Matawinie Graphite Mine
Quality, Quantity & Access
Nouveau Monde owns a 100% INTEREST in the Matawinie graphite property located in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 150 km north of Montréal, Québec.
Totalling 319 mining claims over 17,585 hectares, our property has demonstrated exceptional potential due to its significant HIGH-PURITY MINERAL RESERVE and low-cost operational model. Skilled workforce, high-quality infrastructure, including paved roads and hydroelectricity, as well as the dynamic regional business ecosystem provide a robust milieu for the development of the property.
Economic Highlights
A feasibility study covering the West Zone deposit of the Tony Claim Block, which is part of our Matawinie property, validated the project’s economic potential:
Concentrate Production
Pre-Tax NPV @ 8%
Post-Tax NPV @ 8%
Initial CAPEX
(Incl. 12.4% contingency)
(first 5 years)
OPEX
Mineral Resource Estimate
Nouveau Monde updated its pit-constrained Mineral Resource Estimate (the “Current Resource”) leading to a 25.6% INCREASE in the combined Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource categories with a minimal change to the pit footprint and mineralization that remains open.
Current Resource
Resource |
Tonnage (Mt) | Grade (% Cg) | Cg (Mt) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measured | 24.5 | 4.27 | 1.05 |
| Indicated | 95.8 | 4.26 | 4.08 |
| Measured + Indicated | 120.3 | 4.26 | 5.13 |
| Inferred | 4.5 | 4.43 | 0.20 |
RESOURCE AS AT MARCH, 19, 2020. The block model, used to generate the Current Resource of the West Zone deposit, is based on a total of 149 core drill holes which produced 8,274 samples as well as 207 samples collected from channelling work in three (3) trenches. In all, 23 mineralized horizons encased in paragneiss units were interpreted and modelled from this data.
Operational Highlights
Tonne/Year graphite concentrate production
Tonnes of probable reserve at a 4.35% Cg average grade
Graphite miling recovery
Finished product concentrate purity
Stripping ratio (LOM)
Start of construction
Dedicated to stringent sustainable development standards, Nouveau Monde is committed to having both its equipment used for mining operations and its ore concentration and processing activities become fully electric within the first five years of production. This operating model, A WORLD’S FIRST FOR AN OPEN-PIT MINE, represents a reduction of over 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the mine’s lifespan.
De-Risked Project
In addition to establishing a social license to operate, we have been operating a demonstration plant since Q4-2018 in Saint-Michel-des-Saints to:
Qualify products and establish a sales record;
Test and improve processes for optimised production;
Recruit and train employees ahead of commercial operations.
Advanced Materials Plant
From Mine to Market
Graphite sourced from our Matawinie property serves as the ideal high-purity, battery-grade material to supply the lithium-ion industry.
To optimise savings across the value chain and ensure full traceability of products, we have established a vertically integrated business model to bring battery anode material and advanced materials directly to the market.
Bécancour, Québec, will be home to Nouveau Monde’s value-added operations. The robust industrial infrastructure provides us with direct supply of required chemicals in addition to affordable hydroelectricity, skilled workforce, and a multi-modal logistical base in proximity to the U.S. market and European markets.
State-of-the-Art Technological Platform
Thanks to our proprietary transformation processes and a license to commercialise Hydro-Québec’s battery material technologies, Nouveau Monde will deliver 99.95+%-pure advanced materials.
Regrouping onsite micronisation, spheronisation, purification, and coating transformation units, Nouveau Monde’s secondary transformation plant will be equipped to produce a wide range of value-added graphite-based materials.
At this modular facility, we target a 40,000-tpa production of spherical purified graphite for the initial phase, with a capacity to reach 100,000 tpa as demand increases in battery and specialty markets. The plant will be carbon-neutral and virtually waste-less, bringing to market a truly sustainable product.
Our Playground: Quebec, CA
Set for Sucess
Nouveau Monde’s strategic location provides the perfect background for the development and growth of our integrated operations catering to the booming markets.
World-renowned environmental standards
Stable, pro-business jurisdiction
At the market’s doorstep
R&D powerhouse
Free trade agreements with 40+ countries
Rapidly developing local lithium-ion/electric hub
Established mining leadership
Clean, affordable and renewable hydropower
We benefit from an extremely supportive governmental and institutional shareholder base to underpin our development.
Leveraging Clean Hydropower
Quebec has vast hydraulic resources, some 500,000 lakes and 4,500 rivers, that power the entire province and adjacent states with an unlimited, green, and affordable source of energy.
Walking the Talk
With graphite playing such an important role in the energy transition, Nouveau Monde is embracing all-electric operations from the extraction and concentration of the mineral to the production of advanced materials.
We are set to become the world’s first all-electric open-pit mine – a feast of its own – but most importantly, we will bring to market products with a carbon-neutral footprint to drive sustainability into the electric vehicle and energy storage value chain.
