Industry Achievements Towards More a Environmentally Responsible Exploitation

Winsome is a junior exploration and development company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) since November 2021, focusing its activities in Quebec on mining claims located in the traditional Cree territory of Eeyou Istchee James Bay. In the fall of 2022, Winsome made a major discovery at its Adina Lithium Project, initiating efforts to advance towards sustainable operations that respect communities and the environment.

In October 2023, the closure of the Renard Mine and its change into creditor protection opened a unique opportunity for Winsome. In Spring 2024, the company signed an exclusive purchase option to acquire the assets of the Renard Mine and its infrastructure. This initiative aims to repurpose these facilities to process mineralized material from the Adina project, located just 60 km away (direct line).

The reuse of Renard’s infrastructure is a strategic advantage for the development of Adina. These well-designed and well-maintained infrastructures are expected to reduce environmental impact through integration of the Adina and Renard sites. By repurposing the existing facilities, Winsome expects to minimize its ecological footprint.

The transition towards a different mineralized material operation provides a new model for mining, offering an innovative solution to sustain local economic opportunities and perennity for existing installations. By pursuing this acquisition, with a final decision expected by February 2025 at the latest, Winsome hopes to position itself as a key player in the critical mineral supply chain in North America, contributing to a more sustainable future for Quebec and its communities. The synergy between the Adina project and Renard’s infrastructure illustrates Winsome’s commitment to responsible mining practices, paving the way for further innovative and environmentally respectful development.

Windfall Mining Group is currently developing the Windfall Mining Project, located in Northern Quebec, 115 km east of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, on the traditional lands of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi. In order to promote more environmentally responsible mining operations, several initiatives have already been implemented to ensure a positive environmental legacy after the mine’s closure. Among these is the biodiversity program, developed in close collaboration with local communities following the devastating forest fires of the summer of 2023. This program represents an innovative example of environmental management, focusing on understanding the affected ecosystems and fostering a harmonious coexistence between mining operations and biodiversity conservation.

Mining companies are increasingly placing social concerns, the environment and site closure at the centre of project development decisions. These commitments are becoming design criteria that lead teams to rethink planning, construction and field operations. In the Matawinie project of Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG), two site reclamation initiatives were implemented even before the mine began operating.

The first initiative aims to integrate the management and disposal of tailings into the mine's day-to-day operations in order to facilitate the implementation of the processes planned for site closure. The aim is to limit, or even prevent, the oxidation of sulphides present in the tailings during mining operations. The methods proposed are capillary barrier effects covering and encapsulation, which act as barriers against oxygen and promote the long-term geochemical stability of the infrastructure. Various operational parameters were validated by geochemical studies, numerical models, laboratory studies and the construction of field test cells at Saint-Michel-des-Saints.

The other initiative concerns the revegetation of the site. Field trials began in 2023, where the organic matter and soils required for mine closure were produced on the mine site in the early stages of construction. Soil and forest residues recovered during stripping and logging are piled separately and then managed in the form of amended windrows. This storage solution should allow the materials to be reused for a reclamation plan that is adapted to the surrounding environment's conditions. The project includes a study of the initial ecosystem and aims to maintain or improve the diversity of soil micro-organisms, in particular those that promote the growth and long-term survival of plants and the restoration of forest ecosystems rich in biodiversity. This project should make it possible to recreate viable forest systems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The supply of organic matter for the revegetation of mining sites is a major challenge for Quebec’s mining companies. In fact, mining sites often face a shortage of soil, which forces them to import this material. The use of fast-growing willows as an in situ organic matter deposit is an innovative and environmentally friendly solution to this challenge.

Fast-growing willows are established directly at the mine site. Every 3 to 5 years, the willow aboveground biomass is harvested (leaving the willow root system in place) and then used as the main input of organic matter in creating the soil needed for the rest of the site’s reclamation, thus creating a short cycle of organic matter production. This local production reduces GHG emissions associated with the transport of soil for vegetation, and the willows capture carbon during their growth.

This presentation is about a pilot plantation of 12,300 fast-growing willows that was established at ArcelorMittal’s Mont-Wright mine in the summer of 2023 to produce organic matter. The project’s nordicity, the implementation challenges, the technical advances, as well as the positive impact of the project—particularly in terms of sustainable mining—will be addressed.