Tag Archives: SNC-Lavalin

SNC-Lavalin bolsters Canada mining and metallurgy practice with hire of Miguel Tortosa

SNC-Lavalin, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has announced the appointment of Miguel Tortosa as Vice-President and General Manager, Mining and Metallurgy, Canada.

Based in Toronto, he will report to César Inostroza, CEO, Mining and Metallurgy at SNC-Lavalin.

Along with leading business initiatives for the mining and metallurgy practice across Canada, Tortosa will be responsible for identifying and executing on new growth opportunities for the global mining and metallurgy practice. He will be supporting the mining and metallurgy team in providing leading technical expertise to clients, while collaborating with other practice groups across SNC-Lavalin to leverage the full capabilities of the company’s end-to-end service offering in delivering client mandates, SNC-Lavalin says.

“We’re excited to have Miguel step into this important role for the mining and metallurgy business,” Inostroza said. “His significant global and domestic experience, developed across projects in Canada, South Africa, Australia, Chile and Brazil, and his specialised insight across the mining lifecycle, will be a great asset to our clients. His expertise and energy will enable us to build strong networks across the business, optimise our service delivery, and deploy the best of SNC-Lavalin’s global capabilities locally on projects across Canada.”

He added: “Mr Tortosa will help advance our role in sustainable mining and the indispensable role it plays in critical mineral supply to support the growing market for batteries required to support electric vehicles, along with the increasing electrification of society in support of net zero.”

A Montreal native, Tortosa graduated from Polytechnique Montréal with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining SNC-Lavalin, he worked in the mining practice at global engineering firm Wood.

SNC-Lavalin to help BAMIN join up mining and rail ops at Pedra de Ferro

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a C$14.8 million ($11.4 million), two-year contract to provide design and engineering services for the Pedra de Ferro project in northeast Brazil for BAMIN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ERG.

The Pedra de Ferro project involves an iron ore mining operation in the state of Bahia that extracts and processes two types of ore, hematite and itabirite, and transports it for commercialisation via rail and sea. To help increase capacity and expand production, the company will design and engineer an open-pit mine, a hematite processing plant, an itabirite processing plant, a product storage yard, a cargo loading station and a railway loop that will provide access to the West-East Integration Railroad (FIOL). In September 2021, BAMIN signed a concession agreement with the Brazilian Federal Government to complete and operate a section of the FIOL railway in the country. Once completed, FIOL will be able to carry 60 Mt/y of freight, with BAMIN’s products accounting for a third of this capacity.

“Our integrated pit-to-port approach is present at every level in the mining industry, including greenfield, brownfield, new investments, due diligence and assessment studies,” Cesar Inostroza, SNC-Lavalin Mining & Metallurgy CEO, said. “Whether it’s complementing existing operations or getting new ones up and running, we deliver safely on time and on budget.”

Maria de Lourdes Bahia, SNC-Lavalin Mining & Metallurgy Vice-president, Brazil, said: “This project is extremely important to the Brazilian economy, helping generate thousands of jobs and positioning Bahia to become the third largest iron ore producing state in Brazil. Our commitment to innovation, technology and sustainability enables us to deliver the best solutions with lasting benefits to our clients and the communities in which we work and live.”

ERG has previously flagged that Pedra de Ferro could produce up to 18 Mt/y of iron ore at full capacity.

Marathon taps Caterpillar Finance for equipment lease at Valentine gold project

Marathon Gold Corp says it has executed a credit-approved commitment letter with Caterpillar Financial Services Limited for equipment lease financing related to the development and operation of the Valentine gold project in Newfoundland, Canada.

The commitment letter with Cat Financial contemplates $81 million of equipment leasing for Caterpillar trucks, excavators, graders, loaders and dozers, for the purpose of loading, hauling, road maintenance, waste dump maintenance and primary pit support for the project.

The lease will be available to the company upon release of the project from its federal Environment Assessment process, review of the project’s updated feasibility study, satisfaction of a cost to complete certification and other customary conditions, Marathon Gold said.

An April 2021 feasibility study outlined an open-pit mining and conventional milling operation at Valentine with a 2.5 Mt/y processing rate over a 13-year mine life with a 31.5% after-tax internal rate of return and initial capital costs of C$305 million ($237 million). The project has estimated Proven reserves of 1.40 Moz (29.68 Mt at 1.46 g/t) and Probable reserves of 650,000 oz (17.38 Mt at 1.17 g/t).

Matt Manson, President and CEO of Marathon, said: “We are very happy to be announcing today our equipment leasing commitment with Cat Financial, another significant milestone in our project financing arrangements for the Valentine Gold Project. This agreement will provide financing for the project’s mobile mining equipment through project development and into the first several years of mining operations at an attractive overall cost of capital for Marathon.”

The lease announcement follows hot on the heels of Marathon Gold signing a Letter of Intent with SNC-Lavalin to complete detailed engineering for the project’s mill and major facilities, and develop related equipment and construction packages.

Michelle Tracey joins SNC-Lavalin’s Mining & Metallurgy business

SNC-Lavalin, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has welcomed Michelle Tracey as Senior Project Director for its Mining & Metallurgy business.

Tracey has more than 30 years of experience in the engineering field, with a track record of delivering operational excellence and leading the execution and delivery of major projects, including pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for investments. As an experienced leader in her field, she is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion. She consistently provides insight and perspective, pushing to make a difference in the mining industry.

After graduating in 1988 with a degree in chemical engineering, Tracey spent 12 years with an aluminum smelting company, working her way up through various roles while also completing her MBA. From there, she changed her focus to project delivery, working for both the owners’ companies and for EPCM consultants and contractors around the world including in China, Canada, Jamaica, Solomon Islands, Chile, USA, Colombia and Peru.

“Ms Tracey has a stellar track record in delivering projects for customers in the Mining & Metals business all over the world,” Cesar Inostroza, CEO Mining & Metallurgy, SNC-Lavalin, said. “She is a great addition to our team.”

SNC-Lavalin to expand tailings and water management business with appointment of Trevor Sparks

SNC-Lavalin has appointed Dr Trevor Sparks as Global Vice-President of Tailings and Water Management for the company’s Mining & Metallurgy business.

Trevor is based in the UK and will lead the expansion of the company’s tailings and water management global business in the mining industry, working in collaboration with teams around the world.

Cesar Inostroza, Mining & Metallurgy Senior Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin, said: “We are excited to welcome Trevor to the team. He brings a wealth of proficiency and knowledge and will play an important role in leading and deploying our world-class expertise aimed at helping our clients solve their tailings and water challenges in a sustainable manner.”

Dr Sparks has 30 years of experience in fluid engineering, solid-liquid filtration and mineral processing, as well as project execution, sales & marketing and consultancy. This includes roles with Outotec and, most recently, Metso Outotec.

He has a recognised track record of delivering operational excellence in leading the expansion of businesses and markets, according to SNC-Lavalin. He has guided and delivered numerous international projects, working with multidisciplinary teams to achieve significant increases in business performance.

SNC-Lavalin to assess sulphuric acid plant options at Ammaroo phosphate project

SNC-Lavalin Group says it will undertake a definitive feasibility study for Verdant Minerals’ Ammaroo phosphate project in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The group is providing engineering and procurement services to assess the feasibility of a 4,500 t/d sulphuric acid plant, which will be part of a fully-integrated mine and downstream processing facility to produce ammonium phosphate fertilisers.

This sulphuric acid plant will use DuPont Clean Technologies’ MECS® technologies to minimise SO2 emissions, rendering the plant more sustainable in the long term, SNC-Lavalin said. MECS Heat Recovery System (HRS) technology will also be used to recover medium pressure steam from the sulphuric acid plant, an energy now captured instead of being wasted, providing the majority of energy requirements for the site and removing the need to have additional sources of energy.

This will maximise energy efficiency while reducing the overall facility’s reliance on energy supply from external sources and overall lessen its carbon footprint, SNC-Lavalin added.

Initial development of Ammaroo could produce in the order of 2 Mt/y of phosphate concentrate, with further downstream processing resulting in 500,000 t/y of merchant-grade phosphoric acid (100% P2O5) for domestic and global markets, Verdant says.

Patrick Sikka, Vice-President, North America, Mining & Metallurgy at SNC-Lavalin, said: “We are proud to be working with Verdant Minerals on this project to develop a world-class sulphuric acid plant as part of its major new mine and processing development, ensuring the long-term sustainability of its operations.”

SNC-Lavalin names Tony Lipiec as Global VP of Minerals & Metallurgical Processing

SNC-Lavalin, an integrated professional services and project management company, has appointed Tony Lipiec as its Global Vice President of Minerals & Metallurgical Processing.

Lipiec will lead engineering process teams on large- and small-scale mining and metallurgy process projects, covering multiple technical areas including mineral processing and hydrometallurgy for commodities in the base and precious metals industries, the Montreal-headquartered company said.

“We are very excited to welcome Tony, who will play an important role in delivering our global growth strategy,” Cesar Inostroza, Mining & Metallurgy Senior Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin, said. “From project management to innovative process development for base and precious metals, his expertise will further enhance our integrated ‘pit to port’ offering, providing efficient project operations and more value to our clients.”

Lipiec has more than 35 years of project and management experience, working in many segments of the mining and metallurgy engineering and construction business around the world, including in Africa, Russia, North and South America, SNC-Lavalin says. He also has extensive expertise in operations, engineering, research, plant construction and consulting on projects from pilot to full-scale process plants, including process development for precious, base and specialty metals using conventional and innovative technologies.

Last year, SNC-Lavalin announced the results of a strategic review of its Resources Business, with the decision to transform the business to focus solely on the profitable parts of the service business and sell or close non-primary parts of the business, including the exit of multiple geographies.

DuPont Clean Tech to provide low emission sulphuric acid plant input at Rhyolite Ridge

ioneer Ltd has awarded DuPont Clean Technologies a contract for the licence, engineering and supply of proprietary equipment for the planned sulphuric acid plant at the company’s Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada, USA.

Specialty technology provider DuPont will work with engineering partner SNC-Lavalin on the plant design, providing best-in-class MECS® sulphuric acid production technology for a plant with a 3,500 t/d capacity, and controls that limit emissions to among the lowest in the world for this type of facility, ioneer says.

The DuPont contract is conditional on a final investment decision on the project by the ioneer Board of Directors, which is expected shortly.

In June, Rhyolite Ridge became the first project with planned sulphuric acid production to receive a Class II Air Quality permit in Nevada.

Employing advanced technologies, the plant will meet stringent NV Class II air quality standards and water pollution control, according to ioneer. DuPont will also supply its latest generation MECS Super GEAR™ catalyst and other critical proprietary equipment, with the plant set to convert sulphur into commercial-grade sulphuric acid, used to leach lithium and boron from the crushed rock.

The heat released in the process will be recovered to produce steam for electricity. The plant will generate an initial 35 MW of electricity, which is sufficient to power the entire Rhyolite Ridge operation and means ioneer will not draw electricity from the grid, the company says.

“Rhyolite Ridge will be an energy-independent operation, using primarily co-generated, zero-carbon power,” it added.

The heat generated will also be used for evaporation and crystallisation processes required to produce lithium carbonate and boric acid.

Once operational, Rhyolite Ridge is expected to produce 20,600 t/y of lithium carbonate, converting in year four to 22,000 t/y of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, and 174,400 t/y of boric acid. Pending final federal US Department of the Interior approval of the Plan of Operation, the project is expected to begin production in the second half of 2024.

Commenting on the contract, ioneer Managing Director, Bernard Rowe, said: “Development of the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project is a critical strategic step to enable US production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. ioneer’s core commitment is to produce essential materials in an environmentally and socially responsible and sustainable manner through lowered emissions, reduced water usage and a minimal surface footprint. We are delighted to welcome MECS-DuPont to our team. It is a world-leader in clean technology and emissions control and will work alongside ioneer to deliver this tier-1 project in the US.”

Global business leader of DuPont Clean Technologies, Eli Ben-Shoshan, said: “We have worked in close partnership with ioneer and SNC-Lavalin to be able to guarantee the precise performance and emissions control ioneer needs for its Rhyolite Ridge project to meet stringent environmental standards and production objectives. We are excited to be part of a project that helps ioneer cleanly produce lithium essential to advancement of electric energy markets and to be able to support it with our many decades of expertise in sulphuric acid plant technology.”

ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project achieves major permitting milestone

ioneer Ltd, a lithium-boron project developer, has confirmed the issuance of a Class II Air Quality Permit for its Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada, USA.

The issuance of the Air Quality Permit follows a detailed review of the project by the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Bureau of Air Pollution Control and is a requirement for construction to commence at Rhyolite Ridge.

The project will comprise a quarry, an overburden storage facility, the first sulphuric acid plant permitted in the State of Nevada, an ore processing facility responsible for boric acid and lithium carbonate production, and a spent ore storage facility.

The project’s acid plant features MECS®/SNC Lavalin designed heat recovery technology, which means the plant will generate all the electricity and heat needed for normal operations, according to ioneer. This means the operation will be energy-independent and using co-generated zero-carbon power. The acid plant features state-of-the-art controls that limit emissions to among the lowest in the world for this type of plant, the company claims.

“The facility will not use fossil fuels to generate electricity during normal operations and will not draw power from the electricity grid,” the company said.

ioneer’s Managing Director, Bernard Rowe, said: “Our commitment to responsible production is at the core of our operation. The issuance of the Class II Air Quality Permit represents a significant milestone for the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project and supports our detailed plans for a processing plant with low emissions and minimal hazardous air pollutants.

“After regulatory review and public comment period, we are pleased that Rhyolite Ridge is the first project with sulphuric acid production to receive a Class II Air Quality permit in Nevada.”

He added: “As the most advanced lithium development project in the US, we are committed to ensuring Rhyolite Ridge is a sustainable, environmentally sensitive operation that also delivers significant positive economic impact in the state of Nevada. This important step allows us to continue to develop the project and work toward construction.”

The lithium and boron resource at Rhyolite Ridge is estimated at 146.5 Mt, including a reserve of 60 Mt. The company expects to mine and process 63.8 Mt over the 26-year mine life at an average annual rate of 2.5 Mt/y.

Nouveau Monde receives provincial green light for Matawinie graphite mine build

Following a rigorous environmental review, the Québec Government has issued a ministerial decree authorising Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc’s Matawinie mining project for a 100,000 t/y high-purity graphite concentrate production.

Located only 150 km north of Montréal, the company’s deposit constitutes the largest projected graphite operation in North America and Europe and is expected to become the world’s first all-electric open-pit mine, Nouveau Monde says.

“Since filing its bankable feasibility study, Nouveau Monde has invested time and effort to meticulously plan mining and environmental engineering, master the ore metallurgical process to reach 97% purity after simple flotation, de-risk its operation through its demonstration plant, and actively engage with the local community of St-Michel-des-Saints to secure a social licence to operate and with the Atikamekw First Nation,” the company said.

The environmental decree now provides Nouveau Monde with the operational criteria and final design parameters to launch construction activities.

It plans to start early works at the mining site as of the June quarter, and full construction is expected to be launched in the September quarter once permits and authorisations are finalised. The project timeline places commissioning activities and start-up of commercial production in 2023.

Arne H Frandsen, Chairman of Nouveau Monde, said: “Today’s milestone is something we have worked towards as a team since the outset in 2011. After a decade of meticulous planning, we can now commence the mine construction of our world-class Matawinie graphite project. We are most grateful for the continued support Nouveau Monde has received from the Québec Government and our partnership with Investissement Québec as well as the backing from our local host communities – all being important stakeholders of this success.

“We will exercise our mandate in the spirit of cooperation, sustainability and benefit sharing for all parties involved. The creation of the Western World’s largest anode-quality graphite mine will assist positioning Québec as the prime location for the North American battery materials hub – supplying the continent with the critical anode and cathode materials required for the batteries needed for the global electrification of mobility.”

Eric Desaulniers, President and CEO of Nouveau Monde, added: “With this green light to launch our Matawinie project, we plan to bring to market a responsibly extracted high-purity graphite to supply electric vehicles and energy storage sectors with a local and sustainable alternative. Doing so will position Nouveau Monde as a leading anode material provider for decades to come, creating opportunities and unlocking value for all parties involved.”

Nouveau Monde is working towards developing an operation that can provide the volumes required by major auto original equipment manufacturers and battery manufacturers; the most recent estimates indicate 120.3 Mt combined measured and indicated resources at a 4.26% Cg grade. Geological knowledge of the Matawinie property, paired with experience in extracting and concentrating the ore at the company’s demonstration plant, have significantly de-risked the project.

Nouveau Monde has also integrated forward looking and innovative environmental initiatives to limit the project’s footprint and protect local biodiversity, namely:

  • Integrated onsite water management system guaranteeing constant monitoring and treatment that meet the highest quality standards;
  • Co-disposal of tailings and waste rock in line with requirements of the best practices such as The Global Tailings Review, the International Network for Acid Prevention and the Canadian Mine Environment Neutral Drainage Program. This management solution helps avoid acid mine drainage, provides greater environmental safety in the long term and reduces the infrastructure’s footprint;
  • Progressive land reclamation through backfilling of the pit and a comprehensive restoration plan; and
  • An all-electric fleet – a world’s first for an open-pit mine – powered by Québec’s clean, abundant, and affordable hydroelectricity.

Through its demonstration operations, Nouveau Monde has already validated its process for desulphurisation of tailings and completed the construction of a co-disposal experimental cell through a collaborative partnership with Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Over the life of mine, the company intends to implement this system through a co-disposal pile and backfilling of the pit as of year six, promoting thereby the restoration of the natural ecosystem while reducing environmental risks. To ensure long-term sustainability, the co-disposal storage facility will also include a capillary barrier effect multi-layer cover to block oxygen and vegetate the site.

SNC-Lavalin, Lamont Expert, Minesite Drainage Assessment Group and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada have conducted modelling analysis of Nouveau Monde’s co-disposal design to study critical design parameters on sulphide oxidation reaction rates and optimise configurations of the pit backfill and co-disposal pile.

Recently the company has expanded the mandate of NRC to simulate additional site-specific pile design parameters, like compaction level, using Nouveau Monde’s demonstration plant tailings and test cell results. NRC will expand the model developed in earlier phases and provide the company with a strong tool to optimise tailings deposition plans.