お知らせ • Jan 11
Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. Issues Positive Results of Its Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Uatnan Mining Project
Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. in collaboration with Mason Graphite Inc. released the results of a preliminary economic assessment, according to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”), for a new project covering Mason Graphite’s Lac Guéret graphite deposit, the Uatnan mining project located in Québec, Canada. The PEA, conducted by engineering firms BBA Inc. (“BBA”) and GoldMinds Geoservices Inc., shows strong economics for NMG’s updated operational parameters and production volumes targeting the production of approximately 500,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per annum over a 24-year life of mine (“LOM”). The proposed Uatnan Mining Project is currently one of the largest projected natural graphite productions in the world as battery and electric vehicle (“EV”) manufacturers seek local alternatives for sourcing their graphite-based solutions amidst growing demand and a projected structural deficit of production as of this year as supported by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (December 2022). PEA Results: Uncovering the Potential of the Uatnan Mining Project: NMG and its consultants revisited all components of Mason Graphite’s original mining project to align the development of the Lac Guéret graphite deposit with today’s market opportunity and potential customers’ requirements. The most recent technical report from Mason Graphite planned for a production of 51,900 tonnes of graphite concentrate per annum, with the concentrator and tailings storage facility located offsite in the town of Baie-Comeau, approximately 285 km to the south by road from the mining operations. The PEA optimizes the Mineral Resources and aims to expand the original mining project tenfold by targeting the production of approximately 500,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per annum, entirely destined for the anode material manufacturing market. The concentrator has been relocated to be near the deposit with electrical needs that could be sourced from the Manic-5 hydroelectric power station, located 70 km away. In line with NMG’s responsible mining approach, plans include progressive site closure with backfilling of the pit with waste rock as much as possible. Additional characterization of waste rock and tailings will be included in the next engineering phase to select proper tailings and waste rock management technologies. Existing baseline studies will be updated based on the study area to identify any environmental issues, evaluate potential impacts and develop alternatives for the Uatnan Mining Project. Commercial parameters were set using current projections of pricing prepared by a third-party expert for flake concentrate. The Property The Uatnan property presently consists of 74 map-designated claims totalling 3,999.52 hectares (“ha”), wholly owned (100%) by Mason Graphite. The Uatnan Mining Project lies within Nitassinan, the Innu of Pessamit’s ancestral territory and the Rivière-aux-Outardes municipality located in the Côte-Nord administrative region, Québec, Canada, approximately 220 km as the crow flies, north northwest of the closest community, the town of Baie-Comeau. The Uatnan Mining Project is accessible by road 389 and then by following Class 1 forestry roads. Exploration work on the Uatnan property targeted graphite mineralization and consists to date of airborne geophysics, prospecting, ground geophysics, trenching/channel sampling and core drilling. Bulk surface samples and core samples were also collected for metallurgical and geomechanical tests. Exploration work uncovered significant crystalline flake graphite mineralization, ultimately leading to the identification of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Due to significant changes to the project scope, as mentioned above, it was decided that the Uatnan Mining Project would revert to a Preliminary Economic Assessment level. Mining: The mining method selected for the Uatnan Mining Project is a conventional open pit, truck and shovel, drill, and blast operation. Topsoil and overburden would be stripped and stockpiled for future reclamation use. The mineralization and waste rock would be mined with 9-m high benches, drilled, blasted, and loaded into 60-tonne rigid-frame haul trucks with backhoe excavators. The mine would be operated by an owner fleet, seven days per week, 24 hours per day and be comprised of a four-crew system working on a two-week in, two-week out rotation. NMG intends to deploy a zero-emission operating strategy with a battery-powered fleet of haul trucks and electric equipment as the technology becomes available. The main difference between the two flowsheets, apart from the increased plant capacity, is the intended end-use of the material. Given that 100% of the graphite concentrate produced from the Uatnan Mining Project is destined for the battery market, preserving flake sizes is no longer considered in the processing route. Given this consideration, the flowsheet was simplified by reducing the number of both polishing and cleaner flotation stages from four to two. This change minimizes the number of grinding mills and flotation cells required, reducing both the capital and operating costs for the Uatnan Mining Project. The resulting concentrate undergoes a final deliming stage to remove low-grade minus 20-micron particles to maximize the final concentrate grade. The concentrator tailings are filtered and delivered to the tailings storage facility. The concentrate is filtered and dried before being trucked 285 km to Baie-Comeau for transport to market. Next Steps and Quality Assurance The PEA shows that the Uatnan Mining Project is technically feasible as well as economically viable. It further strengthens NMG’s active commercial discussions and the Company’s plans for growth through a Phase-3 expansion. On the basis of these positive results, NMG intends to launch an updated feasibility study in compliance with the option and joint venture agreement signed with Mason Graphite. The Uatnan Mining Project will have to go through the process of the Government of Québec’s Environment Quality Act with the objective of obtaining a ministerial decree. NMG is committed to extending its approach of open and proactive engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local stakeholders to the Uatnan Mining Project. The Company plans to maintain a transparent dialogue with the Innu First Nation of Pessamit as it advances the project development to ensure the respect of their rights, the protection of the environment, their culture, way of life and spirituality, as well as the inclusion of their perspective, and traditional knowledge. NMG also pledges to expand its relationships with stakeholders from all horizons to foster mechanisms for collaboration and shape a project generating shared value.