Generation Mining and province of Ontario bring hundreds of mining jobs to Northern Ontario
Christmas comes early for Generation Mining as the company announced November 30th simultaneously with the the Ontario government the approval of an environmental assessment proposal to mine platinum group metals near Marathon, supporting the province’s priority of promoting Ontario’s mining sector.
The province's web site (ontario.ca) released the following:
Generation PGM’s Marathon Palladium Project supports Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy by creating another North American source of palladium and is expected to produce an average of 245,000 ounces of palladium equivalent production annually over an estimated 13-year mine life. Palladium is a key material used in catalytic converters to remove harmful chemicals from automobile exhaust emissions. The success of this operation will help reduce pollution in the automotive industry and build the supply chain for critical minerals and the automotive manufacturing industry that is rapidly growing in Ontario.
“We are approving this important project while also ensuring stringent environmental protections are in place,” says David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Not only is this critical minerals project vital to bringing new growth opportunities to Northern Ontario, but it will secure Ontario’s future as a leader in the generation of clean, sustainable electric vehicles.”
Site construction is anticipated to take 18 to 24 months requiring a construction workforce of 900 plus workers with an operating workforce estimated at 375 people, which will bring economic growth to the region and jobs to the local community.
“Our government is creating the right conditions for companies to do what they do best – build mines and create jobs,” said George Pirie, Minister of Mines. “The Generation Mining palladium-copper project is another strong indicator that our government’s Critical Minerals Strategy is working, and companies are investing in Ontario. This exciting project will boost the economy of the Marathon region and lead to economic prosperity for local Indigenous communities.”
The Marathon Palladium Project followed the Joint Review Panel process under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The community of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, which is located less than 10 kilometres from the Project, has been heavily involved and is supportive of the Project provided that all adverse environmental effects to the community can be appropriately mitigated. Extensive consultation also occurred through the Panel with Indigenous communities, stakeholders and members of the public.
Ontario’s approval under the Environmental Assessment Act will allow Generation PGM to proceed with the construction, operation and closure of an open pit palladium-copper mine, subject to other required permits and approvals.
This project will foster the development of northern communities by improving the competitiveness of mining businesses and industries in Northern Ontario while supporting local and regional economies.
“We’re taking concrete steps to cement Ontario’s place as a world leader in critical mineral exploration, production and innovation,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs. “Our efforts are bringing good jobs and prosperity to the people and communities of Northern Ontario in an environmentally responsible way.”
Major Milestone Reached in Path to Production
Generation Mining released on their website "the Marathon Palladium Copper Project (the “Marathon Project”) was approved by the joint Federal and Provincial Environmental Assessment process. The Company will now proceed to obtain the necessary permits for construction and operation. The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and The Honourable David Piccini, Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, each announced today that the Company’s Marathon Project may proceed, subject to conditions set out in the federal decision statement (the “Decision Statement”) and the provincial approval order (the “Approval Order”), respectively.
The Marathon Project involves the construction, operation, decommissioning, and remediation of three open pits to produce copper concentrate, consisting primarily of copper, palladium and platinum, critical minerals, an onsite ore processing facility, a 115 kV transmission line, an access road, a mine rock storage area, a process solids management facility, and a water management system, amongst other infrastructure.
The processing plant will operate at approximately 9.2 million tonnes of ore per year and produce approximately 87,000 tonnes of copper-concentrate annually. The concentrate will be delivered to a third-party facility for further downstream processing into refined critical minerals. Based on current mineral reserves, over its planned 13-year mine life the Marathon Project concentrate is expected to produce 1,905,000 ounces of palladium, 467 million lbs. of copper, 537,000 ounces of platinum, 151,000 ounces of gold and 2,823,000 ounces of silver in payable metals.
Commenting on today’s announcements, Jamie Levy, President and CEO said, “This is a great day for Generation Mining Shareholders and critical minerals production in Canada. These government decisions validate the work done to date to develop the Marathon Project as a sustainable, environmentally sensitive, low-cost producer of critical metals that are needed to support emissions controls and the transition to a greener economy. The receipt of the Decision Statement and Approval Order, respectively, are significant milestones as we advance the Marathon Project into production. This provides much needed certainty about the future and development of this strategic asset.”
“We would like to thank Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and the Town of Marathon for their support, along with the representatives of other regional municipalities and Indigenous communities, the public, the responsible federal and provincial government agencies, and our team of employees and advisors for their significant contributions to the Joint Review Panel Environmental Assessment process. We are extremely proud to be the first mine in Ontario to be approved through this process. Receipt of the Decision Statement and Approval Order enables us to apply for the permits necessary for the construction and operation of the Marathon Project.”
The Decision Statement and Approval Order were made following a thorough, multi-year, joint federal and provincial environmental assessment process, with input received from Indigenous groups, the public, federal government departments including the Ministry of Environment Canada and Climate Change, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Transport Canada, and provincial government departments including Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Labour, and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority.
Gen Mining continues to work on de-risking and optimizing the Marathon Project, making significant progress on detailed engineering and financing. The Decision Statement and Approval Order included conditions on such matters as ongoing consultation, follow-up programs, reporting, information sharing, fish and fish habitat, migratory birds, wildlife, greenhouse gas emissions, health and socio-economic conditions of Indigenous peoples, the current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes, and reclamation, amongst other things. The Company is reviewing the conditions in the Decision Statement and Approval Order to determine any impacts on the project schedule. The Company will continue to work expeditiously to satisfy any pre-construction condition(s) and ensure compliance with all of the conditions needed to advance construction and operations in a timely manner, as it progresses towards a final investment decision.
For further information visit https://genmining.com/
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