Foran mining project reaches environmental assessment milestone

Foran is planning to develop a copper, zinc, gold, and silver mine at McIlvenna Bay, and the project recently secured Ministerial Approval under the province’s Environmental Assessment Act.

The Ministerial Approval concludes the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the project, enabling the company to advance the project into the permitting phase to secure necessary approvals to construct and operate the mine.

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, completed an assessment of the project’s effects on groundwater quantity and quality. The modelling examined groundwater levels and groundwater discharge to surface water features. It also looked at impacts of potential mine seepage on groundwater. Stantec continues to provide environmental assessment services to Foran as the project progresses into the final design and construction phases.

“We’re proud to be part of a critical minerals project that has achieved this key milestone in the provincial environmental assessment process,” said Michelle Fraser, Stantec’s Water Resources Technical Discipline Leader in Canada. “Our experts have deep experience in the mining environmental assessment process and our team is providing the technical expertise to advance this project through the process.”

McIlvenna Bay is a rich mineral deposit that is part of the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt that has been producing minerals for 100 years. McIlvenna Bay is located about 65 km west of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and is the largest undeveloped deposit in the region.

“Stantec has been an invaluable partner during the groundwater modelling and assessment process, through feasibility and the environmental impact assessment,” added Kirsten Ketilson, Foran’s ESG Director. “Their expertise has proven to be an indispensable asset to our team. We deeply appreciate Stantec’s contributions and commitment to excellence on groundwater and their support for the McIlvenna Bay Project, which is dedicated to producing critical minerals that play a vital role in a decarbonised society.”

Scott Moe, Saskatchewan’s Premier, recently praised Foran for achieving the environmental assessment milestone and called the McIlvenna Bay project “a positive step towards increasing employment in our northern Indigenous communities and sustainably producing new critical minerals like copper in our province.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/04122023/foran-mining-project-reaches-environmental-assessment-milestone/