NioCorp Developments Ltd has announced the selection of several key contractors – Olsson, DuPont Clean Technologies, and Veolia – to work on the proposed Elk Creek Superalloy Material Project which will be North America’s only niobium/scandium/titanium advanced materials manufacturing facility and will be co-located with an associated underground mine. Located near Elk Creek, Nebraska, this will be the highest grade niobium project in North America, as well as one of the largest prospective producers of scandium in the world.
Olsson will continue their engagement around project permitting, NioCorp announced, with personnel based in their Lincoln, Omaha and Denver offices. Olsson has led state and federal permitting efforts for the project since 2014, including NioCorp’s current effort to obtain a Nebraska Construction Air Permit for the project.
Their previous work on the project included civil engineering, geotech analysis, successful navigation of Army Corps of Engineer permitting programs (Sections 404 and 408 permits), and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting. “Our relationship with Olsson spans more than five years, and their hard-working team of engineers, scientists and permitting experts has demonstrated an excellent capability of getting things done with the regulatory agencies in Nebraska,” said Mark A. Smith, CEO Executive Chair of NioCorp. “Olsson’s work is consistently of the highest quality, and we can attribute the fact that the Elk Creek Project already has obtained all the major federal permits needed for construction to Olsson’s tireless efforts on our behalf.”
DuPont Clean Technologies has been selected by NioCorp to conduct engineering and procurement activities related to the Project’s sulphuric acid recycling plant. Subject to execution of a formal contract, DuPont Clean Technologies will primarily provide MECS® Air Pollution control solutions for mining operations, in order to drastically reduce emissions. “The Clean Technologies division of DuPont is a global leader in process technology licensing and engineering, offering MECS® critical process equipment, products, and services to minimise emissions for the sulphuric acid industry.”
Finally, Pennsylvania-based Veolia Water Technologies has been selected by NioCorp to conduct engineering and procurement activities related to the project’s water treatment plant, subject to execution of a formal contract. “Veolia Water Technologies is a global leader in water and wastewater treatment with more than 160 years of experience. As a specialised provider of technological solutions and services, from Engineering and Procurement to standard systems, Veolia applies process expertise and industry knowledge to respond to the needs of industrial clients and municipalities. When designing solutions, the focus is always on the customer’s specific goals, which may include low operating costs, energy and water conservation, an optimised design for an existing footprint, or valuable resource or product recovery.”