Canadian Mining Journal April 2021

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BATTERY ISSUE

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New BEV equipment Canada’s biggest battery mineral projects Tesla’s best-laid plans

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APRIL 2021 | www.canadianminingjournal.com | PM # 40069240

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CANADIANMINING

APRIL 2021 VOL. 142, NO.3

JOURNAL

FEATURES 12 Costmine models shed light on how to choose between conventional

CMJ

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and mechanical cut-and-fill mining methods.

ESG

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16 An analysis by Skarn Associates reveals that Canada has an edge in low-carbon mineral production.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

BATTERY METALS

20 MINING.COM executive editor Frik Els takes a look at how much metal Tesla will actually need to meet its ambitious production plans.

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23 CMJ and Mining Intelligence highlight Canada’s top undeveloped battery projects.

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES 27 A rundown of recent BEV news and product releases. Plus, suppliers share what’s next in the pipeline.

34 ADA Technologies tackles the issue of cascading thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries.

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DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITORIAL | An electrifying time.

5 CSR & MINING | Carolyn Burns of the Devonshire Initiative interviews recent recipient of the 2021 Business Changemakers award, Jamile Cruz, on inclusion and diversity in mining.

6 LAW | What miners need to know about the changing international investment treaty landscape to protect their assets.

8 UNEARTHING TRENDS | EY’s Jon Wojnicki discusses how miners can determine the best ways to deploy cash flow, post-pandemic.

9 FAST NEWS | Updates from across the mining ecosystem.

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

www.canadianminingjournal.com APRIL 2021

ABOUT THE COVER

Epiroc’s Scooptram ST14 battery powered loader.

Coming in May 2021 Canadian Mining Journal looks at the digital mine and automation. Plus, feature reports on mining software and communications technology.

For More Information

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 www.digital.canadianminingjournal.com

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

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FROM THE EDITOR APRIL 2021 Vol. 142 – No. 3

CANADIANMINING Welcome to the battery issue Alisha Hiyate

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hen it began last March, the Covid-19 pandemic derailed all of our lives. But one thing it didn’t derail is the global shift toward electrification.

In fact, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, which closely follows demand and supply in the lithium-ion battery supply chain, says that its demand forecast for battery metals is higher now than it was pre-pandemic, thanks to stimulus spending that’s been directed towards supporting electrification, clean energy and electric vehicles.

“The stimulus efforts that were put into place coming out of the pandemic mean the longer-term trajectory for the market has actually strengthened over the past twelve months,” said Andy Miller, product director of Benchmark Minerals Intelligence at this year’s virtual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention.

While there was a marginal dip in 2020 battery materials demand as measured against the pre-pandemic forecasts, Miller says a rebound that started in mid-2020 with demand from China has spread to include the rest of the world, particularly the European Union.

“This diversification of demand is really going to be a story for the coming decade,” he predicted.

There are, of course, several potential flies in the ointment on the road to decarbonization – availability of materials being one of the primary challenges.

Benchmark estimates that massive investment is needed in order to meet projected demand in 2030 – upwards of US$39 billion worth for nickel (US$50 billion for nickel and cobalt combined), US$24 billion for lithium, and US$13 billion for natural flake graphite.

Manufacturers and other downstream participants in the supply chain – who normally vastly underestimate the time for mine supply to respond to demand – are waking up to the issue.

“You’re seeing a lot more companies downstream, whether it be at the OEM level or the battery producer level, taking serious steps to secure their supply chains upstream because they’re aware of the impending shortages in these markets,” Miller said.

In this issue of CMJ, Frik Els, executive editor of MINING.COM, lays out quite nicely the challenge ahead for just one EV manufacturer – Tesla – as it plans to ramp up production over the next nine years (page 20).

We also look at BEV demand from operating mines – some of which supply battery minerals. As miners accelerate their transition away from diesel, mining OEMs report that the interest in and demand for BEVs has only grown during the pandemic. They report that this interest is not only global, but it also includes both large and smaller miners. For a rundown of some of their new battery equipment offerings, see page 27.

How does Canada fit into the picture? Skarn Associates’ analysis of Canada’s mining sector shows we have a unique advantage in terms of low carbon intensity mineral production (page 16). CMJ and Mining Intelligence also take a look at some of the biggest undeveloped battery minerals projects in Canada on page 23.

CMJ

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MINING JOURNAL

225 Duncan Mill Rd. Suite 320, Toronto, Ontario M3B 3K9 JOURNAL Tel. (416) 510-6789 Fax (416) 510-5138 www.canadianminingjournal.com Editor-in-Chief Alisha Hiyate 416-510-6742 ahiyate@canadianminingjournal.com Twitter: @Cdn_Mining_Jrnl

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News Editor Magda Gardner CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL mgardner@canadianminingjournal.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.: 1-800-387-2446 ext 3515 Group Publisher Anthony Vaccaro

Established 1882

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

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CSR & MINING

Driving systematic change to improve inclusion and diversity in mining

By Carolyn Burns This month, CMJ’s columnist on CSR and executive director of the Devonshire Initiative, Carolyn Burns, interviewed inclusion and diversity expert, Jamile Cruz.

Cruz is the founder and CEO of I&D 101 and recently received The Globe and Mail’s Business Changemakers award.

Carolyn Burns: You have a really interesting professional background. You’re an electrical engineer from Brazil and started your career in telecommunications. In 2006 you moved to Canada to work with Hatch and you’ve been a leader in the mining sector ever since. Now you work in inclusion and diversity and run your own consulting practice. You’ve also just been awarded the 2021 Business Changemakers award (congratulations!).

What was the transition from electrical engineer to inclusion and diversity expert like? What does this award mean to you?

Jamile Cruz: I believe that critical elements of the work I execute today were part of every career choice I have made.

I’ve always searched for challenging opportunities and constant change, and I’m lucky I found them. Every change brought new skills and required me to connect, adapt and innovate – and made me rethink ways of doing things. Continuous learning, innovation, and a focus on results are characteristics in most organizations I’ve been connected to, and it is definitely a strong pillar of I&D 101.

Engineering principles are part of my core approach. I am a problem solver, a strategist – a changemaker! This award is more than a professional or a business recognition. Being part of the Changemakers showcases inclusion and diversity (I&D) as a business priority, and shows that organizations want to take the next steps to improve their workplace culture.

APRIL 2021

CB: You’ve said before that your passion is to change work cultures to include ALL people. What makes the mining sector so interesting and relevant to this type of work? What is the challenge or opportunity that resonates the most in this sector?

JC: I didn’t choose a career in mining at first, but I chose to stay once I connected with the work. It can be fascinating. For example, my specialization, capital projects, enabled me to understand end-toend design, project life cycles, the need for structure and awareness around people and team behaviours, how to drive alignment from investment to engineering design to community engagement, how to design business cases, and get projects approved and to the finish line.

The opportunities in mining can be endless, but it is clear that they are not equitable. Opportunities in the sector rely on group membership – hence the challenge. The sector has identified a need for more innovation! And studies have shown that companies that reported above-average diversity (including gender, age, career path, etc.) on their management teams also reported revenue from new products and services that was 19% higher than that of companies with below-average leadership diversity. I choose to build more inclusive workplaces in mining because I want it to be more sustainable, innovative, responsible and safer.

CB: Why can’t we rely on organic change to shift work cultures in the mining sector?

JC: When an organization has a specific goal, relying on organic change is similar to expecting concrete results by just talking about the action plan. Building an inclusive culture and pushing towards a direct representation of our communities in the workforce, are complex challenges that require at least a systematic, if not dramatic,

JAMILE CRUZ

approach to change.

Advocating for an organic approach would be akin to abdicating leadership responsibility for I&D.

CB: How do we support a dramatic change? Where do we start? What are the most common systemic changes that we can drive to make workplaces inclusive for all?

JC: The recognition and acceptance that there are biases embedded in the systems, processes and behaviours displayed in our organizations is the starting point. For a culture of inclusion to exist, leadership has to model behaviours that clear the path for all employees to shine and to present their best selves to work. Everyone must participate to create workplaces where employees understand the value they create, feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to contribute effectively towards the organization’s goals.

Start by assessing the challenges that are part of your organization’s culture (values and behaviours), creating a strategy that aligns with your business goals, assigning roles and responsibilities at the right levels to drive the strategy, establishing metrics to measure the behaviour changes required, and creating and tracking I&D indicators. Invest in a structured approach, just as you would approach any other strategic priority that drives organizations to better business outcomes.

This isn’t an organic change, and there isn’t a magic pill. The creation of an inclusive culture requires an all-hands approach, with a clear story line that all employees can understand and that leaders are excited to own, and defined metrics placed to measure progress and allow for adjustments and corrections along the way. CM CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

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LAW

International investment regimes: A changing landscape

By Martin Valasek, Alison FitzGerald and Cara Dowling

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he global risk landscape for the mining sector is multifaceted and increasingly volatile. This is by virtue of the complexity of current and predicted global geopolitical and macroeconomic risks combined with the nature of the industry.

Mining investments are capital-intensive and long-term. The physical assets involved are enormously valuable and are frequently located in physically challenging environments. Assets are generally of strategic, political and economic importance to the host state and local communities. The sector in most jurisdictions is therefore unsurprisingly heavily regulated and invariably entails collaboration between mining investors and the state or state-owned entities and other local stakeholders.

As a result of all these factors, mining disputes are generally high-stake matters and rarely simple. Mitigating the risks of disputes must therefore be the keystone of any mining project.

Investors need to ensure mechanisms are in place to manage or transfer risk throughout the life cycle of the investment.

One critically important protective mechanism for Canadian investors in foreign mining sectors, as well as overseas investors in Canada’s mining sector, can be found within the investment treaty regime.

The international investment treaty regime There are over 3,000 international treaties globally that include protections for foreign investors. These are state-to-state agreements that can be found in bilateral investment treaties, free trade agreements as well as other multilateral treaties or investment agreements. Common substantive protections offered in investment treaties include the right to fair and equitable treatment, full protection and security, national treatment, most favoured-nation treatment, no expropriation without full and prompt compensation, and free transfer of capital.

In addition, investment treaties will commonly provide a procedural mechanism for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). This is what gives the substantive protections real teeth.

ISDS provisions often provide that the foreign investor has the right to bring proceedings against the host state directly in a neutral forum – usually international arbitration – before impartial adjudicators and in accordance with transparent rules, should the host state breach its treaty obligations.

This is a powerful avenue of recourse for foreign investors.

Without such rights they may have little to no remedy for state misconduct under domestic legal regimes or before local courts.

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The fallback is to seek state-to state intervention, which is not always available nor effective, and can lead to the politicization of what is often, essentially, a commercial dispute.

The protections offered by investment treaties are particularly important for mining investments. For example, it is rare that a host government will accept a foreign law as the governing law of a mining licence or contract that gives a foreign investor rights over natural resources within its territory. The investor is therefore largely at the mercy of the host state which can exert significant influence within its jurisdiction, including by changing the legal and regulatory landscape to the investor’s detriment, influencing the outcome of domestic judicial proceedings, or both, assuming any legal recourse could in fact be pursued.

ISDS was developed specifically to address these issues, and is ultimately designed to provide minimum safeguards for foreign investors to protect the value of their investment.

Protections for foreign investors Canada is a party to a number of multilateral investment treaties which impact the rights and protections of Canadian companies investing in foreign jurisdictions and vice versa.

Under NAFTA Chapter 11, all three of the state parties had mutually consented to ISDS. Under its 2018 replacement, the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Chapter 14, Canada has withdrawn from the ISDS regime entirely.

Canadian foreign investors with new investments in the U.S. and Mexico no longer have these protections available to them.

Canadian investors with existing investments in those countries, and U.S. and Mexican investors with existing “legacy investments” in Canada, remain protected for a three-year sunset period until June 30, 2023.

New claims under CUSMA Chapter 14 are restricted to claims

by American or Mexican investors against Mexico or the U.S., respectively. The types of claims that may be submitted to ISDS are also more restricted than was the case under NAFTA Chapter 11. For instance, claims for direct expropriation may be pursued but claims for indirect expropriation may not be. In addition, the substantive obligations of the parties have been narrowed compared to what had been agreed under NAFTA Chapter 11.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) entered into force in December 2018, and current state parties include Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, www.canadianminingjournal.com

Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, and Peru. A number of other important trading nations have also expressed interest in or started the process for joining CPTPP, including the U.K., China, Thailand and South Korea.

The ISDS provisions in CPTPP Chapter 9 apply to all investments, regardless of whether they were made before or after its entry into force. That said, Chapter 9 will not bind a CPTPP member state in relation to an act or fact that occurred before the agreement’s entry into force by that member state. A claim under CPTPP Chapter 9 may also be brought only in relation to certain commitments prescribed in that chapter and a limited number of commitments in CPTPP’s Financial Services Chapter. This limited scope bars claims for breaches of investment agreements and investment authorizations, therefore offering narrower investor protections.

The ISDS regime under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the landmark 2017 trade deal between Canada and the EU, will only come into force when each of the 27 EU Member States have ratified the agreement.

Only 15 have done so to date.

Once the ISDS provisions come into effect, a permanent, institutionalized dispute settlement tribunal will be constituted.

The tribunal will be composed of 15 members who will hear claims for violation of CETA’s investment protection standards.

CETA also establishes an appellate tribunal, modelled on the WTO appellate body.

Conclusions Disputes between foreign investors and host states are not uncommon, even in developed countries. As an example, there have been at least 67 NAFTA claims brought by investors in the 26 years it was in force. Without NAFTA, these disputes would have run their course under domestic laws – if any, in fact, restricted the conduct raised in the complaint – and before the domestic courts of the host states. There is no doubt that treaty protections are of critical importance to foreign investors.

To benefit from these protections, mining investors must consider the structure of their investment before investing.

Specifically, investors should consider investment treaty protection in parallel to considering the tax structure of their investment. Structuring the investment with a view to the long-term will help ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect the investment against adverse conduct by the host state at any stage of the investment’s life cycle. Those with existing investments need to keep abreast of actual or proposed changes to their rights and protections, and consider the impact on existing claims as well as the risk allocation of projects. Foreign investors should also look to contractual mechanisms that might offer some protection against the risk of adverse state conduct. CMJ MARTIN VALASEK is Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP’s head of International Arbitration, ALISON FITZGERALD is Of Counsel, International Arbitration and CARA DOWLING is director, Global Disputes. Lindsey Wilson also contributed to this article.

Sustainable We’ve helped mines around the world reduce their energy consumption and lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

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APRIL 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

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UNEARTHING TRENDS

How to strategically deploy cash flow in a post-pandemic era

By Jon Wojnicki

A

fter a tumultuous year of speculation and uncertainty, Canadian mining and metals companies are facing three favourable market conditions that make them ripe for growth.

Strong metals prices, low-to-average currencies in producing countries and relatively low input costs (especially for oil and gas and their derivatives) are resulting in significant cash flow.

This growth in cash flow, combined with low interest rates, growing economic confidence and the energy transition, has created renewed interest in mining stocks.

The return of bought deals and financing innovations such as “at-the-market” (ATM) distribution will also add to available funding for mining and metals companies. Recent regulatory amendments that have eliminated the sales cap and reduced regulatory requirements make ATMs a far more accessible and user-friendly way to tap the market for funding.

It will be up to each company to decide how to effectively deploy cash flow and capital from bought deals in a way that creates long-term value in a post-pandemic era. Each company will need to examine the opportunities available to them based on their assets, investors’ risk appetite, expertise, degrees of freedom and strategic needs. This game board and prioritization will be different for every company, but there are consistent themes that are applicable across the sector.

Infill exploration and operational improvements, for example, are easy to action with favourable risk profiles, but may not provide a sufficient increase in returns. Other opportunities such as merger and acquisitions or greenfield projects can be much riskier but secure a higher return and provide additional strategic benefits, such as re-rating or political risk diversification.

We’ve seen the sector lean towards transactions, with an increase in M&A activity since July 2020 and stronger deal making expected on the horizon. According to the EY Global Capital Confidence Barometer, nearly half of respondents are planning acquisitions in the next 12 months in preparation for a different market landscape as the economy starts to reopen.

On the other hand, some miners may look to divest underperforming, undersized or neglected assets into an exuberant market.

Others may consider diversifying to meet anticipated demand arising from global growth and the energy transition. Demand from renewable energy and storage could require significant investment in the next decade, with producing assets in lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, copper and even aluminum benefiting from greenfield pricing in these sectors.

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Defining the right method to return capital to investors Ideas on what to do with capital will also include suggestions on the right approach to return capital to investors. This will require navigating the typical debate: dividends or share buybacks?

Dividends pull in generalist investors and can provide a signal that the company anticipates positive cash flow. However, investors typically want to see continuous increases over time that may not always be feasible to meet if the business experiences unexpected costs, leading to higher shareholder turnover. Dividends also impose taxable events, which may not be a big disadvantage for Canadians, but could pose a challenge for foreign investors.

That’s why share buybacks are increasingly seen as a more favourable approach to return capital. Buybacks are currently the most common and highest value capital payout policy across all public markets. Recent studies indicate that companies with active share buybacks achieve higher excess returns in both up and down markets, and across large, mid and small-cap segments within North America. Share buybacks can also be more tax efficient with the benefit coming in liquidity and capital gains that can be realized at the timing of the investor’s choosing.

Though, cyclical companies must keep in mind that when they have capital for buybacks may not always align with the best time for buybacks. Buybacks work best when management’s view of the company’s value suggests shares are being undervalued by the market.

Responding to rising shareholder focus on ESG While mining companies are increasingly under pressure to improve shareholder returns, climate change and diversity are driving a rise in non-financial activism. Capital returns to shareholders will help boost short-term returns, but long-term value creation – beyond financials – will be key to earning shareholder approval. In analyzing the game board of options, miners should use non-financial metrics to prioritize capital allocation to help secure their future and demonstrate this value by focusing on: • Greening their brand and reducing their carbon footprint; • Greater transparency, board quality and long-term strategy; • Broader community commitments in areas of respect, equity and resource management; and • Embracing digital transformation. CMJ JON WOJNICKI is a partner and co-leader of EY Parthenon Canada, based in Toronto. For more strategy insights, visit www.ey.com/en_ca/strategy

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FAST NEWS • PARTNERSHIP |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

Exyn integrates data into Sandvik OptiMine in mining milestone

EXYN TECHNOLOGIES, a company specializing in autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments, announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to integrate Exyn’s data into Sandvik’s analytics and process optimization suite, OptiMine.

By synthesizing critical data and capabilities, Exyn and Sandvik are helping mining customers transform their underground operations to be safer, more productive, and more efficient. Exyn’s industrial-grade autonomous drone, ExynAero, allows mining companies to harness pilotless flight to access data with maximum safety. The data is processed using Exyn’s onboard 3-D mapping technology – powered by ExynAI – which is then integrated with Sandvik’s OptiMine Mine Visualizer for analysis and optimization of underground mining production and processes.

The partnership allows mining customers to benefit from comprehensive underground aerial 3-D mapping with progressive visualization that increases overall transparency of mining operations – including GPS-denied, hard-to-reach or hazardous areas, or locations that would be time-consuming to survey and inspect.

Exyn and Sandvik deployed this integrated

• COMMINUTION |

Exyn Technologies and Sandvik have expanded their partnership.

CREDIT: SANDVIK

solution with Rupert Resources, using the ExynAero drone to autonomously create a 3-D point cloud of an underground stope.

This 3-D data was then uploaded to Sandvik’s OptiMine Mine Visualizer and georeferenced to the CAD mine model for further analysis and visualization.

“Our teams have been working closely together to ensure the connection between Exyn and Sandvik’s systems would be seamless and easy for operators to use,” David Hallett, VP of business unit automation, Sandvik Mining

Metso Outotec Vertimill ordered for Côté gold project consulting firm

METSO OUTOTEC was awarded an order to deliver energyefficient comminution technology to the Côté gold project in northeastern Ontario, a joint venture between Iamgold and Sumitomo Metal Mining.

Metso Outotec’s delivery consists of two energy-efficient Vertimill 4500 grinding mills and one MP1250 cone crusher for the Côté project.

The order value exceeds €10 million and has been booked in the Minerals’ division first-quarter 2021 orders.

“Low energy and wear part consumption as well as process flexibility were decisive factors for the Côté gold project team when selecting the comminution equipment. Metso Outotec was consulted during the prefeasibility study and supported Iamgold on several projects. Iamgold’s technical team had solid confidence in the Vertimill technology, and they were also familiar with the high-performance capability of the MP crushers,” Andy Lingenfelter, VP of minerals sales for North

APRIL 2021

and Rock Solutions, said in a release. “When this feature gets rolled out to the market as part of OptiMine, it will allow our customers to analyze Exyn’s high-resolution, aerial maps in OptiMine. After this demonstration, we look forward to further developing our partnership and integrating our hardware and software systems in the coming months.”

The two companies have more planned product integrations in the works to help modernize the mining industry through fully autonomous operations.

CMJ

and Central America with Metso Outotec, said in a release.

In March, Metso Outotec also introduced Planet Positive, its all-encompassing approach to sustainability that covers the environmental, social and financial aspects of sustainability.

The Planet Positive portfolio focuses on the most environmentally efficient technologies (over 100) in the company’s portfolio, responding to the sustainability requirements of its customers in the aggregates, mining and metals refining industries. The customer requirements relate to energy or water efficiency, reduction of emissions, circularity and safety.

Metso Outotec has also focused on minimizing the environmental impact of its own operations and supply chain to diminish its ecological footprint. CMJ Metso Outotec Vertimill.

CREDIT: METSO OUTOTEC

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FAST NEWS • INFRASTRUCTURE |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

Cementation, Terra Nova complete Musselwhite ConRamp conveyor

CEMENTATION CANADA (CCI) and Terra Nova Technologies (TNT) have successfully completed their first joint project as a consolidated team for the Newmont ConRamp conveyor project located at Newmont’s Musselwhite Musselwhite ConRamp mine, 500 km north of Thunder Bay in Ontario. conveyor.

The project scope was to replace the main ConRamp CREDIT: CEMENTATION conveyor system that was severely damaged in 2019. The main components of the system include two conveyors and a transfer tower and discharge chute. This was a general replacement ‘in kind’ along with requested safety and performance enhancements. The brownfield presented the usual challenges for engineering and construction.

CCI and TNT were responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for the entire project. The integrated EPC team allowed for seamless project delivery and reduced schedule time and cost.

Newmont recognized this advantage and thus awarded the work to the CCI and TNT team.

The engineering involved the conveyor tables and associated com- components included DSI Dust Solutions, Sumitomo, PPI Pulleys, ponents, main conveyor drives, conveyor pulleys, transfer tower be- Teco Motors and ABB. tween the two conveyors, prefabbed electrical room, gravity take up As the design continued, a 3-D model was completed to show case (GTU) units and overall system integration. Suppliers of the main the conveyor layout, which helped with the final design client approval. This layout provided a good visual for the construction crews to better understand the construction requirements.

Early in the construction, a 3-D Lidar scan was completed of the entire ConRamp to optimize the elevation of the conveyor tables and associated curvature of the system. This ensured that there was no interference between the wall and the conveyor tables during the final installation.

Accelerating Digital Transformation A monitoring system was also installed to monitor the temperature in the Mining Industry for Process of the conveyor idlers and bearings. This system consisted of four fibre Optimization optic cables along the length of the conveyor and strategically placed Achieve higher production goals with our mining software close to the bearings for quick sensing. solutions for better engineering data management and The construction was completed with an in-house workforce with improved fixed asset performance, from initial design to mining operation. sub-contractors for specialized tasks throughout the project. The project experienced the onset of the Covid-19 virus, which suspended site | Visit bit.ly/HexagonOpsExcelMining activities for over two months and reduced supply from many vendors and fabricators. The engineering and procurement work continued remotely and the plan for a return to site was developed with Newmont.

Upon return to site, the work force availability was limited due to strict protocols instituted. This presented challenges with obtaining the large experienced work force required to complete the work.

The project started with a zero day float schedule as time was of the essence since the conveyor system is part of the main material handling system for the mine. Overall, the project was delivered safely with over 120,000 personnel hours without a lost time injury (LTI).

Construction and commissioning were completed on schedule and integrated into Newmont’s full ramp up for returning back to full production.

Cementation Americas is a mining and minerals focused group of ©2021 Hexagon AB and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates. All rights reserved. companies, delivering both underground and surface solutions for mines and downstream minerals processing facilities worldwide. CMJ

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• EXPANSION |

SK Godelius expands operations to northern Ontario

IN JANUARY, SK Godelius opened an office in northern Ontario at the Norcat Underground Centre in Sudbury. The company specializes in developing innovative forms of remote interaction for machines, vehicles, robots, and processes of the mining industry. The Norcat centre provides SK Godelius with the opportunity to test and evaluate emerging technologies in an operating mine.

“We are pleased to welcome SK Godelius to the Norcat Underground Centre. With their expansion to Sudbury, we have not only validated the critical role Norcat plays to assist technology companies grow their business, but also we have further demonstrated the vibrancy of the Canadian mining technology cluster rooted in Northern Ontario,” said Norcat CEO Don Duval in a release.

SK Godelius has developed and implemented several teleoperated systems and robotics solutions for the mining industry, such as the remote operation of bucketwheels for Codelco at the Chuquicamata mine; stackers for Chuquicamata and for BHP at the Spence mine; and spreaders for Codelco at Gabriela Mistral, all located in Chile. The company has also created a suite of elements for remote blasting, such as an explosives handler robot and a teleoperated truck for the transport, preparation and filing of the explosives. The Godelius X robot, a multipurpose robotic platform developed to address specific mining challenges, is also part of SK Godelius’ portfolio.

“With the emergence of teleoperated or autonomous vehicles, machines, robots, a new operating paradigm is being consolidated in global mining. To make it possible, multiple technological innovations of the fourth industrial revolution converge: SK Godelius works at the heart of these changes. Relying on an underground mine like Norcat’s is a remarkable contribution that will allow us to show in situ that these solutions are available, here, and now,” added Fernando Bracco, CEO and founder of the company.

Founded in Chile in 2011, SK Godelius opened its first Canadian office in Toronto in 2020, and Norcat has played an essential role in supporting SK Godelius to expand its business to northern Ontario. SK Godelius also offers to its customers solutions in an ‘as a service’ model.

Through the Godelius NOC, a remote management and monitoring centre, the company presents to the market a new form of monitoring systems and operations safely.

APRIL 2021

SK Godelius is is part of Sigdo Koppers Group, a Chilean conglomerate with operations in the Americas, Europe, and AsiaPacific. The Sigdo Koppers Group is a global player in blasting services, grinding media, engineering and construction, and logistics. CMJ Norcat Underground Centre, in Sudbury, Ont. CREDIT: SK GODELIUS

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CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

11

COSTING

CONVENTIONAL

versus

MECHANIZED

CUT-AND-FILL MINING Costmine models shed light on how to choose between the two methods

By Brad Terhune

Y

ou have a mineral resource. It is tabular, narrow, steeply dipping, and of moderate to high grade. These characteristics lead you to select a cut-and-fill mining method, but which variant? More specifically, do you select conventional or mechanized?

The answer to this question is dependent upon numerous factors, ranging from orebody geometry to safety. For the sake of completeness, we will briefly discuss many of these factors in this article, however, special focus will be given to mining costs.

A side-by-side comparison of two cost models will be presented, one conventional and one mechanized. We’ll touch on the pros and cons of each method to highlight the tradeoffs that mining engineers and managers must consider. The models presented have been drawn from the cost models section of Costmine’s Mining Cost Service.

Cost Models Prior to any comparison, it is appropriate to define the parameters for each model. The conventional cut-and-fill method presented below represents a mine with steeply dipping veins that are 3.5 metres in width and 1,900 metres along strike. Access to the mine is via an 863-metre shaft. Haulage to the shaft is via rail. Stoping includes drilling and blasting with jackleg drills, slushing to ore chutes and sand filling. A secondary access/vent raise extends to the surface. Production is assumed to be 2,000 t/d.

The mechanized model represents a mine with steeply dipping veins that are 4.5 metres in width and 1,900 metres along strike, with access to the mine via an 863-metre shaft. Haulage to the shaft is by scoop tram. Stoping includes drilling and blasting with jumbos, ore collection and haulage from the stopes by scoop tram and sand filling. A secondary access/vent raise extends to the surface. Production is assumed to be 2,000 t/d.

12 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

Figure 1: Mechanized cut and fill example. CREDIT: COSTMINE

onsiderations or t e selection o c t-and-fill et od Geometry/Continuity – Vein geometry and continuity are very important in the selection process. The conventional approach is more suited to shallower vein angles and vein undulations, as it is more flexible than its mechanized counterpart. With its smaller openings and greater selectivity, it allows faster and easier stope adjustments, ensuring that miners stay on the vein and that grade control is maintained. Vein width plays a significant role here as well. Mechanized cut and fill generally requires slightly wider veins to accommodate jumbos and load-haul-dumps. As you see in our examples, the mechanized model works on the basis of a vein that is 1 metre wider than that for conventional cut and fill.

Grade – Ore grades must support the mining method. In this side-by-side comparison, one can imagine the scenario where narrow veins best suited for conventional cut and fill might be diluted if the mechanized approach is selected. Perhaps this is acceptable if grades are high enough. Conversely, even though wider veins may be mined with the mechanized approach, poor grade continuity might require the traditional approach.

Safety – With fewer workers at the working face and cab protections, the mechanized method improves worker safety.

However, the conventional approach may be more attractive in poor ground conditions. This is due to the smaller openings and faster mining cycles that permit quick placement of backfill materials. www.canadianminingjournal.com

Table : Cut and Fill Cost Model Comparison Mining Method

Conventional Mechanized Cut and Fill Cut and Fill

Daily Ore Production (tonnes) Production Hours per shift Shifts per day Days per year

2,000

2,000

10 2 320

10 2 320

9,874,000 75 1,900 3.5 500

9,874,000 75 1,900 4.5 425

Deposit Total mineable resource Dip Average strike length Average vein width Average vertical

tonnes degrees metres metres metres

Ore Density Swell Compressive strength Rock quality designation

tonnes/m3 per cent kilopascals per cent

2.73 55 68,950 50

2.73 55 68,900 50

Foot Wall Density Swell Compressive strength Rock quality designation

tonnes/m3 per cent kilopascals per cent

2.49 45 51,700 35

2.49 45 51,700 35

Hanging Wall Density Swell Compressive strength Rock quality designation

tonnes/m3 per cent kilopascals per cent

2.49 45 51,700 35

2.49 45 51,700 35

Stopes Stope length Stope width Stope height Face width Face height Advance per round Sill pillar length Sill pillar width Sill pillar height

metres metres metres metres metres metres metres metres metres

68 3.6 44 3.6 2.6 2.2 68 3.6 5.2

400 4.7 45.6 4.7 3.0 2.6 400 4.7 6.1

square metres metres dollars/metre

22.6 863 $16,902

22.6 791 $15,417

square metres metres metres dollars/metre

7.8 10.5 836 $1,632

13.9 3.8 303 $1,527

square metres metres metres dollars/metre

7.8 2.3 188 $1,384

13.9 1.2 975 $1,191

square metres metres metres dollars/metre

3.4 3.2 253 $1,368

— — — —

square metres metres metres dollars/metre

2.5 1.2 483 $807

2.5 1.0 411 $848

square metres metres metres dollars/metre

5.3 0.7 833 $960

5.3 0.6 761 $1,520

Development Openings Shafts Face area Pre-production advance Cost Drifts Face area Daily advance Pre-production advance Cost Crosscuts Face area Dailyadvance Pre-production advance Cost Access Raises Face area Daily advance Pre-production advance Cost Ore Passes Face area Daily advance Pre-production advance Cost Ventilation Raises Face area Daily advance Pre-production advance Cost

Development – Longer stopes and significantly more development are required for mechanized cut-and-fill mining, as multiple lateral ramps are required for the mobile fleet to access the orebody. However, more development does not translate to additional costs in most aspects of the design. Our models indicate that development costs for mechanized cut and fill are CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

APRIL 2021

Mining Method

Conventional Mechanized Cut and Fill Cut and Fill

Hourly Labour Requirements Stope miners Development miners Equipment operators Hoist operators Support miners Diamond drillers Backfill plant operators Electricians Mechanics Maintenance workers Helpers Underground labourers Surface labourers Total Hourly Personnel Salaried Personnel Requirements Managers Superintendents Foremen Engineers Geologists Environmental specialists Shift bosses Technicians Accountants Purchasing Personnel Secretaries Clerks Total Salaried Personnel Supply Requirements (daily) Explosives kilograms Caps each Boosters each Fuse metres Drill bits each Drill steel each Backfill pipe metres Fresh water pipe metres Compressed air pipe metres Electric cable metres Ventilation tubing metres Rail metres Steel liner plate kilograms Rock bolts each Cement metric tons Timber cubic centimetres Buildings Office Change house Warehouse Shop Mine plant

square metres square metres square metres square metres square metres

Equipment Requirements (number — size) Stope jacklegs centimetre Stope slushers centimetre Stope locomotives metric tonne Production drills centimetre Production scoop trams cubic metre Horizontal development centimetre jumbo drills Vertical development centimetre stopers Horizontal development centimetre jacklegs Development muckers cubic metre Development locomotives metric tonne Development scoop trams cubic metre Raise borer metre Production hoists centimetre Rock bolt jacklegs centimetre Rock bolters centimetre Drain pumps horsepower Fresh water pumps horsepower Backfill mixers horsepower Backfill pumps horsepower Service vehicles horsepower Compressors cubic metres/min Ventilation fans centimetre Exploration drills horsepower

36 16 1 4 10 8 4 6 19 6 9 8 6 133

10 5 5 4 3 6 4 5 9 6 3 8 6 74

1 2 4 3 3 3 10 3 2 4 7 6 8 56

1 2 4 3 3 3 6 3 2 4 4 6 8 49

1,344 676 591 2,973 7.76 0.56 12.80 16 16 16 16 25.60 365 300 112 5,178,191

1,222 439 396 2,289 7.03 0.50 8.80 8.80 8.80 8.80 8.80 — 322 238 115 —

1,431 1,544 261 517 234

1,252 862 592 1,263 44

11 -3.18 10 -183 4 -18 — — —

— — — 6 -3.81 6 -6.50 2 -4.49

2 -2.87

—

4 -3.18

—

3 -0.14 3 -18 — — 1 -152 3 -3.81 — 9 -95 2 -0.50 1 -15 2 -8 13 -130 1 -142 2 -122 2 -20

— — 2 -6.50 1 -3 1 -152 — 1 -3.81 9 -87 2 -0.50 1 -15 2 -8.30 7 -130 — 2 -122 2 -20

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

13

COSTING Mining Method

Conventional Mechanized Cut and Fill Cut and Fill

Equipment Costs (dollars/unit) Stope drills Stope slushers Stope locomotives w/cars Stope jumbo drills Stope load-haul-dumps Horizontal development jacklegs Horizontal development jumbo drills Vertical development stopers Development muckers Development load-haul-dumps Development locomotives w/cars Raise borer** Hoists Rock bolt jacklegs Rock bolters Shotcreters Drain pumps Fresh water pumps Backfill pumps Backfill Mixers Service vehicles Compressors Shot loaders Ventilation fans Exploration drills Cost Summary Operating Costs (dollars/metric ton ore) Equipment operation Supplies Hourly labour Administration Sundries Total Operating Costs

$6,000 82,000 1,399,500 — — 6,000 — 5,700 77,500 — 1,399,500 3,540,100 6,000 — 429,000 52,100 1,500 6,500 76,000 87,900 305,000 — 139,600 73,100

— — — $698,200 1,038,000 — 698,200 — — 1,038,00 — 5,826,000 3,520,500 — 747,000 429,000 52,100 1,500 6,500 76,000 87,900 — 237,900 305,900 73,100

$2.43 24.34 28.83 10.16 6.58 $72.34

$4.91 17.36 14.33 6.88 4.35 $47.83

ACCURATE REAL TIME MEASUREMENT OF PRODUCTION & INVENTORY

TRADE CERTIFIED TO 0.1%

Mining Method

Conventional Mechanized Cut and Fill Cut and Fill

Unit Operating Cost Distribution (dollars/metric ton ore) Stopes $20.19 Drifts 8.63 Crosscuts 1.41 Access raises 2.23 Ore passes 0.50 Ventilation raises 0.35 Main haulage 2.66 Backfill 9.73 Services 9.42 Ventilation 0.09 Exploration 1.51 Maintenance 1.22 Salaries 7.83 Miscellaneous 6.58 Total Operating Costs $72.34

$13.72 2.36 0.76 — 0.57 0.50 3.38 9.86 4.00 0.48 1.37 1.14 5.36 4.35 $47.83

Capital Costs Equipment purchase $17,800,600 $26,822,200 Preproduction underground excavation Shafts 14,593,200 12,194,100 Drifts 1,364,300 462,400 115,700 Crosscuts 259,900 Access raises 346,100 — Ore passes 389,500 348,000 Ventilation raises 799,200 1,155,900 Surface facilities 9,897,400 11,672,200 Working capital 7,715,800 5,101,700 Engineering & management 5,908,500 6,860,200 Contingency 4,545,000 5,277,100 Total Capital Costs $63,619,500 $70,009,500 Total Capital Cost Per Daily Metric Tonne Ore $31,810 $35,005 ** For smaller operations, it is common for operators to contract raise boring services rather than to purchase a raise borer. Doing so eliminates the cost of the borer from the required equipment purchase capital, but increases the operating expenses from 1.2% to 3.8% per metric ton of ore.

lower in four of the six main areas of consideration. Only ore passes and ventilation raises are more costly on a dollars/metre basis. Also, with regard to stope lengths, traditional cut-andfill equipment is a limiting factor in capability and efficiency.

Operating Costs – Operating costs for mechanized cut-andfill mining are significantly lower in terms of dollars per tonne of ore. This is true for all operating costs other than those related to equipment operation (tires, fuel, lube, etc.) As Figure 2 illustrates, supplies and hourly labour are the biggest reasons for the operating cost discrepancies. More specifically, the higher daily consumption of rail and utility components (pipe, electric cable, etc.) for conventional cut and fill comprise the largest components of the supplies cost difference.

Labour – Fewer workers are required for mechanized mining, leading to improved safety and lower operating costs.

Figure 2 Operating Cost Comparison Conventional vs Mechanized Cut and Fill $30.00

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Conventional

Mechanical

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$20.00

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MINING JOURNAL

Dollars/Metric Ton Ore

$15.00

$10.00

$5.00

$0.00 Equipment Operation

Supplies

Hourly Labour

Administration

Sundries

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Initial Capital Cost Comparison Conventional vs Mechanized Cut and Fill

Hourly Labour Requirements GB FC

Contingency

FB

Engineering & Management

EC

Working Capital

EB

Surface Facilities

DC

Ventilation Raises

DB

Ore Passes

C

Access Raises

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$5,000,000

Brad Terhune is a cost analyst and senior geologist with Costmine (www.costmine.com), part of the Glacier Resource Innovation Group, based in Spokane, Wash. He can be reached at bterhune@glacierrig.com or 509-328-8023.

n

APRIL 2021

$15,000,000

Conventional

Figure 4

$20,000,000

$25,000,000

$30,000,000

Mechanical

15884 ITI MIP_CMJ Ad _EN_(4.5x7.5in)_210309 c4c PRINT

Figure 3 illustrates the breakdown of workers. Note that stope, development, and support miners, along with mechanics, make up the bulk of the reduction in workforce under the mechanized option.

Capital Costs – Initial capital costs are higher for mechanized cut and fill due primarily to the required mobile fleet purchase. These higher capital costs are offset to some degree by lower operating costs over time. Conversely, conventional cut-and-fill mining requires a lower capital outlay at the onset, but the operating costs are substantially greater over time, in particular labour costs (see Figure 4).

Discussion The observations above elicit several questions that must be considered when developing a new mine via cut-and-fill methods.

From the capital and operating cost perspectives, these questions may include: • Over time, will my operating expenses make up for the initial capital outlay if the mechanized method is selected?

• What are the long-term, life-of-mine tax implications at my operation if I choose one method over another?

Non-cost-related questions may include: • What workforce is available in my area?

• Which extraction method is better suited to the orebody in terms of geometry, grade, and integrity?

These simple questions do not always have simple, clear-cut answers, and tradeoff studies will be required. Our advice is to carry out your mine, cost, and economic CMJ analysis early… and often.

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CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

15

ESG

CANADA’S EDGE IN THE RACE TO DECARBONIZATION Analysis by Skarn Associates points to multiple advantages, including orebody quality

By Mark Fellows and Paul Harris

16 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

Skarn’s E1 GHG intensity curve for each commodity, reveals yet more.

Canada’s relatively low emissions volumes are facilitated by low emissions intensity; on aggregate, the country’s copper, nickel, gold and metallurgical coal mines rank in the lowest decile of their respective global emissions curves.

There are multiple reasons for this.

Hydroelectricity is a key factor, reducing Canada’s Scope 2 emissions to negligible levels, a massive competitive advantage relative to countries with predominantly coal-fired power grids such as South Africa or Indonesia. The other major advantage Canada has is the high qual-

ity of many orebodies. The Sudbury and Manitoba nickel mines, for instance, achieve low GHG intensities by virtue of their high grades and the energy efficiency of the sulphide smelting and refining process, in comparison say, to the laterite nickel-ferronickel or HPAL (high-pressure acid leaching) processes used in Indonesia.

While the orebody quality advantage is likely to remain a long-term strength, Canada’s edge in Scope 2 emissions is already eroding, as the roll-out of renewable energy globally begins to accelerate, slowly levelling the playing field. It seems likely therefore that in the next

Figure 1

E0 (Scope 1+2) GHG Emissions – Major Mining Countries Aluminium Copper

E0 Emissions (Mt CO2e)

C

anada has a diverse, vibrant mining industry, but is also a global leader in establishing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets backed up with a federal carbon tax – although provinces may implement independent regimes, provided they broadly comply with the federal scope.

This juxtaposition of a prominent mining sector and GHG reduction leadership places Canada in an interesting position, which is highlighted by Skarn Associates’ research. We quantify mining sector energy use and carbon emissions intensity on an asset-by-asset basis globally, currently covering iron ore, copper, nickel, gold, metallurgical coal and aluminum (including bauxite and alumina). When this data is aggregated into country totals and averages, a picture emerges of each country’s competitive position with regard to GHG emissions.

Figure 1 shows total E0 for the major mining countries split by commodity; E0 is Skarn’s proprietary mine site Scope 1 (combustibles used on site) and Scope 2 (purchased energy) GHG metric.

This simple graph reveals some interesting facts. Canada’s total carbon emissions from the five commodities are substantially lower than Australia, the United States, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia, Chile and Brazil. Figure 2, which shows each country’s percentile position on

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www.canadianminingjournal.com

APRIL 2021

70

80

90

100

E1 GHG Emissions – Country Percentile Position, by Commodity

60

Aluminium Copper

50

Gold Iron Ore

40

Met Coal

20

30

Nickel

10

Mongolia

Kazakhstan

South Africa

United States

Russia

Indonesia

Chile

Papua New Guinea

Mexico

Peru

Australia

Brazil

Canada

Sweden

DR Congo

Carbon taxation – amplifying the pressure to decarbonize The federal carbon tax in Canada is set under the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) which includes a federal fuel charge paid by fuel producers, distributors and certain prescribed users and an output-based pricing system (OBPS) requiring large emitters who emit 50,000 t/y or more of GHGs to meet emissions intensity standards by reducing their emissions, remitting for retirement surplus carbon or offset credits and/or paying a carbon tax on excess emissions. The tax is scheduled to increase by $10/y until it hits $50/t in 2023. At the end of 2020, the federal government announced that the carbon tax will increase from $30 per tonne of GHG emissions to $170/t in 2030, a rise of some 467% over 10 years, although this has yet to be passed into law. If implemented, the new law will increase the carbon tax by $15/t per year starting in 2023 until it hits $170/t.

The GGPPA only applies if a province or territory does not have its own carbon pricing scheme or industrial emissions regulations that meet federal benchmarks. If a provincial carbon pricing scheme is deemed equivalent, then the federal carbon tax on fuels does not apply in that province. Provinces and territories without a carbon pricing scheme for fuels or industrial emissions deemed equivalent are subject to the federal carbon tax on fuels and the OBPS. Provinces with carbon taxes on fuels will have to match the federal increases in 2023 to 2030 or else their carbon taxes may no longer be deemed equivalent.

Both emission and offset credits can be used under GGPPA for compliance purposes. The increases in the federal carbon tax can therefore be expected to result in similar increases in the market

Figure 2

0

10 years, the competitive effort will shift from decarbonization of grid power to reduction of mine site Scope 1 emissions, which will require significant investment by miners in zero carbon mobile equipment fleets. That pressure to reduce Scope 1 emissions will be greatly amplified by Canada’s ambitious carbon taxation plans.

E1 = SCOPE 1 + 2 EMISSIONS, PLUS FREIGHT OF INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTS (E.G. BASE METAL CONCENTRATES) AND DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING (SMELTING AND REFINING) CREDIT: SKARN ASSOCIATES

prices of carbon and offset credits, which may increase the development of renewable energy and emission reduction projects as developers may receive greater revenues from the sale of credits and offsets from their projects.

However, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan have brought court cases challenging the constitutionality of GGPPA,

with the appellate courts in Ontario and Saskatchewan ruling it is constitutional under the “peace, order and good governance” power of the federal government. The Alberta Court of Appeal, on the other hand, found GGPPA was not within the federal government’s constitutional power. All three provincial court CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

FLOOD BARRIER

www.triwaterbags.ca CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

17

ESG challenges have been appealed to the Supreme Court and were heard together in September 2020. At press time in late March, the Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding the federal carbon tax.

British Columbia introduced a carbon tax in 2008, which is the highest not just in Canada, but in North America. The provincial government increased the tax from $35/t to $40/t in April 2019 and it is due to rise to $45/t in April, moving to the federal target of $50/t after that as it aims to reduce the province’s GHG emissions by 40% by 2030. Alberta charges $30/t from facilities that emit more than 100,000 t/y of GHG while Quebec has had a cap-and-trade system since 2013 with the minimum price for credits in 2020 being about $21/t. The federal backstop applies in Ontario.

Mining companies’ GHG reduction plans become more ambitious Vale’s 2019 review of its climate goals established the aim of becoming carbon

Rio Tinto’s BC Works operation in Kitimat, B.C., includes a recently modernized aluminum smelter (pictured), powered by hydroelectricity. CREDIT: RIO TINTO

neutral, with a 33% Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction target by 2030, using 2017 (14.1 million tonnes) as a baseline.

Key factors to reach these goals include the adoption of carbon pricing for capital projects, achieving self-sufficiency

in renewable energy and to electrify and replace diesel consumption in mining and transportation activities. It aims to invest around US$2 billion in renewable energy over the next 10 years.

Mining giant Glencore aims for a 40%

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reduction of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2035 on 2019 levels, and net zero by 2050. In Canada, it is rolling out new technologies in its mining operations. Its Onaping Depth deep nickel mine development has been designed to use battery electric mobile equipment, innovative ventilation technology and energy efficient cooling systems, and to maximize real-time remote operation to eliminate diesel emissions. Battery electric vehicles with zero emissions are expected to play an increasingly important role in its underground operations.

Rio Tinto’s Alcan aluminium smelter at Kitimat in British Columbia underwent a four-year $6-billion modernization in 2016 to ensure it has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.

The smelter now employs AP40 smelter technology, which is more energy efficient using 13kWh/t of aluminium compared to 18.5 to 20kWh/t previously.

Teck Resources aims to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations by 33% by 2030 and accelerate the adoption of zero-emissions alternatives for transpor-

tation by displacing the equivalent of 1,000 internal combustion engine vehicles by 2025.

Canada’s largest gold miner Agnico Eagle, reported direct and indirect GHG emissions of 520,832 tonnes in 2019, an increase of 27% from 2018 attributed to the opening of the Meliadine mine in Nunavut. The mine accounts for 21% of Agnico’s emissions due to a lack of grid power which necessitates the use of diesel power generation. The company’s recent acquisition of TMAC Resources and its Hope Bay mine in Nunavut could provide opportunities to further reduce its CO2 footprint through optimizing seaborne freight logistics as well as extending road and grid infrastructure into the region in the longer term. Agnico is pursuing a wind farm project at Meliadine and supports infrastructure development initiatives to bring hydroelectricity from northern Manitoba to the Kivalliq region in Nunavut.

Canadian Malartic emitted 1.5 million tonnes of GHG in 2019 compared to 1.6 million tonnes in 2018. With

mining operations transitioning from an open pit to underground, emissions are set to fall significantly with the partners (Agnico Eagle and Yamana Gold) claiming the Odyssey underground development will be a state-of-the-art electric mine. An automated fleet of battery electric 60-tonne trucks will be operated from surface, with on-demand ventilation.

Other examples of Canadian miners making investments to reduce emissions include Kirkland Lake Gold, which was an early adopter in using use BEVs underground, and Pretium Resources, which invested $141.4 million to build a 57-km transmission line to connect its Brucejack gold mine development to the hydropower grid in B.C. All of the above is just the beginning of the mining industry’s fascinating journey into decarbonization. We expect Canada to maintain its position in the vanguard.

CMJ Mark Fellows is a cofounder of Skarn Associates (www.skarnassociates.com) and Paul Harris is an editorial consultant.

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Environmental, Social, Governance helping clients achieve their sustainability goals

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19

BATTERY METALS

All the mines

TESLA

needs to build 20 million cars a year MINING.COM’s Frik Els takes a look at how much metal it would take for Tesla to meet its goal for 2030

By Frik Els

Nickel and dimed Ahead of Battery Day, in an investors conference call, Musk had a big shout-out for all the nickel miners out there, wher20 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

ever they may be in the world (hopefully near some nickel): “Wherever you are in the world, please mine more nickel and don’t wait for nickel to go back to. . . some high point that you experienced some five years ago.

Go for efficiency, obviously environmentally friendly nickel mining at high volume.

Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time, if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way. So hopefully this message goes out to all mining companies. Please get nickel.”

Nickel was languishing below $10,000 a tonne five years ago, not exactly an incentive price, but whatever. Mine efficiently and at high volume? We should give that a try, fellas! Then we can make up in volume what we lose on price.

At Battery Day, Musk also ended the mining lesson with a plea for nickel. Perhaps the world’s miners did not get the previous shout-out because this time Musk said he personally called all the CEOs of the biggest mining companies.

Musk did at least end that auspicious day in the Tesla parking lot on a cautiously optimistic note: “It is very important. I think they are going to make more nickel.”

They better – a couple of days after the event Musk confirmed in a Tweet that Tesla will reach production of 20 million vehicles per year before 2030.

Devil’s copper is in the details MINING.COM used data from Adamas Intelligence, which tracks demand for EV www.canadianminingjournal.com

Photo: Jag cz, istockimages

E

lon Musk and his merry band of executive vice-presidents had plenty of advice for the mining and metals industry at the company’s Battery Day event last September, where the road map to a $25,000 Tesla was laid out.

How easy it is to mine lithium (just add salt), just how much of it there is in Nevada (enough for 300 million EVs), how to be environmentally friendly (“put the chunk of dirt back where it was”) and, given these facts, why miners haven’t been trying harder.

Since lithium is “just like widely available,” according to Musk and Tesla’s scientists, they have eliminated other hard to come by metals like graphite (replace it with sand, obvs) and cobalt from batteries (at least in theory), Musk’s prime raw material worry is nickel.

METALS TESLA NEEDS TO BUILD 20M CARS A YEAR

Tesla Production@ 20m Graphite Nickel Lithium Copper (vehicle) Manganese Cobalt Aluminum (battery) Aluminum (vehicle) MagREO (NdPr, Dy, Tb)

Material required (t) 1,028,775 750,410 127,302 1,820,000 20,811 68,315 16,544 3,380,000 18,000

Production 2019 (t) 1,100,000 2,460,000 77,000 21,000,000 19,000,000 122,000 64,000,000 64,000,000 46,000

% of Production 94% 31% 165% 9% +0% 56% +0% 5% 39%

BATTERY GRAPHITE, NICKEL, COBALT, LITHIUM, MANGANESE, MAG (NDPR, DY, TB): ADAMAS INTELLIGENCE PRODUCTION: USGS, BMO, MORGAN STANLEY, BP, FITCH, EXCL. SYNTHETIC GRAPHITE COPPER, ALUMINUM (VEHICLE): UBS ESTIMATES OF CHEVY VOLT

Hopefully this message goes out to all mining companies.

Please get nickel.

— ELON MUSK , CEO OF T ESL A MOT ORS

batteries by chemistry, cell supplier and capacity in over 90 countries, to calculate the deployment of raw materials in Tesla cars on a sales-weighted basis in 2020.

By extrapolating those numbers, the company’s use of raw materials, if it was producing 20 million cars a year instead of the 500,000 vehicles it made last year, was determined.

Tesla’s models use on average around 45 kg of nickel – NCA (nickel cobalt aluAPRIL 2021

minum) and NCM811 (nickel manganese cobalt). The numbers are based on the assumption that roughly 20% of Tesla newly sold cars would be equipped with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries through 2030.

And if, as expected, Tesla moves to NCMA chemistries in China, nickel use would go up slightly and cobalt would go down marginally.

When Tesla makes 20 million cars in a year it will need more than 30% of global mined nickel production in 2019 (2020 saw a 20%-plus reduction in output) for its batteries.

Put another way, Tesla will have to buy the entire output of the top six producers – Norilsk, Vale, Jinchuan, Sumitomo, Glencore, BHP, and then some.

Or build the equivalent of 23 mines like Sumitomo’s Ambatovy mine in Madagascar – at $8.5 billion a pop. Obviously, money is no object for Musk, but still.

Get it to nameplate capacity and you only have to build 12, but you’ll have to torture that orebody until it gives you straight mineralogy and ore grades so that you’re not constantly reconfiguring the plant. This is not just an Ambatovy problem – but a common feature of nickel mines, and no, that’s not why it’s called the devil’s copper.

TSLA, HPAL, DSTP If Tesla LFP does not prove popular, the company would have to sign exclusive offtakes for the top 10 nickel producers

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

21

BATTERY METALS and take most of the 18.5 million wet tonnes of ore exported annually by the Philippines’ no. 1 producer Asia Nickel.

But China’s nickel pig iron and stainless steel makers won’t give up that supply so easily.

And besides, converting 0.9% nickel ore to battery grade material cheaply and efficiently at high volume may be beyond

even the rocket scientists at Musk’s Space-X. (And if the cyberpunktruck makes up a big portion of the 20 million, Tesla is going to need lots of stainless steel too.)

That leaves Indonesia, where a number of high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) projects using deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP) are in development. HPAL

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MINING JOURNAL

operations will likely become a significant source of new supply for the battery supply chain.

But HPAL and DSTP are not exactly the type of acronym you’d want the prospective TSLA buyer who’s in it for green credentials to learn if you want to get to 20 million. If you think artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a bad ESG look, you wouldn’t want images of the red shores of Basamuk Bay to enter the popular imagination.

Done and dusted Since Tesla is replacing graphite anodes with silicon, it’s not necessary to dwell on the fact that if this elusive scientific breakthrough is not commercialized at the speed of a Tesla in Ridiculous Mode, the carmaker would need 94% of the world’s natural graphite production by the time it hits 20 million cars a year.

At least you can make more graphite.

Likewise, with cobalt – the metal that dare not speak its name at Tesla – the requirement of more than half the globe’s production before 2030, is irrelevant (at least in theory).

Similarly, it’s not worth mentioning that global lithium production was only 77,000 tonnes last year, and Tesla needs 127,000 tonnes annually to make 20 million vehicles. Because, Nevada.

Apart from nickel, a potential headache for Tesla’s 20 million is rare earths, 90% of which come from China.

Some three quarters of Tesla’s motors use permanent magnets and should the ratio stay the same the company will need nearly 40% of magnet rare earth mined output (MagREO – NdPr, Dy, Tb) according to Adamas, which also publishes a rare earth handbook and tracks the metals in EV motors.

But, as every popular science article ever written about rare earths says in the first paragraph, despite being called rare earths, they are not.

In fact, the 17 elements are more abundant in the earth’s crust than lithium.

I guess you could say rare earths are just CMJ like widely available.

Frik Els is the executive editor of MINING.com, where this story was originally published.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

BATTERY MINERALS

power

PLAY CMJ and Mining Intelligence take a look at Canada’s top undeveloped battery minerals projects

Drill core at the Dumont nickel-cobalt project in Quebec.

CREDIT: WATERTON GLOBAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

By Madga Gardner

T

COPPER

he rise of electric vehicles is expected to drive up demand for nickel, lithium, cobalt and graphite in the coming years as use applications outpace supply. Nickel in particular is gaining steam as a hot commodity, as Elon Musk has zeroed in on sustainable sources of the metal as crucial for the growth of Tesla Motors (see page 20). Copper is also expected to see strong demand as the world transitions to greener technologies.

An emerging trend is the potential for source-dependent commodity pricing, which would reflect the carbon intensity of generating the metal.

Given the availability of renewable and low-carbon power in several Canadian

provinces, base and battery metals projects in these jurisdictions are expected to be at a development advantage (see page 16).

With these opportunities in mind, Canadian Mining Journal used data provided by sister company Mining Intelligence (www.miningintelligence.com) to define the largest base and battery metals projects in Canada. The rankings are based on contained metal and include only measured and indicated resources.

COPPER Starting off with the red metal, major preproduction copper projects are on Canada’s western margin.

Seabridge Gold’s KSM leads the pack

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

No.

Property

Owner

Province

Development status

1

Kerr-SulphuretsMitchell (KSM)

Seabridge Gold

B.C.

Prefeasibility

3,038

0.21%

6.4

Gold, molybdenum, silver

2

Schaft Creek

Teck Resources (75%) B.C.

Scoping

1,346

0.26%

3.5

Gold, molybdenum, silver

3

Casino

Western Copper

Yukon

PEA

2,391

0.14%

3.4

Gold, molybdenum, silver

4

Yellowhead

Taseko Mines

B.C.

Prefeasibility

1,291

0.25%

3.3

Gold, silver

5

New Prosperity

Taseko Mines

B.C.

Prefeasibility

1,011

0.24%

2.5

Gold

APRIL 2021

M+I Tonnage (Mt)

in terms of contained metal and, in addition to copper, includes substantial gold, with 50.4 million oz. of the precious metal in measured and indicated resources.

The developer has outlined 3.8 billion tonnes of higher-grade inferred resources (grading 0.36% copper) at the Deep Kerr and Iron Cap zones within the KSM property. A 2020 preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for KSM, which incorporates Iron Cap resources, defined a US$5.2-billion, 44-year open pit and block cave mine. This latest early-stage study represents an alternate scenario to a 2016 prefeasibility study, with a “dramatic improvement in project economics” from

% Copper

Contained copper (Mt)

Other metals

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

23

COBALT

BATTERY MINERALS No.

Property

Owner

Province

Development status

1

Dumont

Waterton Global Asset Management

Quebec

Feasibility

1,667

0.01%

178,400

Nickel, palladium, platinum, magnetite

2

Turnagain

Giga Metals

B.C.

PEA

1,073

0.01%

143,140

Nickel

% Cobalt

Contained cobalt (tonnes)

Other metals

Ontario

3

Crawford

Canada Nickel

Exploration

653

0.01%

85,200

Nickel

4

Nickel Shaw

Nickel Creek Platinum Yukon

PEA

323

0.02%

48,510

Copper, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum

5

Nico

Fortune Minerals

Feasibility

31

0.12%

37,440

Bismuth, copper, gold

the addition of the Iron Cap block cave.

The Shaft Creek project in B.C. – a joint venture between Teck Resources and Copper Fox Metals – comes in second. A preliminary economic assessment is underway for the porphyry project, following a resource update released in March. Western Copper and Gold’s Casino, in the Yukon, is in third place.

Closing out the top five are two B.C. assets held by single-mine copper producer Taseko Mines: Yellowhead and New Prosperity. Two judicial reviews are underway for New Prosperity, related to a 2014 decision by the Canadian government to not issue federal authorizations for the project.

COBALT Turning to cobalt, for four of our top five projects, the metal occurs in sulphide deposits primarily known for their nickel content.

The largest cobalt deposit on our list is the Dumont project in the Abitibi held

by Toronto-based private equity firm Waterton Global Resource Management.

With Dumont considered “shovel-ready” and permitted for construction and operations, a 2019 updated feasibility study specified a 30-year mine with a US$1-bil-

GRAPHITE

M+I Tonnage (Mt)

NWT

The largest cobalt deposit on our list is the Dumont project in the Abitibi held by private e it fir aterton Global Resource Management.

nickel grade and 9% would come from cobalt, in addition to copper, platinum group metals and gold.

Fortune’s Nico, the only iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit on our list, is envisioned as a vertically integrated operation that would mine and concentrate material in the Northwest Territories with processing in Saskatchewan.

lion capital cost. The project’s nickel content is estimated at 0.27% in measured and indicated resources.

Giga Metals’ Turnagain is second.

While an October 2020 PEA defined an operation producing a nickel and cobalt concentrate with a US$1.4-billion capital cost estimate, the base-case economic analysts, using US$7.5 per lb. nickel and US$22.3 per lb. cobalt, did not yield a positive net present value using an 8% discount rate.

Canada Nickel’s Crawford project in the Timmins camp is advancing towards a PEA by the end of April. The Crawford measured and indicated nickel grade stands at 0.26%. In fourth place is the Nickel Shaw project, where owner Nickel Creek Platinum estimates that 56% of revenues would be derived from its 0.26%

GRAPHITE The largest preproduction graphite projects on our list are in Quebec and Ontario.

Mason Graphite’s Lac Gueret comes in first, not only in terms of contained graphite but also in graphite grades. A 2018 feasibility study outlined a 25-year open pit mine at the site that would produce an average of 51,900 tonnes of graphite concentrate a year at an initial capital cost of $258.2 million. With permits in hand to start the construction process, Mason still needs to secure financing to develop the asset.

In second place is Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie project. In February, the graphite developer received the provincial go-ahead to start construction.

The company is planning a $276-million open pit graphite flake operation at Matawinie, producing 100,000 tonnes a

No.

Property

Owner

Province

Development status

1

Lac Gueret

Mason Graphite

Quebec

Feasibility

66

17.19%

11.3

2

Matawinie

Nouveau Monde Graphite

Quebec

Feasibility

120

4.26%

5.1

3

Lac Knife

Focus Graphite

Quebec

Feasibility

12

14.64%

1.8

4

Lac Rainy

Metals Australia

Quebec

Scoping

10

13.10%

1.3

5

Bissett Creek

Northern Graphite

Ontario

Feasibility

70

1.73%

1.2

24 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

M+I Tonnage (Mt)

% Graphite

Contained graphite (Mt)

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Property

Owner

Province

Development status

1

James Bay

Galaxy Resources

Quebec

Feasibility

40

2

Whabouchi

Nemaska Lithium

Quebec

Commissioning

3

Rose

Critical Elements Lithium

Quebec

Feasibility

4

PAK

Frontier Lithium

Ontario

5

Authier

Sayona

Quebec

APRIL 2021

Contained lithium (tonnes)

Other metals

1.40%

564,200

—

39

1.41%

543,000

Beryllium

32

0.93%

297,000

Beryllium, cesium, gallium, rubidium, tantalum

Prefeasibility

10

1.88%

187,160

Cesium, Lithium, Rubidium, Tantalum

Feasibility

17

1.01%

174,200

—

encing cash shortfalls.

Critical Elements’ Rose is third – the spodumene project is undergoing a permitting process with construction of the proposed $341-million first-phase open pit mine expected to start later this year.

In fourth place is the only Ontario asset on our list, the PAK project, 175 km north of Red Lake. Owner Frontier Lithium has established a strategic partnership with Glencore’s Expert Process Solutions to develop a patent-pending process that

would upgrade spodumene concentrate into battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

Closing out our list of lithium assets is the Authier project, owned by Australia-based Sayona Mining, and expected to start construction this year. In January, Sayona signed a binding life-of-mine offtake agreement with lithium developer Piedmont Lithium, for the greater of 60,000 tonnes a year of spodumene concentrate or half of Authier’s output.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Ore Waste Now

LITHIUM Looking at lithium, once again, the major projects are in Ontario and Quebec. The grades and tonnages above refer to lithium oxide.

Galaxy Resources’ James Bay spodumene deposit in Quebec is in the top spot, with a March prefeasibility outlining an 18-year open pit producing an average of 330,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate annually at an initial capital cost of US$244 million.

Second on the list is Nemaska Lithium’s Whabouchi; the project was sold to Philadelphia-based chemicals company Livent, Investissement Quebec and the Pallinghurst Group last year after experi-

% Lithium

2015

year of graphite concentrate. The material mined would be upgraded into lithium-ion anode material at a plant in Bécancour, Que. The first-phase plant is under construction, designed to generate 2,000 tonnes a year of anode material.

Focus Graphite’s Lac Knife follows – in March, the junior hired engineering firm DRA Americas to update a 2014 feasibility study for Lac Knife. In fourth place is Lac Rainy, 10 km from Lac Knife, and owned by ASX-listed Metals Australia.

Based on scoping study results published in February, the deposit could support a 14-year, US$189.8-million open pit mine producing an average of 96,000 tonnes a year of graphite concentrate.

Closing out our graphite list is an Ontario asset – Bisset Creek, between Ottawa and North Bay. Northern Graphite notes the asset’s significant (estimated at 90%) large and extra-large flake graphite content. The junior intends to raise US$85 million and complete permitting this year.

M+I Tonnage (Mt)

LITHIUM

No.

Tımes change.

Has your mine plan? .com

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

25

NICKEL

BATTERY MINERALS No.

Property

Owner

Province

Development status

1

Dumont

Waterton Global Asset Management

Quebec

Feasibility

1,667

2

Decar

FPX Nickel

B.C.

PEA

1,996

3

Turnagain

Giga Metals

B.C.

PEA

4

Crawford

Canada Nickel

Ontario

Advanced Exploration

5

Nickel Shaw

Nickel Creek Platinum Yukon

Exploration

NICKEL Turning to nickel, four of the assets above are also on our cobalt ranking. The privately held Dumont project tops our list in terms of nickel content and, to a smaller extent, grade. Based on the 2019 feasibility, Dumont could generate a 29% nickel concentrate to produce an average of 39,000 tonnes of the base metal annually.

FPX Nickel’s Decar follows – its awaruite mineralization is highly magnetic with no sulphides in the target minerals or host rocks. According to a 2020

M+I Tonnage (Mt)

Contained nickel (Mt)

Other metals

0.27%

4.4

Cobalt, PGMs, magnetite

0.12%

2.4

—

1,073

0.22%

2.4

Cobalt

653

0.26%

1.7

323

0.26%

0.9

PEA, Decar could support a 35-year mine producing an average of 44,900 tonnes of nickel a year with a US$1.7-billion capital outlay.

In third place is Giga Metals’ Turnagain, followed by Canada Nickel’s Crawford. Canada Nickel is looking at ways to establish a zero-carbon operation at this asset. Crawford includes a higher-grade, 1.8-km-long core of 201 million tonnes grading 0.34% nickel. The company has a non-binding memorandum of understanding in place with Glencore to

% Nickel

Cobalt, PGMs Cobalt, Copper, Gold, PGMs

assess the use of Kidd’s concentrator and metallurgical site, 40 km away.

Nickel Creek Platinum’s Nickel Shaw closes out our list. The Wellgreen deposit on this road-accessible property lies within an 18-km prospective ultramafic unit with 1,500 metres of drilling planned for 2021 to test near-surface conductors.

Wellgreen is unique in its platinum group metal (PGM) content: the measured and indicated resource includes 2.6 million oz. of platinum, 2.6 million oz. of palladium as well as 480,000 oz. of gold.

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www.canadianminingjournal.com

SUPPLIERS SPRINT TO MEET RISING BEV

BEVS

DEMAND

CMJ looks at new and upcoming offerings from OEMs

By Alisha Hiyate

D

espite the disruptions of the pandemic, battery equipment manufacturers report that demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is only increasing – a trend that holds true globally and among both large and smaller miners.

While during the initial phase of the pandemic, miners focused their attention on operational issues and worker safety, planning for the ongoing shift away from diesel-powered vehicles continued, says Stuart Lister, vice-president, marketing and communications with Ontario-based MacLean Engineering.

“All the work going on behind the scenes by mining companies and consulting engineers. . . continued unabated,” Lister says.

“What did change last year was that almost every major mining company issued long-term carbon reduction goals, which zero emissions fleets will be a big part of, so this sets the stage for a ramp up of adoption around the mining world.”

With demand set to intensify, here’s a look at some of the BEV equipment original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) rolled out in 2020 and early this year, and what they’re working on for 2021 and beyond.

Aramine

Following on Aramine’s electric miniloader launched 2018 and diesel-electric hybrid minidriller launched 2019, in 2020, the company launched its QRS – quick battery replacement system – for use with the miniLoader L140B. The system improves productivity by speeding up batery replacement to just a few minutes.

The QRS system can be adapted with a kit on a previously sold miniLoader L140B with fixed frame.

To go with the QRS, Aramine has created a stationary changing bench with a crane in order to assist and facilitate the battery replacement. The crane helps to remove and quickly and easily replace the battery pack, while the dock allows up to three packs to be charged at the same time.

This system is optional because some mines are already equipped APRIL 2021

Aramine miniLoader L140B with its QRS battery replacement system. CREDIT: ARAMINE

with a mobile crane. A mobile station is also being tested for more flexibility.

Aramine is also working on a new battery powered mining loader, the L350B, with an incomparable “size to capacity” ratio, to carry even more in smaller gallery sections (tramming capacity of 3.5 tonnes for a width of 1.5 metres compared to the miniLoader’s 1.4 tonnes for a width of 1.1 metres).

Aramine, based in France, plans to launch the new machine at MinExpo 2021 this year.

The company is also working on a fully electric, battery powered miniDriller as a complement to the miniLoader L140B. The machine will be Aramine’s first battery-powered drill rig and is scheduled for release at the end of 2021.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

27

BEVS

Epiroc’s Boomer M20 face drill rig, released in March, is the first jumbo drill rig with a hoseless design. A battery version is available. CREDIT: EPIROC

Jama’s SBU 8000E scaler was released in September, with sales beginning in 2021.

Epiroc

of a new battery charger, which has been specifically designed and developed for underground mining applications. The new chargers allow operations to modulate the charge of machines to suit their specific needs on site, and are protected against dust, heat, humidity, etc.

“Epiroc’s electrification portfolio has now reached the second generation equipment, which is currently being delivered in our Canadian market,” says Shawn Samuels, product manager Rocvolt, Epiroc Canada. “With our Batteries as a Service (BaaS) offering gaining momentum, we expect our battery electric business to continue growing exponentially.”

After launching its second generation of BEVs in late 2019, Epiroc’s main BEV news in 2020 was centred on the launch of its unique Batteries as a Service (BaaS) offering, and continuing to add conversion kits to its diesel fleet (Scooptram ST 1030s and Scooptram ST 14s). Epiroc aims to offer its complete range of underground mining equipment as battery electric versions by 2025.

In February, the company also partnered with Collège Boréal on a Battery Electric Vehicle Maintenance program, which is one of the first of its kind in Canada.

The Swedish-headquartered company announced the world’s first BaaS deal last July, with Vale. The concept eliminates the risk of owning batteries for miners, with Epiroc taking full responsibility for battery certification, monitoring, maintenance, technology upgrades, and guaranteeing their lifespan.

Epiroc also removes old batteries and ensures they are used for secondary applications and recycled.

As part of the agreement with Vale, the miner also ordered 10 Epiroc BEVs (including Scooptram ST14 loaders, Boomer M2C drill rigs and Minetruck MT42 trucks) for two of its operations in Canada.

This March, Epiroc released its Boomer M20 face drill rig, which comes in a battery option. The machine is the first jumbo drill rig with internal hydraulics and a hoseless design – eliminating the need for constant hose repairs due to mine wear and tear. It also offers on-board automation features, teleremote capabilities and digital drill plans for high reliability and precision. The battery version has an on-board charger, with charging automatically taking place while connected to the grid for drilling.

In 2021, Epiroc is also set to launch its first two loader retrofit kits, with more conversion kits for its diesel equipment planned in future.

In addition, this year, the company is focused on the delivery 28 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

CREDIT: JAMA MINING MACHINES

Jama Mining Machines

Swedish-based machine manufacturer Jama launched the battery-powered SBU 8000E for underground scaling in September, with sales beginning this year. The machine is the world’s first battery-powered scaler that is fully electric and has been equipped with a battery solution developed in collaboration with Epiroc.

The SBU 8000 mechanical scaler has been a popular machine for decades. The new SBU 8000E features a completely rebuilt driveline. The diesel engine and associated components have been replaced by a powerful 160-kW electric motor with control units and is powered by a modular battery solution that is automatically charged during scrapping.

The battery that drives the SBU 8000E is state-of-the-art and manufactured by Northvolt in Sweden. The battery and driveline have been developed in collaboration with Epiroc and provide the same power as the diesel-powered scaler. Each individual part of the battery is monitored and checked separately, and it is also the world’s first certified battery system specially developed for the mining industry’s extreme demands on safety and robustness. The system is certified for global markets (including CE, UL and CSA).

Jama and Epiroc have also created a BaaS solution for the www.canadianminingjournal.com

electrification across the ground support, secondary reduction, and utility vehicle product lines. It’s also added in-house mine planning advisory capacity to its product management team so it’s able to support customers on every step of their EV switch – from change management planning to training, to field service, to remote monitoring and diagnostics.

For 2021, the company’s working on the launch of a heavy duty grader, as well as other machines. In addition, it’s working on battery sizing optionality to better fit the application and duty, as well as a battery chiller package option for deep mines with high ambient temperatures.

MEDATech

MacLean Engineering’s new ss5 BEV Shotcrete Sprayer. CREDIT: MACLEAN ENGINEERING

vehicle’s batteries, whereby customers subscribe to energy storage capacity (see Epiroc above). Batteries will be collected and recyled by Northvolt.

Jama plans to add new BEV products to its line late this year/ early 2022.

Collingwood, Ont.-based MEDATech released its Western Star 4900XD, 24-tonne mining haul truck built in collaboration with Tardif Diesel, in January. The truck, retrofitted with MEDATech’s ALTDrive battery/electric powertrain system, is the first BEV haul truck on the market for surface operations.

With a 24-tonne capacity, the truck has 310 kWh of onboard stored energy, and a 150-kW onboard charger; When fully drained it takes about 2.5 hours to charge the batteries.

The coming quick-charge technology from ABB will be able to deliver 380 kW of power to the battery in 12 minutes. Configured as a haul truck, the 4900XD harnesses the power of CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Kovatera

Sudbury, Ont.-based Kovatera’s most recent BEV unit, the KT200e Electric Utility Vehicle, was released in February 2020. The vehicle is customized to the client’s needs and can come with a standard 44kW battery, or if a longer range of 50 to 90 km is needed between charges, the battery can be upgraded. Charge time from completely drained is about 1.5 hours with an additional optional 25kW 600v on-board charger. Kovatera says the battery life matches the economic life of the unit at seven to nine years.

Dare to think new

MacLean Engineering

BEV leader MacLean Engineering, based in Collingwood, Ont., added two pieces of equipment to its EV series for underground mining in early 2021.

In March, the company released the ss5 BEV Shotcrete Sprayer – its first BEV sprayer – and TM3 Transmixer, a mobile concrete truck.

The ss5 is the first articulated EV sprayer specifically designed for underground mining, and features a complete redesign of the previous MacLean sprayer. This includes a new carrier and a new, ergonomically designed operator’s cab with enhanced visibility and noise attenuation to support in-cab spraying. In addition, new dosing control and real-time thickness measurement technologies have been integrated into the design to reduce the amount of process chemicals used, and to improve the quality and reduce the quantity of shotcrete applied.

The launch of the two latest MacLean battery electric mining vehicles means the company can now offer a complete, full-fleet APRIL 2021

All the power you need.

Cut emissions, boost productivity and enhance health & safety – all while lowering your total cost of operation. epiroc.com

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

29

BEVS

MEDATech’s Western Star 4900XD, built in collaboration with Tardif Diesel, is the first BEV haul truck on the market for surface mining. CREDIT: MEDATECH

Mine Master’s Roof Master 1.8 KE bolter. CREDIT: MINE MASTER

regenerative braking on the way down slopes, saving the brakes and providing significant battery recharge.

In March, the company sold a fifth wheel BEV haul truck (Western Star 4900EX) to Teck Resources for its Highland Valley Copper Operations in B.C. And in May, the company will take delivery of an ultra-fast charging system designed by ABB Power System & Charging Solutions to work with the truck.

“Fast charging is a critical part of making battery-electric technology viable for industrial fleets, which operate 24/7,” says MEDATech president Robert Rennie. “We are going to need to fine-tune ultra-fast charging in order to make it a no-brainer for customers. The technology is there; it’s just a matter of streamlining rollout and installation.”

MEDATech’s focus for 2021, in addition to incorporating the fast-charging ability into the Western Star 4900 XD, is on commercializing its ALTDrive battery/electric powertrain system, which was developed over a decade ago. The company aims to move it from one-off builds to providing a range of

set offerings, from design through to a complete vehicle build, commissioning and support. MEDATech reports that it’s getting more inquiries for the technology than ever before.

The company is also working on complete mine energy optimization and in collaboration with McMaster University, has been developing a modelling system that optimizes energy usage in any given mine, including diesel versus battery swapping, versus fast charging. MEDATech says the modelling system is extremely comprehensive and includes optimal infrastructure layout – resulting in the most efficient mining operation possible. The company will be testing the system with an Ontario mine in 2021.

Mine Master

Equipment manufacturer Mine Master, based in Poland, released a new battery driven bolter to be tested in underground conditions in March, with a new electric drill rig to follow.

The Roof Master 1.8 KE is undergoing testing at a KGHM mine in Lubin, Poland. The machine is designed to work in

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galleries from 3 to 5.8 metres in height. It is equipped with a mechanized bolting mast for 9 bolts with a height of 1.8 metres. The on-board, 120 kWh, sodium-nickel battery can be recharged with the existing mine power network in the 500– 1,000 voltage range. For this purpose a battery charger is built on the machine chassis. The battery will also recharge as the rig is tramming downhill.

The first feedback from KGHM mine operators has been enthusiastic and the mine will also soon begin testing Mine Master’s electric drill rig, Face Master 1.7 LE. The machine is designed to drill blast holes between 41 mm and 76 mm in diameter and with a net length of 3.2 metres in heights above 1.7 metres. It has a closed, air-conditioned cabin that gives the operator very good visibility even in lowered positions, and can be up-lifted during drilling for better visibility.

Normet

Normet says it is seeing a “huge increase in demand” for its SmartDrive line of vehicles, first introduced at Bauma in April 2019. There are seven vehicles that are part of the SmartDrive product family, all of which can be charged at any time from a typical underground AC socket. Normet also offers optional fast chargers for demanding operations that need to charge batteries quickly during operation or a break.

Normet’s Charmec MC 605 VE SD emulsion charger, first

Normet Multitec MF 100 SD with concrete remix cassette, part of its SmartDrive line of BEVs. CREDIT: NORMET

tested at First Quantum Minerals’ Pyhasalmi mine in Finland in summer 2019, was used for the first time in Australia last year.

Its Spraymec 8100 VC SD is currently working at tunnelling CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM » 3-part BEV program:

basic, intermediate, advance » 40 hours of instructor led training for each course

Fitting comfortably within Epiroc’s vision, “Dare to think new,” Collège Boréal’s commitment to the success of the program helps support the continued growth of electrification in mining as we move into this exciting future together with our customers and other stakeholders.

JASON SMITH, GENERAL MANAGER, EPIROC CANADA

OBJECTIVES This program is intended to provide the learners with: • Knowledge and the fundamentals of Battery Electric Technology • Battery Safety and Health Management • Battery Maintenance and Support Systems

TARGET CLIENTS • Electricians, Millwrights, Heady-Duty Mechanics, OEM experienced workers, individuals with basic understanding of Mining and fundamentals of Electrical • Participants receive a Collège Boréal Certificate of Achievement

PARTNERSHIP On February 2, Epiroc and Collège Boréal signed a memorandum of understanding officializing their partnership on Boréal’s new Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Maintenance Program.

For information, please contact Julie Nadeau, Director of Business Development julie.nadeau@collegeboreal.ca

www.collegeboreal.ca APRIL 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

31

BEVS site in Norway, with a second to be delivered soon. The sprayer is also working on tunnelling site in Sydney, Australia.

This year, the company, which is based in Finland, plans to release additional SmartDrive personnel carrier models, explosive charging applications and logistical application models such as various bulk material carriers, including for concrete, lube, water.

It also has a lot of products in the current R&D pipeline that will be available in early 2022.

Sandvik’s 18-tonne LH518B loader, released in September, is the world’s highest-capacity BEV loader.

Normet’s vision is to continue to expand its CREDIT: SANDVIK SmartDrive range by developing both smaller and larger payload fully battery electric optimized platforms to comprehensively cover all of its tunnelling 2019, and which recently moved to a larger location in Califorand mining customers’ needs. It also plans to continuously nia to enhance production and testing facilities and accelerate improve SmartDrive technology through optimization of all BEV development and deliveries to market. onboard systems, including battery technology.

With independent front and rear drivetrains that give it “unmatched productivity” the loader has “exceptional capacity Sandvik for its size,” according to the company. Designed for a 5-metre In September, Sandvik released its 18-tonne LH518B loader – heading, the LH518B has the lowest height in its class and a the world’s highest-capacity battery electric loader, and its first 30 km/h top speed. The loader uses an AutoSwap self-swapSandvik-branded BEV loader. The vehicle was designed in ping system to change the battery, with no overhead cranes or collaboration with its Artisan unit, which it acquired in early external infrastructure required.

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MINING JOURNAL

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In September, Sandvik released its 18-tonne LH518B loader – the world’s highest-capacity battery electric loader, and its first Sandvik-branded BEV loader. The vehicle was designed in collaboration with its Artisan unit, which it acquired in early 2019, and which recently moved to a larger location in California to enhance production and testing facilities and accelerate BEV development and deliveries to market.

Other 2020 news included an agreement in November with Barrick Gold for a three-year trial of four Artisan Z50 BEV trucks at the Turquoise Ridge mine (part of the Nevada Gold Mines JV with Newmont), in Nevada.

In terms of its future BEV rollout, Sandvik is currently working on a 65-tonne battery truck (timeline not yet released), and

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is also working to launch a complete line of battery-electric underground drills by the end of 2021.

In addition, Sandvik is developing the LH514BE loader, which combines battery technology with a traditional cable loader. This loader gets its power for mucking from the mine network by its cable, but for transfer drive it gets its energy from the on-board tramming battery pack. The Swedish-headquartered company says this will make what used to be a traditional electric loader much more flexible and more powerful in uphill tramming, where the battery boosts the speed.

After a decade of “rough mining use,” Sandvik’s lithium iron phosphate batteries “have demonstrated their reliability and safety” for load and haul mining equipment, says Brian Huff, Sandvik’s vice-president of Technology for the Battery Hybrid and Electric Vehicles business unit.

He adds that the company has recently been focusing on improving the efficiency and speed of swapping batteries in order to minimize downtime and improve productivity.

“One way we are doing that is by automating the battery connection process. With AutoConnect, the operator can complete a battery swap without leaving the cabin and manually connecting the new battery, which means the process takes only 3.5 minutes,” he says. “Along with those improvements, we’re looking at ways to increase power and cycle life to further improve productivity and total cost of ownership.”

CMJ

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BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

Making lithium-ion based batteries

SAFER

ADA Technologies’ QiStop materials show promise in mitigating cascading thermal runaway

By Kevin B. Roth Heat and flame produced by a cascading thermal runaway failure during a test. CREDIT: ADA TECHNOLOGIES

L

ithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are ubiquitous today, from the single battery cell powering our phones to the thousands of cells powering a Tesla Model S. Such widespread use is due in part to the high energy density inherent to lithium-based systems. For this reason, LIBs power most of today’s electric vehicles (EVs), although the specific chemistries may vary.

The mining industry has recently recognized the many advantages of EVs, in particular as it relates to underground mining. Traditionally, underground mining equipment has been diesel-powered.

Transitioning such equipment to electric power represents a significant safety improvement to mine workers by avoiding diesel fumes and particulate matter while substantially reducing cost for ventilation equipment and demand associated with underground diesel use.

The inclusion of LIBs in mining equipment introduces a new but wellknown safety concern: LIB thermal runaway. Thermal runaway can occur after a cell experiences damage, either externally or internally initiated (often due to manufacturing defects), causing exothermic decomposition of the cell components resulting in an uncontrolled energy release. This energy release can

34 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

cause cell deflagration (combustion at subsonic speed), during which cell electrolyte can burn uncontrollably, creating extreme heat and fire reaching temperatures as high as 1,000°C. The image above demonstrates how destructive a battery fire can be, even with only a few cells.

This risk is amplified when cells are packed tightly together into battery packs, especially on the scale of the thousands of Watt-hours required to power heavy machinery. If a single cell in a pack undergoes a thermal runaway event, the heat and fire generated from that event can easily damage adjacent cells, triggering adjacent cell thermal runaway. In addition, in case of violent deflagration, physical damage to adjacent cells is also common due to projectile debris from the compromised cell. Such a chain of events can result in a “domino-effect” causing cascading failure of the entire battery. While most battery systems have some sort of active or passive cooling mechanism to mitigate battery heating during normal operation, these protection schemes are not designed to mitigate the extreme temperatures associated with thermal runaway events.

This issue is well known across all industries and agencies that use LIBs as primary power sources, e.g. EVs, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), Department of

Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DOD).

In parallel with private sector investments in the EV market, there has also been significant interest and investment from the U.S. federal government for research and development of viable solutions to this thermal runaway problem. ADA Technologies has been at the forefront of solutions and high-performance material development for prevention of cascading thermal runaway in LIBs for the past 10 years, through collaborations with industry, academia and the U.S. government. Examples of some of ADA’s sponsors and collaborators include the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy, FAA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC/ NIOSH) and two major international LIB manufacturers. More recently, with the increase in EVs for mining applications, the CDC/NIOSH has also recognized the need for more research in the area of thermal runaway, and has funded ADA to study the use of its material solutions in underground mining applications. During these research projects, ADA has developed thin, lightweight materials (under the trademarked family name of QiStop) capable of effectively preventing propagation of www.canadianminingjournal.com

Adjacent Cell Protection with QiStop Materials 1200 Unprotected adjacent cells reach temperatures > 1,000°C during cascading thermal runaway

1000 Baseline Failed Cell

Testing ADA’s QiStop materials are comprised of proprietary blends of refractory and intumescent materials, coated or laminated on a thin metal sheet. These lightweight materials are effective as thin as 200 µm when wrapped around a LIB cell. ADA has performed a wide variety of LIB cell failure tests to compare QiStop performance to unprotected cell failures. In one test configuration, ADA constructed a four-cell LIB from 5Ah pouch cells.

Instrumented with thermocouples, one of the cells was induced to thermal runaway by overcharge. The post-test pack pictures below show the aftermath of the unprotected test case (left) compared to the protected case (right). When left unprotected, the LIB experienced cascading thermal runaway during which all the cells were destroyed. On the other hand, when wrapped with QiStop materials, only the overcharged cell underwent thermal runaway. In the QiStop test, the adjacent cells not only survived but maintained their pre-test voltage. The temperature plot shows the comparative temperatures during the failure events.

As outlined in the plot, QiStop blocked impinging heat from reaching the protected cell. In addition, QiStop is designed to be a gas impermeable barrier for additional protection. Moreover, this protection is afforded by a minimal impact on overall footprint; the QS-200 used for

Temperature (°C)

thermal runaway events in both cylindrical and pouch cells, formats typically used in mining equipment applications.

Baseline Adjacent Cell

800

QS-200 Failed Cell QS-200 Adjacent Cell

600 400 Adjacent cells prevented from failing; temperature maintained <100°C

200

Temperature comparison between unprotected test and QiStop protection.

0 0:00:00

0:07:12

0:14:24

0:21:36

0:28:48

Time (hh:mm:ss)

CREDIT: ADA TECHNOLOGIES

this test is a mere 200 µm in thickness.

Even with such a thin material barrier, the QiStop material maintained the temperatures of adjacent cells below 100°C, preventing a cascading event.

Beyond just protection, the QiStop materials protect functionality of the adjacent cells. To demonstrate this, ADA performed normal cycling tests on the post-test cells and compared performance to brand-new cells. Both types of cells were cycled at peak discharge rates while monitoring temperature.

The “stressed” cells (cells that were protected with QiStop and survived thermal runaway) were not only able to cycle after the event, but did so with only an average 18% reduction in discharge capacity. The “stressed” cells only experienced a slight increase in temperature during cycling post-test. Furthermore, ADA has performed thermal and voltage tests of healthy cells under normal operating conditions and have not observed any negative effects of using the QiStop product as a cell “wrap.” This is enabled by integrat-

ing a heat spreader with the material that is directly in contact with the LIB cell, thereby preventing any negative thermal behavior even at peak power draw.

Conclusions Not only is ADA’s QiStop material capable of preventing cascading thermal runaway, but the protection is sufficient to allow for continued cell function of protected cells following exposure to a thermal runaway event. ADA is currently working with leading battery and mining equipment manufacturers to integrate these materials into the safety solutions for EVs used, in particular, for underground mining applications and beyond.

CMJ Acknowledgements: Sayangdev Naha, funding from the CDC/NIOSH (Technical monitor: Tom Dubaniewicz), funding from the USAF (Technical monitors: Joseph Fellner, Stanley Rodrigues).

– Kevin B. Roth, PhD, is the project manager, High Performance Materials, with Coloradobased ADA Technologies (www.adatech.com).

Four-cell overcharge failure test. Left: unprotected, baseline test. Right: QiStop protected test. CREDIT: ADA TECHNOLOGIES

APRIL 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

35

MA RC H 20 21 | VO LUME 2 | ISSUE 3

ON THE MOVE

SPONSORED BY

ERIK BUCKLAND Senior Client Director Global Mining Recruitment

+1 416.854.8468 erik.buckland@lincolnstrategic.com W: www.lincolnstrategic.com M: E:

Executive, Management and Board Changes in Canada’s Mining Sector

MANAGEMENT MOVES

TOP MOVES IN THIS ISSUE

» Paul Anderson has been appointed CEO of Abacus Mining & Exploration. » Christopher Drysdale is now VP of operations and corporate development with Antler Gold.

He was previously manager of corporate development.

John Fitzgerald

Clive Newall

Gillian Winckler

John Fitzgerald has been named VP of projects with Alamos Gold. Fitzgerald has over 30 years of experience in engineering and management roles.

Prior to Alamos, he served as the VP of projects and technical services with Centerra Gold; as the COO of AuRico Metals; and as a senior director of mining with AuRico Gold and predecessor Northgate Minerals. Fitzgerald is a licenced professional engineer in Ontario.

Clive Newall is now a director of Marimaca Copper. Newall spent the past 25 years as part of the First Quantum leadership team, is a cofounder and president of the global copper producer and a member of the company’s board.

He is also a nonexecutive director of Baker Steel Resource Trust and previously held senior-level roles with Amax Exploration, the Robertson Group and was a nonexecutive director of Gemfields.

Pan American Silver has announced that Ross Beaty, founder and chair, will be retiring as chair and director at the company’s May AGM. The board intends to appoint Gillian Winckler as board chair and to name Beaty chair emeritus.

Winckler has been a member of the company’s board since 2016 and has over 25 years of experience in the metals, mining and financial sectors.

She spent 16 years with BHP Billiton, working in the areas of strategy, M&A, divestments, exploration and project evaluation and development.

» Aris Gold has a new board and management team led by CEO Neil Woodyer. Doug Bowlby is senior VP, corporate; Andrew Gubbels is senior VP of corporate development; Ashley Baker is general counsel and corporate secretary; Robert Eckford is VP of finance and CFO; and Meghan Brown is VP of IR. The board includes chairman Ian Telfer, Peter Marrone, David Garofalo, Daniela Cambone, Attie Roux, Serafino Iacono and Hernan Martinez. » Dale Found has been appointed VP and CFO of Arizona Gold.

MINING JOURNAL

» Donald Hoy is now VP of exploration with Copper Lake Resources. » Dean Richards is now VP of mineral resource development with Deep-South Resources. » Kevin Arias has joined Edgemont Gold as VP of corporate development. » Paul Johnston has been named VP of exploration with Element 29 Resources. » Ross McElroy has stepped down as the COO of Fission 3.0, but will remain a director. » Regan Watts has been appointed VP of corporate affairs with First Cobalt; George Puvvada is now refinery technical manager. » Naizhen Cao has joined Frontier Lithium as VP of technology.

» Bob Petryk has been named manager of operations with Arrow Exploration.

» Scott Frostad has been named VP of exploration with Getchell Gold.

» Candice Alderson is now senior VP of corporate affairs with Artemis Gold.

» Duane Andersen is now permitting manager for the Independence project with Golden Independence Mining.

» Rachel Pineault has been named VP of human resources with Battle North Gold. » Daniel Vickerman has been named senior VP of corporate development with Blackrock Gold. Currently a director, he will step down from the board at the next AGM. » Jorge Carbonell has been named Peru country manager with C3 Metals. » Candelaria Mining has named Mike Struthers as CEO and a

36 | CANADIAN

director. Neil O’Brien has also joined the board.

» Brenda Dayton has been named VP of corporate communications with GR Silver Mining. » John Robins has resigned as president of Great Bear Royalties and Calum Morrison has stepped down as CFO and corporate secretary. Robins remains CEO and Morrison has been appointed president.

Zeenat Lokhandwala is now CFO; Jeffrey Dare has been named corporate secretary.

BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS » Wayne Kettleson has joined the board of American CuMo Mining.

» Jennifer Wagner has been appointed to the board of Generation Mining.

» Gizman Abbas has resigned from the board of Aranjin Resources.

» Bernard Dionne has joined the board of Generic Gold.

» Peter Ball has stepped down as a director of Bullion Gold Resources. » Kalidas Madhavpeddi has been named a director of Dundee Precious Metals. » Kevin Stashin has joined the board of E3 Metals. » Following the acquisition of Teranga Gold, Endeavour Mining has announced board changes. Hélène Cartier has retired; Teranga nominees William Biggar, Frank Wheatley and David Mimran have joined the board. » Thomas Fudge is now a director of First Majestic Silver. » Simon Ridgway has resigned as director and chair of Fortuna Silver. David Laing has been appointed chair. » Four Nines Gold has appointed Daniel Schieber as a director. » Karora Resources has announced that chair and CEO Paul Andre Huet is relocating to Western Australia. Oliver Turner has been promoted to executive VP of corporate development. » Liz Monger has been named VP of investor relations with KORE Mining. » Mark Vendrig is now manager of environment and permitting with Kutcho Copper. Sue Craig has stepped down as VP of community and environment. » Timothy Heenan has been named interim president of Mirasol Resources. Heenan also serves as VP of exploration.

Patrick Evans will serve as executive chair pending the appointment of a full-time president and CEO. » Marco Montecinos is now the VP of exploration with Nevada Zinc. » Svetoslava (Stacey) Pavlova is now VP of investor relations and

APRIL 2021

» Jonathan Awde has resigned from the board of Gold Standard Ventures. » Paul Carrêlo has joined the board of Gold79 Mines with Derek Macpherson stepping down as a director. » Ron Little has joined the board of Gold Resource Corp. » Matthew Lechtzier and Robert Hanson have retired from the board of GoviEx Uranium.

» Samuel Kyler Hardy is now a director of Norseman Silver. » James Gheyle has joined the board of Oakley Ventures; Gheyle replaces Robert Paul Way. » David Gunning is now a director of Orex Minerals following Rick Sayers’ resignation. » Clive Massey has been named a director of Organimax Nutrient. » David Caulfield has resigned from the board of Orogen Royalties. Paul van Eeden has resigned as director and chair.

Presiden and CEO J. Patrick Nicol has joined the board.

» Bob Baxter, a director of Pan Global Resources, has passed away. » Neil Herbert is now a director of Pasofino Gold. » Christophe Vereecke is now a director of Platinex. » Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan has joined the board of Roscan Gold. » Julie Lemieux has been named a director of Stelmine Canada. » Alex Heath has joined the board of Southern Empire Resources. » Mark Isto has joined the board of TriStar Gold; Quinton Hennigh will be stepping down from the board.

» Following a strategic investment by Brunswick Gold, the board of Otso Gold has been reconstituted and now consists of Brian Wesson, Clyde Wesson, Yvette Harrison and four nominees from Brunswick Gold (Vladimir Lelekov, Nicolas Pascault, Victor Koshkin and Martin Smith). Lelekov was appointed chair.

» Ken Konkin, VP of exploration and project development with Tudor Gold, has joined the board.

» Borden Putnam III has joined the board of Pacific Ridge Exploration.

» Timothy McCutcheon is now a director of World Copper, succeeding Stuart Ross.

corporate communications with New Pacific Metals. Gordon Neal has resigned as president.

promoted to VP of human resources and corporate secretary.

» Paulo Nuno de Sa Caessa is now VP of exploration with Norra Metals. George Cavey has resigned from the board.

» Premier Gold Mines’ has announced that its proposed spinout of i-80 Gold (part of its acquisition by Equinox Gold), will be led by Ewan Downie as CEO, Ron Clayton as chair, Matthew Gili as president and COO, Matthew Gollat as executive VP of business and corporate development, Ryan Snow as CFO and Brent Kristof as executive VP of projects and evaluations. The board will include Premier directors Ewan Downie, John Seaman, John Begeman and Eva Bellissimo, and new members Ron Clayton, Greg Smith and Arthur Einav.

» Radisson Mining has appointed Michael Gentile, previously a strategic advisor, as a director. Mario Bouchard has retired as CEO but will remain a director. President Rahul Paul has taken on the interim CEO role. Donald Trudel has been appointed senior project geologist.

» Carolyn Clark Loder has joined the board of Integra Resources. » Chris Healey is now a director of K9 Gold; Alexander Helmel has resigned from the board. » Karen Poniachik and Jack Lundin have joined the board of Lundin Mining; John Craig will be retiring as a director. » Robert Baldock has retired as chair with Monument Mining; Graham Dickson is now the chair and Jean-Edgar de Trentinian has joined the board.

» John Currie has been appointed VP of exploration with Norsemont Mining. » Claudine Lee is now VP of corporate social responsibility with NorZinc. » Charles Weakly has been promoted to exploration manager with NuLegacy Gold; Mark Bradley, previously VP of exploration, is now a part-time consultant. » Jong Hyeok Park has been named chief science officer with Pan Andean Minerals. » Midas Gold has announced a name change to Perpetua Resources and named Jessica Largent VP of IR and finance.

Tanya Nelson has been

» Andrew Cheatle is now COO of Tanzanian Gold. » Gerald Prosalendis has resigned as president, CEO and director of Quaterra Resources.

Thomas Patton has assumed the role of interim president and CEO.

» Laura Bastias has been appointed to the board of Turmalina Metals. » Deborah Honig has joined the board of Val-d’Or Mining. » Andrew Kaip is now a director of Vox Royalty.

» Alexander Kunz has been appointed president and CEO of Raindrop Ventures, replacing Saf Dhillon who will continue as corporate secretary. Both Kunz and Dhillon remain on the board. G. Peter Parsley has been appointed VP of exploration. » Brad Lazich has been named VP of exploration with Ready Set Gold. » Noris Del Bel Belluz is now VP of exploration with Ridgestone Mining. » Jeff Ackert has joined Satori Resources’ technical team.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL |

37

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Email: sales@luvan-group.com Mobile: +86 137 5825 8328 www.luvan-group.com

Canadian Mining Journal’s 2021 Editorial Calendar and media kit is now available. It can be found on our website via this link: canadianminingjournal.com/mediakit or by contacting Robert Seagraves at rseagraves@canadianminingjournal.com or 416-510-6891.

ADVERTISERS INDEX Canada Nickel Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 College Boreal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Epiroc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Government of Northwest Territories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Hexagon PPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Jama Mining Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Luvan Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 MEDATech Engineering Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 MEK Electrified Ventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Normet Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Provix Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Sandvik Mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 SLR Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 SRK Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Stantec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 T.D. Micronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 TriWater Bags Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Valard Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Westpro Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

38 | CANADIAN

MINING JOURNAL

www.canadanickel.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.collegeboreal.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.epiroc.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nwtmining.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.bit.ly/hexagonopsexcelmining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jama.se . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.luvan.com.cn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.medatech.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mek-ev.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.normet.com/smartdrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.provix.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . rocktechnology.sandvik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.slrconsulting.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.srk.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.stantec.com/mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tdmicronic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.triwaterbags.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.valard.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.westpromachinery.com ...................................

www.canadianminingjournal.com

UPCOMING SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

2021

Q2 Global Mining Symposium May 19-20, 2021

Q3 Global Mining Symposium September 22-23, 2021

Q4 Global Mining Symposium November 17-18, 2021

REGISTER for our NEXT event TODAY www.northernminer.com / GMS2021 #GMS2021

ELECTRIFICATION IN LONGHOLE DRILLING SANDVIK DL422iE BATTERY ELECTRIC LONGHOLE DRILL Sandvik DL422iE is a fully automated, battery-powered top hammer longhole drill, designed for underground mass mining in 4 x 4 m or larger production drifts.

The drill is equipped with an electric driveline system including a battery package and electric motor for zero emissions while tramming for a safer working environment of the personnel underground.

Sandvik DL422iE features the latest technology in drilling automation, data management and tele-remote operation. Continuous and unmanned operation during shift changes and breaks combined with comprehensive data collection and transfer through wireless networks ensure improved equipment utilization and productivity.

ROCKTECHNOLOGY.SANDVIK