Two Northern Ontario mining companies, dabbling in critical minerals, have landed provincial funding to improve mineral recoveries at a pair of prospective mine projects.
Magna Mining received an award of up to $500,000 to conduct metallurgical work at its up-and-coming Crean Hill mine project in the Sudbury basin.
The money is coming from the government’s Critical Minerals Innovation Fund.
The Sudbury company said in a news release that the funding will be applied toward improving precious metal recoveries from the former Inco nickel and copper mine, which was carried out as part of a bulk sampling program last year.
Magna, an emerging mid-tier miner in Sudbury, made a big splash last year in acquiring the McCreedy West copper mine, along with a raft of former producing mines and some prospective properties in a massive deal with KGHM. Crean Hill is one of its tentpole projects. That former Inco mine was acquired in a 2022 deal with Vale.
“We are extremely pleased to be the recipients of this funding program, and we are delighted that the Ontario government is supporting our efforts to develop new critical mineral production in Sudbury, said Paul Fowler, Magna’s senior vice-president, in a statement.
Fowler mentioned Magna also wants to tap into the province’s new $500-million Critical Minerals Processing Fund. The company said it's aiming to boost copper and nickel production in the basin over the next three to four years.
In the release, Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce said the innovation fund is a part of the government’s strategy to backstop the critical minerals sector.
“By supporting Magna Mining’s Crean Hill Project in advancing mineral processing work to maximize precious metal yields and boost copper and nickel output, we are helping to write the next chapter for Sudbury's mining sector while powering Ontario's future as a key supplier of the critical minerals essential for a modern and competitive economy."
In northwestern Ontario, Rock Tech Lithium is pocketing $388,074 from the same fund to develop an innovative ore sorting process for low-grade spodumene, a lithium-enriched rock.
The Canadian-German company operates the proposed Georgia Lake open-pit mine project outside of Beardmore.
The company is teaming up with Queen’s University and Stark Technologies to accelerate research and pilot testing for an ore sorting solution that will achieve an 80 per cent lithium recovery rates from low-grade ore in the range of 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent. This low-grade material was traditionally considered uneconomic.
“This project brings together academia, technology, and industry to solve one of the key challenges in lithium production — making lower-grade resources viable,” said Rock Tech CEO Mirco Wojnarowicz in a news release. “It’s a major step forward for sustainable critical minerals development in Ontario.”
The research will be carried out at Queen’s University in Kingston. Stark Technologies is providing advanced sorting technology and expertise. Rock Tech will be supplying ore samples on the path to commercializing these technology.
The company previously said it wants to place a lithium refinery in Red Rock, on the north shore of Lake Superior.
