium extraction from brines. CMJ

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MARCH 2022 | VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 3

ON THE MOVE

Canadian Mining Journal | April 2022

Articles inside

IN MY MINE(D) | SRK Consulting offers practical tips on tailings as part of ESG

UNEARTHING TRENDS | Alex Morrison looks at improved sustainability for the steel sector.

CSR & MINING | Carolyn Burns explains how to account for tailings in the new ESG reporting requirements.

ON THE MOVE | Tracking executive, management and board changes in Canada’s mining sector.

LAW | How taxation figures into investing (with a little help from The Beatles