CEAC-2022-03-March
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News<br />
Snow Lake Lithium to Develop World’s<br />
First All-Electric Lithium Mine<br />
SNOW LAKE, Manitoba, Canada — Snow Lake Lithium Ltd.<br />
has outlined plans to develop the world’s first all-electric<br />
lithium mine in Manitoba, Canada, developing a domestic<br />
supply of this critical resource to the North America electric<br />
vehicle industry.<br />
With demand for electric vehicles growing rapidly, the global<br />
automotive and energy storage industries will be competing<br />
to access raw materials, especially lithium, that are a crucial<br />
component of batteries.<br />
North American automotive manufacturers have committed<br />
manufacturing capacity to meet the demand for electric<br />
vehicles, but the future of the North American automotive<br />
industry relies on sourcing lithium hydroxide on the continent<br />
rather than importing it from China and Asia, as well as<br />
creating an integrated domestic supply chain.<br />
To enable the seamless integration of the supply chain, Snow<br />
Lake Lithium plans to establish a joint venture to create a<br />
lithium hydroxide processing plant, and is seeking a partnership<br />
with an automotive OEM or a battery manufacturer to<br />
deliver this.<br />
“We are facing a once-in-a-century industrial pivot as North<br />
America accelerates towards an electrified future,” Philip<br />
Gross, CEO of Snow Lake Lithium said. “If we don’t act now<br />
to secure a seamless lithium supply chain from rock to road,<br />
the North American car industry will not exist in 10 years’<br />
time.<br />
“Our ambition is to become the first fully integrated, carbon<br />
neutral lithium hydroxide provider to the North American<br />
electric vehicle industry,” he continued. “We are developing<br />
the world’s first all-electric lithium mine, operated by renewable<br />
power, and are currently looking for a joint venture<br />
partner to create a lithium hydroxide processing plant in the<br />
region.”<br />
Snow Lake Lithium aims to establish the first fully integrated, carbon neutral<br />
lithium hydroxide provider operated by renewable hydroelectric power.<br />
The Manitoba region has a rich history of mining giving<br />
Snow Lake Lithium access to some of the most talented and<br />
experienced miners in North America.<br />
“Mining runs through Manitoba’s DNA,” Gross asserted.<br />
“The evolution of the electric vehicles supply chain offers<br />
a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver economic<br />
growth and secure a sustainable future for mining for the<br />
province. We are working closely with Manitoba Province<br />
to develop the right conditions to make the most of this<br />
opportunity.”<br />
Over the coming months, Snow Lake Lithium will continue<br />
its engineering evaluation and drilling program across its<br />
Thompson Brothers Lithium Project site, with the expectation<br />
that the mine will transition to commercial production in late<br />
2024.<br />
Based in Manitoba, Canada, Snow Lake Lithium is ideally located<br />
to serve the North American automotive industry, with<br />
access to the U.S. rail network via the Arctic Gateway railway,<br />
which reduces transportation from thousands of miles by<br />
road and boat to just several hundred by train.<br />
Snow Lake Lithium’s 55,000-acre site is expected to produce<br />
more than 176,000 tons of 6-percent lithium spodumene a<br />
year over a 10-year period. Currently, Snow Lake Lithium has<br />
explored around 1 percent of its site, and is confident that<br />
this will expand over the course of the next year. Snow Lake<br />
Lithium’s mine will be operated by almost 100-percent renewable,<br />
hydroelectric power to ensure the most sustainable<br />
manufacturing approach.<br />
26<br />
| Chief Engineer