The Quebec Agricultural Land Protection Commission has approved operating permits for Niocan’s (NIO-T) Bond niobium project near Oka, Que., leaving Ministry of the Environment approval as the final hurdle.
The Land Protection Commission had jurisdiction over the project because a 6.2-hectare portion of the property was zoned as agricultural land. Under the approval process, Niocan has undertaken to restore that area as agricultural land after the proposed mine is closed.
The project has two niobium deposits: the S-60 with 14.4 million tonnes grading 0.66% niobium oxide; and the HWM-2 pipe with 6 million tonnes grading 0.56% niobium oxide.
The feasibility study proposed mining 892,000 tonnes annually from underground to produce a columbite concentrate, which would be fed to a conversion plant to produce a ferroniobium alloy.
The company received operating permits from the Ministry of Natural Resources in May. The ministry approved the site of the plant and the tailings disposal area. About 55% of the tailings are being returned underground as paste backfill. The remainder will go by pipeline to the closed St. Lawrence Columbium pits, about 1 km away.
Ministry of the Environment approval is expected sometime in the fall.
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