Additional print resource exerpt, re: road planning from Feb. DCN article below:

Chromite is processed into ferrochrome to produce stainless steel, highly sought after by China, which represents 60 per cent of the world’s demand, the northeastern U.S., Europe and elsewhere.

Coutts said the costs of developing Noront’s first chromite mine would be $200 million and then building a ferrochrome smelter would cost $1 billion.

The firm had balked at spending another $1 billion on a 300-kilometre roadway to take its chromite ore south, but the premier’s announcement last summer that the province was working with First Nations on developing two possible roadways, an east-west route from Pickle Lake and a north-south corridor from Aroland to the Ring of Fire, opened the door for Noront to contemplate next steps.

Both Coutts and Moe Lavigne, vice-president for exploration at Toronto-based KWG Resources, identified co-operation with First Nations as a significant remaining hurdle to development.

Lavigne said he suspects potential investors such as China, whose China Railway company has completed feasibility studies into constructing KWG’s preferred infrastructure option, a $2-billion railway line, are sitting out the development process until First Nations issues are resolved.

A statement from the provincial Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) confirmed the initial timeline laid out by Wynne, with the province aiming to obtain permitting and agreements with First Nations this year and next with the start of construction slated for 2019. The Webequie and Nibinamik First Nations have confirmed their partnership in the east-west roadway development process and an MNDM spokesperson said the province is working with the Marten Falls First Nation to plan and construct the roadway from Aroland.

Lavigne said negotiations with other First Nations are up in the air.

Said Coutts, “Timelines are somewhat uncertain because of the desire for all these people to be involved in decisions around resource development. We get that, we have factored that into our timelines.

“We feel with some of the strong relationships we have with the Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations, we will be able to attain those goals and have the communities involved to the level they want to be involved.”

Noront has already worked with Marten Falls on skills training. Coutts said after the Marten Falls chief visited the base camp in the Ring of Fire, where 20 of the 30 workers are Indigenous, he was sufficiently impressed to sign an agreement.

The firm has handed over environmental and engineering reports prepared by Golder and Hatch to the First Nations as they take the lead in developing the road systems.
Noront controls some 80 per cent of the mineral deposits in the Ring of Fire and Coutts said it intends to further analyze deposits in the area to be able to withstand swings in commodity prices.

Anticipate an announcement on this topic soon. 

mynot