[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
MONTREAL \u2014 A graphite mine in Quebec has been included on the federal government\u2019s expanded list of major projects in the national interest to be considered for regulatory fast-tracking. Here are five things to know about Nouveau Monde Graphite\u2019s Matawinie Mine.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The project includes the company\u2019s future open-pit Matawinie Mine in the Lanaudi\u00e8re region, about 120 kilometres north of Montreal, which plans to produce 106,000 tonnes per year of graphite concentrate over 25 years. The raw materials will be transformed into spherical graphite at a battery plant the company plans to build in B\u00e9cancour, Que., near Montreal.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic LeBlanc, minister of intergovernmental affairs, says that once operational the mine will supply Canada and its allies with a critical mineral used for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage systems, and defence. Nouveau Monde CEO Eric Desaulniers says graphite has more than a dozen other uses, including for advanced polymers and thermoplastics. The federal government already signed a binding term sheet with the company to buy some of the mine\u2019s future output for Canada and allied countries.<\/p>\n
Nouveau Monde isn\u2019t the only critical mineral project on the list. A proposed tungsten mine in Sisson Brook, N.B., is to produce the exceptionally strong metal used in energy storage as well as steel production for military and mining equipment.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once a project is referred to the Major Projects Office, it is reviewed and returned with recommendations to the government, which has the final say on whether to give it the national interest designation. That designation would permit a project to be streamlined through federal regulatory approval. Desaulniers says the projects office can help the company cover the \u201clast kilometre\u201d before construction can begin by helping to co-ordinate between different stakeholders. The mine\u2019s inclusion on the list also sends a signal of support that can help the company secure financing for construction, he said.<\/p>\n
Desaulniers says the company is ready to start building in early 2026, with d beginning some two years later.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company announced in late 2024 that it had signed an impact benefit agreement with the chief and council of the Atikamekw of Manawan, on whose ancestral territory the mine sits. That agreement includes Atikamekw involvement in the project\u2019s environmental management, measures to promote employment of community members, the inclusion of cultural safety measures and financial benefits.<\/p>\n
Chief Sipi Flamand reacted positively to the inclusion of the mine on the major projects list, calling it an announcement that is \u201cperfectly in line with the process of economic reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some environmental groups expressed opposition to the project being named to the list, citing concerns about the mine\u2019s impact on water quality and the defence applications of graphite.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project was only at the exploratory drilling stage, and we were already observing a worrying deterioration of the waterways around its site,\u201d R\u00e9becca P\u00e9trin, executive director of Eau Secours, said in a news release.<\/p>\n
Greenpeace Canada criticized the planned use of the mine\u2019s graphite for military purposes, writing in a news release, \u201ccritical minerals should be used to fight climate change, not wars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n