James Bay Lithium Mine Preliminary Information
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PN1-PRELIMINARY INFORMATION GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION OCTOBER 2017 JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE PRELIMINARY INFORMATION GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. REPORT (FINAL VERSION) PROJECT NO.: 171-02562-00 DATE: OCTOBER 2017 PRESENTED TO: MINISTÈRE DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE, DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT ET DE LA LUTTE CONTRE LES CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES – WSP CANADA INC. FLOOR 16 1600 RENÉ-LÉVESQUE BLVD WEST MONTRÉAL, QC, CANADA H3H 1P9 TEL.: +1 514 340-0046 FAX: +1 514 340-1337 WSP.COM SIGNATURES PREPARED BY Andréanne Boisvert, M.A. Project Manager REVIEWED BY Ghyslain Pothier, M. Env. ESSA Project Director WSP JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE NO. 171-02562-00 GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. PAGE I PRODUCTION TEAM GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC.) (GALAXY) Chief Operating Officer, Galaxy Resources Mark Pensabene Limited, duly authorized representative of Galaxy Exploration Manager James McCann, P.Geo. Study Manager Richard Kelso-Marsh, B.E. MIE Aust WSP CANADA INC. (WSP) Project Direction Andréanne Boisvert, M.A. Ghyslain Pothier, M. Env., ESSA Collaborators Craig Wood, B. Sc. Ariane Charaoui, M. Sc. Map Production Alain Lemay Annie Masson Editing Nancy Laurent WSP JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE NO. 171-02562-00 GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. PAGE III TABLE OF 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1 CONTENTS 1.1 Project Promoter ............................................................................... 1 1.2 Consultant ........................................................................................... 2 1.3 Project Title ......................................................................................... 2 1.4 Environmental Assessment Process ........................................ 2 2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND JUSTIFICATION ....... 5 3 PROJECT LOCATION AND BACKGROUND ............. 7 3.1 Project Location ................................................................................ 7 3.2 History of Project Development ................................................. 7 4 LAND OWNERSHIP ............................................................ 11 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................. 15 5.1 Open Pit Mining .............................................................................. 15 5.2 Ore Processing ................................................................................. 15 5.2.1 Crushing ................................................................................................................................................ 16 5.2.2 DMS ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 5.3 Storage Areas ................................................................................... 16 5.4 Emissions, Discharges and Waste ........................................... 16 5.4.1 Atmospheric Emissions .............................................................................................................. 16 5.4.2 Water Management ...................................................................................................................... 21 5.4.3 Waste Management ...................................................................................................................... 21 5.5 Other Infrastructure ...................................................................... 21 5.6 Site Restoration ............................................................................. 22 6 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENTS .......................... 23 6.1 Physical Environment ................................................................. 23 6.1.1 Bedrock Geology ............................................................................................................................ 23 6.1.2 Surfacial Deposits .......................................................................................................................... 24 WSP JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE NO. 171-02562-00 GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. PAGE V 6.1.3 Hydrography ...................................................................................................................................... 24 6.2 Biological Environment .............................................................. 24 6.2.1 Flora.......................................................................................................................................................... 24 6.2.2 Fauna ...................................................................................................................................................... 26 6.3 Human Environment .................................................................... 27 7 MAIN ANTICIPATED IMPACTS .................................. 29 7.1 Anticipated Negative Impacts ................................................. 29 7.1.1 Construction Phase ...................................................................................................................... 29 7.1.2 Operation Phase ............................................................................................................................. 29 7.1.3 Closure Phase ................................................................................................................................... 29 7.2 Proposed Mitigation Measures ............................................... 30 7.3 Anticipated Positive Impacts .................................................. 30 8 PROJECT SCHEDULE ........................................................31 9 PUBLIC CONSULTATION ................................................ 33 10 SUBSEQUENT PHASES AND RELATED PROJECTS ............................................................................ 35 11 APPLICANT’S SIGNATURE ............................................ 37 12 REFERENCES ...................................................................... 39 FIGURE FIGURE 1 ORE CONCENTRATION PROCESS .................................. 19 MAPS MAP 1 REGIONAL LOCATION OF THE MINING SITE ........................................................................................................ 9 MAP 2 GALAXY MINING CLAIMS ....................................................... 13 MAP 3 LOCATION OF THE MINING INFRASTRUCTURE ..................................................................... 17 WSP NO. 171-02562-00 JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE PAGE VI GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. PHOTO PHOTO 1 BURNT PEAT AND SPRUCE BOGS ................................. 25 APPENDIX A SITE PHOTOGRAPHS B CONCENTRATOR LAYOUT WSP JAMES BAY LITHIUM MINE NO. 171-02562-00 GALAXY LITHIUM (CANADA) INC. PAGE VII 1 INTRODUCTION The preparation of this project description is the first step in the environmental impact assessment process by which (English version of its name being Galaxy Lithium (Canada) Inc.) (Galaxy), informs Quebec’s Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) in writing of its intention to undertake a project. The project description allows the various ministries involved to determine the type of environmental study to be conducted and to issue a formal notice indicating the nature, area and scope of the study expected from the project promoter. The project notice outlines the general characteristics of the project. They are presented in a clear and concise manner and include the components that are relevant in understanding the project and its anticipated impacts. It is our understanding that once the MDDELCC and the CEAA receives the project description it is then forwarded to all the various ministries likely to have a direct interest or be concerned by the project. The project description is submitted to the MDDELCC’s Deputy Minister and to the CEAA by WSP Canada inc. (WSP) on behalf of Galaxy. The James Bay Lithium Mine Project is located in the Nord-du-Québec administrative region of Québec. Galaxy is looking to open and operate an open-pit lithium mine that would be located along the James Bay Road near the Km381 Truck Stop. Apart from its pit, the mining facility would include an ore concentrator, tailings/waste rock/ore/overburden storage areas as well as accompanying infrastructure. The concentrated ore will be trucked to a transfer site operated by a third party where it will be placed on a train to be transported south, where it will be directed onward to lithium conversion facilities, to be processed into lithium chemicals. 1.1 PROJECT PROMOTER Galaxy, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Galaxy Resources Limited (Galaxy Resources), a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Galaxy Resources is one of the premier global lithium companies with existing production and a world class asset and development pipeline. By way of subsidiaries, it currently operates the Mt. Cattlin Spodumene Mine in Australia and is developing the Sal de Vida Brine Project in Argentina (in an area known as the “lithium triangle”). Thus, Galaxy, is the Galaxy Resources subsidiary acting as the promoter of the James Bay Lithium Mine Project The contact information of the project promoter is as follows. Head Office 140 Grande-Allée Est, Suite 800 Québec (QC) G1R 5M8 Project Office 2000, rue Peel, Suite 720 Montréal (QC) H3A 2W5 Website: www.galaxylithium.com Québec enterprise number (NEQ): 1167071928 Richard Kelso-Marsh Study Manager Telephone: 438-926-4457 Email: [email protected]