Ministère Des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune (MNRF) in Québec has provided the mining license to Canada Lithium for its Québec Lithium Project, located near Val d'Or.
Inside the mill building
The company has declared that this project meets the critical path schedule dates continuously and stays on target for the capital expenditure of $207 million. The company is looking forward to commission spodumene processing facility and mine at the end of this year to produce first lithium carbonate by the end of the Q1 of next year.
More than 20% of the site construction work has been completed. GENIVAR, an EPCM contractor has equipped the whole processing facility with electrical and mechanical components. The company has recently brought ball mills, crushers, hydrometallurgical parts and kilns to the site. The company has made fixed tenders, firms’ contracts and comprehensive supply orders for around 50% of the planned capital expenses.
The company has recently obtained approvals for the location of mill site, waste dumps and the tailings management facility (TMF), previous to the receipt of mining license. The company expects many other permits that include the TMF’s operating permit. The mining fleet mainly containing dozers, excavators and haul trucks is present on-site. As per the schedule, the company will begin pre-stripping of the ore body and the pit area during late July.
The company will carry out the open-pit operation to explore ore of around 1 Mt per annum in order to produce about 20,000 t of lithium carbonate, which can be used to make batteries.