Noront achieves Ring of Fire milestone

Posted on January 6, 2014

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Well, here we are in a new year, with the possibilities stretching out before us like a field of freshly fallen snow.

There was plenty of the usual action over the holiday season. And we’ll try to sort through the highlights over the course of the week.

But one of the most compelling events was the announcement by Noront Resources that it has completed an Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Assessment Report for the Eagle’s Nest nickel-copper-PGM project in Ontario’s far northern Ring of Fire mineral zone.

In a December 20 release, the Toronto-based junior said a draft copy would be circulated to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Ontario Ministry of Environment. A copy of the draft report is also available on the company’s website. The company says all comments will be considered before a formal submission in early 2014.

Alan Coutts, Noront’s new CEO, called completion of the report “an important milestone” for the company.

“We believe that Eagle’s Nest will be the first mine developed in the Ring of Fire and this brings us one step closer toward achieving that goal,” he said in the release.

The report includes baseline environmental studies that examine the mine site, an east-west access road corridor and a railcar loading site on the CN mainline.

Of particular interest to Ring of Fire neighbours will be the proposed all-season road that would connect the Eagle’s Nest site directly to an existing winter road south of the Webequie First Nation reserve. It would run along the winter road corridor to the provincial highway network north of Pickle Lake, then travel south on Highway 599 to a trans-load facility to be established near Savant Lake.

Construction is expected to take three years, starting with a new winter road from Webequie Junction to the mine site that “would allow for the staging of equipment and supplies” for mine site development and road construction.

Several First Nations – Webequie, Nibinamik, Neskantaga, Eabametoong, Mishkeegogamang and the Ojibway Nation of Saugeen – as well as the communities of Pickle Lake and Savant Lake/Sioux Lookout, stand to benefit from the choice of an east-west route.

Noront believes the advancement of its Eagle’s Nest project, with its permanent link to southern markets, would kick-start the promising Ring of Fire, and contribute to regional development by reducing the cost of other mineral exploration and development in the Ring.

The term “game changer” springs to mind.

Coincidentally, the Ontario government recently announced a $2.1-million upgrade to the provincial highway south of Pickle Lake.

“The Medcalf Lake Narrows Bridge is being repaired to improve travel and safety on Highway 599, a critical link to Pickle Lake that supports mineral and forestry development in the region,” it said in a January 2 release. “The highway also links to Ontario’s winter roads network, serving numerous remote First Nations communities.”

Constructed in the 1950s, when Ontario was in a more expansive mood, the 292-kilometre secondary highway runs from Ignace through Pickle Lake to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail (formerly tertiary highway 808) , where it links with the winter road network.

And this morning, KWG Resources and Bold Ventures announced that their joint venture will resume drilling at their Ring of Fire Black Horse chromite prospect with $2 million in funding from KWG.

“Orbit Garant Drilling Services Inc. has been awarded the drilling contract to utilize up to three drills,” the companies said in a release. “Mobilization is underway and drilling is anticipated to commence shortly.”

Welcome back. Now let’s buckle our seatbelts for what promises to be an entertaining year in the world of Ontario mining.

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