Reclamation is an integral part of mine operations

Attending Wyloo Canada’s announcement that it plans to build a battery materials plant in northern Ontario that may cost around $900 million was “the icing on the cake” for the media tour in Sudbury organized by Mine-Connect Supply and Services Association at the end of May. Wyloo has entered a memorandum of understanding with Sudbury to secure a parcel of land to build the plant. The company said it chose Sudbury, a nickel producer for more than a century, for its leadership in the mining sector, its shift to clean technologies, and its commitment to reconciliation with First Nation communities. 

The plant would target an output of around 50,000 t/y of nickel sulfate and precursor cathode active material (pCAM), a battery component often containing nickel, cobalt, or other chemical elements. Eventually, the plant would produce enough material to power about 800,000 vehicles a year.

Marla Tremblay, executive director, and Heather Johnston, project manager, in co-operation with several other members of their team, hosted an inaugural Mining Media FAM tour from May 27 to 31 in Sudbury, Ont. that included attending the back-to-back Mining Transformed and BEV In Depth: Mines to Mobility conferences. Additionally, I toured several supplier and manufacturing locations in Sudbury and interviewed several executives and CEOs for articles to come in the next few issues of this journal.

According to our feature article by OceanaGold staff on page 23, OceanaGold is entering the final stages of rehabilitation of its Globe Progress mine. After the mine closed in 2016, the site became known as “the Reefton restoration project.” The restoration team made sure that concurrent restoration work, also known as parallel reclamation, was an integral part of OceanaGold’s operations throughout the working life of the mine.

Additionally, several articles in this issue discuss the status of mine closure and reclamation, tailings, and water management in the mining industry and highlight potential new technologies.

Flip to the interview on page 29 with Martin Turenne, president, CEO, and director of FPX Nickel who reveals the dirty secret of the EV industry.

Finally, on page 31, John Sandlos sheds some light on the big nickel scandal of 1916.

Our most anticipated August issue will feature our annual Top 40 ranking of Canadian miners based on total revenue in 2023. The MINExpo issue will also look at some of the top development projects in Canada, and we will preview trucks, heavy equipment, and material handling systems. Relevant articles can be submitted to the Editor in Chief until July 15, 2024