The federal environmental assessment for the Howse Property Iron Mine Project in Newfoundland and Labrador is moving forward, as funding is made available to support the participation of the public and Aboriginal groups.
Howse Minerals Limited is proposing the construction of an open-pit iron ore mine in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is about 25 kilometres north of Schefferville, Que.
An unincorporated joint venture was formed in August 2013 between Labrador Iron Mines Ltd (LIM), Tata Steel Mineral Canada Ltd. (TSMC), Howse Minerals Limited (HML) and Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Limited for the purpose of developing the Howse Property.
LIM is Canada’s newest and only independently owned iron ore producer. The company focuses on the development and production of its 20 direct shipping iron ore deposits located in the Schefferville area of the Labrador Trough.
HML is planning on developing the iron ore deposit at the Howse Property with the support of adjacent mining infrastructures.
An existing road of about 1.3 kilometres from past mining operations will be used and 2 kilometres of new road will need to be built to the Howse Property to the existing road network.
HML proposes to use a conventional open pit drill and blast operation mining method.
The extracted iron ore will be crushed and screened, hauled by truck to the TSMC’s DSO Project rail loop loading area (less than 5 km from the project), which is currently under construction, and then shipped by train to Sept-Îles, Que.
Major infrastructures at this complex include: processing plant; covered piles of processed ore; rail loop loading system; existing railway track from former IOC operations; camp to accommodate the workers; offices; warehouse; workshops; garages; laboratory; landfill; and wastewater treatment facilities.
Tata Steel and its joint venture partner New Millennium Iron Corp. have jointly contributed $50 million for the construction of the new multi-user port at the Port of Sept-Iles, which was scheduled to open in June 2014.
For this reason, little additional infrastructure will need to be built.
Pit development is expected to be completed in 2016 to allow for ore production to also begin in 2016.
The capital cost is not expected to exceed $100 million.
The mine is expected to extract up to 30 million tonnes of iron ore at a rate of up to 10,000 tonnes per day, over an approximate mine life of 12 years.
Funding is available for eligible individuals and groups to enable their participation in upcoming steps of the environmental assessment, which include reviewing and providing comments on the summary of the Environmental Impact Statement and on the draft Environmental Assessment Report.
Applications must be received by Aug. 22, 2014 to be considered.
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