MINING LABRADOR NEWFOUNDLAND. and. Winter 2018

Transcription

1 MINING NEWFOUNDLAND and Winter 2018 in LABRADOR Winter 2018

2 TABLE of CONTENTS Mineral Development Review...1 Producing Mines...2 Developing Properties...11 Inactive Mines...11 Map...13 Geologist - Geological Survey

3 MINERAL DEVELOPMENT REVIEW With its significant shipment values and employment contribution, the Newfoundland and Labrador mineral industry continues to be a key economic driver in the province. This year, developing projects, such as Tacora Resources reactivation of the Scully Mine, and Canada Fluorspar s St. Lawrence Project, are expected to begin production, adding to the list of producing operations in the province. $ Millions 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 Gross Value of Mineral Shipments Non-Metals Other Metals Copper Nickel Iron Ore The gross value of mineral shipments for Newfoundland and Labrador is forecast to total $3.4 billion in This reflects a 5.7 per cent decrease from the 2017 estimated gross value and is primarily the result of a decrease in the value of iron-ore shipments. Mineral industry employment in 2018 is projected to be 6,111 person years. This is a 14.6 per cent increase from the 2017 estimated 5,335 person years. The increase is partly attributed to an increase in employment related to the developing projects p 2014e 2015e 2016e 2017e 2018f Sources: Department of Natural Resources and NRCan p: Preliminary; e: Estimate; f: Forecast Person Years 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 Mining Average Employment Operations and Construction Construction Operations p 2014e 2015e 2016e 2017e 2018f Note: Since 2012, Construction employment is segregated Sources: Department of Natural Resources and NRCan p: Preliminary; e: Estimate; f: Forecast Mineral Exploration Winter

4 PRODUCING MINES Vale Newfoundland and Labrador Limited Vale Newfoundland and Labrador Limited (VNL) operates a mine and mill in Voisey s Bay, and a hydromet nickel processing plant at Long Harbour. The mine started operations in 2005, and produces both nickel and copper concentrates. Through the first three quarters of 2017, VNL reported production of 32,700 tonnes of nickel, 24,300 tonnes of copper, and 1,030 tonnes of cobalt from Voisey s Bay. Construction at the Long Harbour Processing Plant (LHPP) was completed in November The LHPP is currently in month 14 of an estimated twoyear ramp up to nameplate capacity. Production at the LHPP reached a record of 8,300 tonnes in the third quarter of 2017, 15.3 per cent higher than in the previous second quarter of the same year. In July 2017, the plant successfully reached 75 per cent of monthly nameplate capacity. Estimated employment for all aspects of the Voisey s Bay Project, including the mine and processing plant, is anticipated to be 2,265 person years in The Voisey s Bay Mine Expansion (VBME) Project is on hold as parent company Vale S.A. has placed its Base Metals Business, which includes all Voisey s Bay operations, in review, referencing poor business performance due to depressed market conditions. Work surrounding the VBME Project has not ceased altogether; however, during the review period no new contracts will be approved. Voisey s Bay Ovoid Pit Photo Credit: Vale Newfoundland and Labrdor Limited 2 Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

5 Iron Ore Company of Canada The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is one of Canada s largest iron ore producers, operating a mine, concentrator and pellet plant at Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador. IOC first began mining iron ore in the Schefferville / Menihek area of Québec and Labrador in 1954, expanding to Labrador West in 1962 where it has been producing at the Carol Lake project ever since. IOC is strategically situated to serve the markets of the Great Lakes from its year-round port facilities at Sept-Îles, Québec. A 418 kilometre rail line, Québec North Shore and Labrador Railway, links the mine to the port and facilitates the shipment of iron ore destined to markets throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. IOC has begun development of the $79 million Wabush 3 Project. The Wabush 3 Project is a new open pit that will allow flexibility in providing iron ore feed to its existing concentrator to achieve production at the mill s rated capacity. Wabush 3 will provide a new source of iron ore to extend the operating life of its Carol Project. IOC mines ore from multiple open pits and has added the Sherwood North Pit to maintain production levels until the new Wabush 3 Pit becomes fully operational. In addition to these activities, IOC has registered the Magy Pit extension project for environmental assessment to support its ongoing operations. Magy Pit is part of the existing Humphrey South mining area and the extension covers approximately 25 hectares of land. As part of the extension, existing waste rock and the on-site processing facility will be used. Contractors will aid in the pit development, but IOC workers will do the mining. Once all approvals are in place, the company hopes the project will be underway by July 1, IOC Haul Truck Photo Credit: Iron Ore Company of Canada IOC has ore reserves sufficient for approximately 26 years at the current rate of production. Production capacity at site is 23.3 million tonnes of concentrate of which over 13 million tonnes can be pelletized. Total concentrate production in the first three quarters of 2017 was 15.4 million tonnes. Annual operating employment in Labrador for 2018 is estimated at 1,925 person years. IOC, Carol Lake Project Photo Credit: Iron Ore Company of Canada Winter

6 Tata Steel Minerals Canada Ltd. Tata Steel Minerals Canada (TSMC) operates a high-grade iron ore mine in the Menihek area of northwestern Labrador and is a joint venture between Tata Steel of India (77.68 per cent), a large global steel producer; Ressources Québec (18 per cent), the Government of Québec investment agency; and New Millennium Iron Corp. (4.32 per cent), a Canadian junior mining company. Nine open pits in Labrador and two in Québec are to be developed over a 12 year mine life. First production occurred in September TSMC s iron ore deposits are Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) with processing requirements of crushing and screening to produce a marketable product of sinter fines. A total of 59 million tonnes of reserves have been measured for the project. In addition, the company has ten NI compliant resource estimates totalling 78 million tonnes (Measured, Indicated and Inferred). On April 9, 2017, TSMC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Société du Plan Nord (SPN) and Québec Iron Ore (a Champion Iron subsidiary) agreeing to develop and manage industrial facilities at Pointe-Noire in Sept- Îles. The investment will create facilities that can handle the largest iron ore carriers in the world and facilitate the shipment of iron ore from the Labrador Trough to global customers. Construction began in July, 2017 on a $15 million conveyor that gives access to the multi-user dock in the port of Sept-Îles. TSMC plans to develop the Howse property in Labrador. This DSO deposit will be a low capital mining venture and will use TSMC s adjacent infrastructure. Open-pit drill and blast mining will be used and extracted ore will be crushed and screened on site. Ore will be trucked less than 5 km to TSMC s rail loop, and railed to Sept-Îles. The company has estimated an 11 year mine life. Howse Minerals Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of TSMC based in St. John s, was created for the purpose of developing the Howse property. The project, conditionally released from provincial EA, is still undergoing federal environmental assessment with CEAA currently reviewing public comments to finalize the Environmental Assessment Report. Atlantic Minerals Limited Atlantic Minerals Limited (AML) is located at Lower Cove on the Port au Port Peninsula and is a producer of chemical grade limestone, chemical grade dolomite and construction aggregates. AML has processing and shipping facilities on site and has been operating for over twenty years. This operation is projected to generate 120 person years of employment in Tata Steel - Kivivic 2 Pit Lorem Ipsum lorem Ipsum Photo Credit: Tata Steel Minerals Canada Limited 4 AML is extending existing quarrying activities into the White Hills area over the next 25 years. The project was released from environmental assessment in August, The annual total production rate will increase from two million tonnes a year to approximately three Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

7 Lower Cove Quarry - Atlantic Minerals Limited million tonnes per year. The anticipated labour requirements during the construction phase of the quarry extension will be approximately 64 contract workers. The expansion would extend existing operations for approximately 25 years based on the estimated annual production rate. Anaconda Mining Inc. Anaconda Mining Inc. (Anaconda) operates the Point Rousse Project near Ming s Bight on the Baie Verte Peninsula. The project consists of the Pine Cove gold mine and mill, the Stog er Tight Deposit, the Argyle Deposit and approximately 5,800 hectares of prospective gold-bearing property. Anaconda is also advancing the Goldboro project in Nova Scotia. In 2018, Anaconda expects to generate 95 person years of employment. Anaconda expects to complete mining in the main pit at Pine Cove in the later part of the first Winter 2018 quarter of 2018, after which the operation will transition into development of the Stog er Tight Deposit. Based on the NI filed in 2015, Stog er Tight is estimated to contain indicated mineral resources of 204,100 tonnes containing 23,540 ounces of gold. Anaconda entered into an agreement with junior gold exploration company, Orex Exploration Inc. (Orex) on May 19, Orex s principal property at Goldboro in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, consists of 37 contiguous claims (600 hectares), of which Orex has owned a 100 per cent interest since Anaconda expects to accelerate the development of the project by barging ore to Pine Cove for processing and this is expected to lower project capital costs. On January 17, 2018, Anaconda published a preliminary economic assessment of the Goldboro project, highlighting positive economics for the project. Continued exploration work is taking place to determine Goldboro s mineral expansion potential. 5

8 Pine Cove Pit - Anaconda Mining Inc 6 Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

9 In June 2017, Anaconda received $2 million in funding from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation (TCII) in support of an innovative approach to mining narrow vein deposits. The ACOA loan of $1.5 million through the Atlantic Innovation Fund is conditionally repayable upon the success of the project. The $520,000 received through the Provincial GeoEXPLORE program is a grant. The funds will help establish a research and development project that will prototype and optimize a new technology that can cost-effectively mine steeply dipping narrow gold veins such as the Romeo and Juliet deposits near Pine Cove. In an effort to increase mineable reserves beyond 2019, Anaconda is focusing on its Viking Project and Argyle Deposit. On January 8, 2018, Anaconda released an initial Mineral Resource Estimate (NI ) for Argyle. The estimate highlighted an indicated resource of 543,000 tonnes containing 38,300 ounces of gold and an inferred resource of 517,000 tonnes containing 30,300 ounces of gold. Anaconda is optimistic about Argyle and is continuing additional drilling to further define the extent and distribution of the resource. Rambler Metals and Mining Canada Limited Rambler Metals and Mining Canada Limited (RMM) owns and operates the underground Ming copper-gold mine and Nugget Pond mill located on the Baie Verte Peninsula and a port facility at Goodyear s Cove. Rambler Ming Mine Portal Photo Credit: Rambler Metals and Mining Canada Limited Winter

10 Rambler, Goodyears Cove, Concentrate Storage and Shipping Photo Credit : Rambler Metals and Mining Canada Limited RMM released its operating metrics for the third quarter of 2017 on November 20, The Nugget Pond mill produced 3,681 tonnes of copper concentrate during the quarter, containing 1,005 tonnes of saleable copper and 923 ounces of saleable gold. RMM expects to generate 185 person years of employment in 2018, the same level as the previous year. RMM is continuing the transition from its Phase I high-grade, massive sulphide Ming Mine to Phase II integration with low-grade ore from the Lower Footwall Zone (LFZ). RMM s goal is to increasingly blend amounts of LFZ ore with the massive sulphides from the Ming Mine to increase production to at least 1,250 tonnes per day. During November 2017, the Nugget Pond mill averaged production of 1,221 tonnes per day. The LFZ project will extend the life of the mine to The Phase II expansion is fully funded through an investment from CE Mining II Roma Limited, and a repayable contribution from ACOA s Business Development Program. Upon 8 execution of Phase II, RMM will subsequently transition the operation into Phase III, with the goal to increase production and mill throughput to 2,000 tonnes per day. On June 27, 2017, RMM announced the commencement of an exploration drilling program targeting the depth extension of both the LFZ and the Ming South massive sulphide zone beyond the known mineralized trend. Results from the second hole drilled were released in November, and demonstrate that the LFZ mineralization does continue beyond the company s defined mineral reserves and increases in grade and thickness with depth. RMM will continue with this exploration work. Barite Mud Services Inc. Barite Mud Services Inc. produces a high-grade barite. Barite is extracted by dredging from ASARCO s historic tailings pond in Buchans and processing the tailings on site. The product Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

11 is sold into the local offshore oil and gas exploration industry. Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of tailings will be reprocessed to yield an annual production of 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes of barite for 15 years. The operation has winter constraints and employs 12 people seasonally plus 4 full time employees. Hi-Point Industries (1991) Ltd. Hi-Point Industries (1991) Ltd. is a local manufacturer of quality environmental and horticultural peat products. Its patented Oclansorb is an organic, nontoxic, nonabrasive, lightweight industrial oil absorbent used worldwide as a first response for handling hydrocarbon spills. Oclansorb is made from naturally occurring blonde sphagnum peat moss harvested near Bishop s Falls. The operation expects to generate 22 person years of employment in Galen Gypsum Mines Limited The Coal Brook Gypsum deposit is located in the St. George s Bay area of western Newfoundland and is currently owned by Galen Gypsum Mines Limited (Galen). Galen restarted gypsum mining operations in July 2017 after production was last recorded at the mine in Galen s seasonal gypsum operation is projected to generate 20 weeks of employment per year for eight workers. This equates to three person years of employment per year. Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. The Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. (CFI) project, located in St. Lawrence, consists of open pit and potential underground mines, a concentrator, waste rock piles and a man-made tailings facility with sufficient storage for the ten year mine life. Harvesting Peat - Hi-Point Industries (1991) Ltd. Winter

12 Canada Fluorspar Road from Grebes Nest Pit to Mill Photo Credit: Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. Construction began in early 2016 and is now considered complete. Project capital costs were estimated at approximately $250 million. Mining will begin with the development of the open pit mine known as the AGS Vein, producing up to 200,000 tonnes of fluorspar concentrate per year. The project will generate 141 person years of employment in CFI anticipates that production will commence in the near term. On March 9, 2017, CFI accepted a repayable loan of $17 million from TCII, to assist the company in advancing the project. In addition, on March 15, 2017, the federal government announced a spending commitment of $5 million 10 to the CFI project. The repayable contribution is being provided through ACOA s Business Development Program, and will help CFI with the acquisition and installation of processing equipment at the mine. Trinity Resources Ltd. Trinity Resources Ltd. is a privately held company operating the pyrophyllite mine and milling operation located in Conception Bay South. It also sells waste rock for use as aggregates in white cement. The company ships product from its own six-acre ship loading facility located within 6 km of the mine, and expects to generate 15 person years of employment in Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

13 DEVELOPING PROPERTIES Tacora Resources Inc. On July 19, 2017, Tacora Resources Inc. (Tacora) announced that it closed the acquisition of assets associated with the Scully Mine, located in Wabush, Labrador through the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process. The mine was formerly owned by Cliffs Natural Resources who idled the mine in February 2014 and closed it in October of the same year. Tacora is an iron ore mining and development company focused on the acquisition and revitalization of iron ore assets. Tacora proposes to reactivate the Scully mine and mill and, once in full operation, produce six million tonnes of concentrate annually. Tacora has entered into a long term (five-year) offtake agreement with Cargill, an international metals supply chain company, for 100 per cent of its concentrate product. Iron ore concentrate will be sold as feed for sinter plants and pelletizing plants. On February 5, 2018, Tacora filed for an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The company estimates that restarting the mine will require $205.5 million in capital expenditures. Aside from the equity raised from the IPO, Tacora is also planning to raise money via debt markets. Production is expected in the fourth quarter of Mineral reserves are estimated at million tonnes at an average grade of 34.8 per cent iron and 2.58 per cent manganese Manpower requirements are projected to vary over the life of mine with operations personnel ranging from 128 to a peak of 147 and mine maintenance varying from 48 to 67. Geology and engineering jobs remain steady at eight and nine respectively. INACTIVE MINES Teck Duck Pond Operations Teck Duck Pond Operations (Teck) officially closed on June 30, The mine started producing copper and zinc concentrates in 2007 and exhausted the mineral reserves over an eight year mine life as originally planned. The project was located approximately 30 km southeast of Millertown and consisted of two small open pits, an underground mine, a concentrator (mill), tailings facilities and a 100-person operations camp. Concentrate was trucked to a storage and shipping facility in St. George s and sold to smelters in North America and overseas. At its peak, the mine employed over 350 people. Rehabilitation of the mine site has started and will be completed by 2018 followed by a period of environmental monitoring. A joint closure committee is made up of representatives from Teck, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment. Current plans are for the mill to remain and be maintained in care and maintenance. If the mill is repurposed it will be available in good condition for future use. Conserving the mill is an effort to create new employment and economic opportunities in the area. Winter

14 Labrador Iron Mines Ltd Labrador Iron Mines Limited (LIM) has not undertaken any mining operations since 2014, initially due to continued operating losses followed by low iron ore prices. The company owns the Houston deposit that has a compliant resource estimate of 40.6 million tonnes grading 57.6 per cent iron. LIM is focused on care and maintenance of its mineral properties. LIM has maintained its mineral claims in good standing, has carried out progressive rehabilitation work as required, and has continued to conserve cash through minimal expenditures. Once financing is secured and economics are suitable, LIM maintains it will resume operations. Beaver Brook Antimony Mine Inc. Beaver Brook Antimony Mine Inc. ceased production in late 2012 at its mine near Glenwood. A combination of falling commodity prices, lower than expected ore grades and high operating costs led to the operation being placed into care and maintenance mode. The mine employed more than a hundred people at full production with the operation of a 450 tonne per day mill. The company remains hopeful that operations will restart once ore prices improve. Nine people are still employed at the operation, working in maintenance, geological, financial and security roles. Labrador Iron Mines (Idled -2013) Photo Credit: Labrador Iron Mines Ltd. 12 Mining in Newfoundland and Labrador

15 Winter

16 Cover Photo: I ron Ore Company of Canada - Mine at Night Photo Credit: Iron Ore Company of Canada Key Contacts Minister Deputy Minister Assistant Deputy Minister Director, Mineral Lands Director, Mineral Development Director, Geological Survey Mining Industry Facilitator Natural Resources Mines Branch Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 50 Elizabeth Avenue P.O. Box 8700 St. John s, NL A1B 4J6 gov.nl.ca/nr/mines