In Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Nouveau Monde graphite is working on digging what could become the largest graphite mine in the West, according to the company. The mining company has already received the green light from Quebec to move forward at the start of the year and can count on the support of the municipality, but citizens remain determined to stop it – and plead at all costs that the mining companies do not have to settle in resort areas in the south of the province.
The Matawinie surface mine project is located two hours from Montreal, next to Lac aux Pierres, south of Lac-Taureau regional park, in Lanaudière. “We are the largest and most advanced project in North America,” says Eric Desaulniers, CEO of Nouveau Monde graphite and a geologist by training. From the start of production for 26 years, the mine will extract 100,000 tonnes of graphite per year from its deposit, which has a grade of nearly 4.35% graphite.
Graphite, necessary for the electric shift of transport, represents half of the components of the lithium-ion battery, or about 95% of the anode. “It is also the most controlled mineral of all battery materials,” says Desaulniers. Currently, China accounts for more than 85% of the production of all anodes (natural and synthetic graphite) and 100% of anodes made of natural graphite, according to data from Benchmark Minerals.
Nouveau Monde graphite does not hide its ambition to extract market share from the Asian giant and to position itself as a leading supplier for manufacturers who want to diversify their sources of supply. We know we are not going to overtake China, but we want to be that other supplier, ”explains Éric Desaulniers.
The mine’s production, which was to start at the end of 2023, should finally start in 2024 instead “because the development of the mine must be linked to that of the Bécancour processing plant, whose commercial activities will start in 2025. There is no point in starting the mine too quickly, ”emphasizes Mr. Desaulniers.
“The Bécancour project is very important to us,” he admits. If the company puts so much effort into developing its process for transforming graphite into anode material, this is where it derives added value. Around 60% of the mine’s production will thus be sent to Bécancour, whose processed products are intended for the electric battery industry.
A divided community
However, the mining project, located in Nitaskinan, ancestral territory claimed by the Atikamekw nation, is not unanimous among the native community. No agreement has yet been signed between the nation and the company. Last March, on Radio-Canada, the Manawan Atikamekw Council said it wanted to obtain royalties of $ 250 million from the company.
“They have said publicly what they want to have. But we can’t offer that much, retorts Mr. Desaulniers. We, per year, will give approximately $ 30 million to the Government of Quebec in mining royalties. And the Atikamekw want their fair share of the pie. It really goes beyond what we can do, because they want a percentage of what we are going to give to the Government of Quebec. This is really a three-way discussion. “
But the Atikamekw are not the only ones to be divided about the project. Part of the population, mainly vacationers, is worried about the repercussions of the mining project on the environment and the tourist ecosystem.
“It is directly in our backyard, so it is normal that we are very, very interested in the project”, immediately launches May Dagher, spokesperson for the Coalition of opponents of a mining project in Haute-Matawinie ( COPH). “We have always had only one story: that of the promoter and the municipal council which supports the mining project,” she laments.
According to a survey conducted by the firm Léger, more than 80% of the population would be in favor of the project in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. But vacationers question the representativeness of the survey.
“The survey is biased,” says Dmitri Kharitidi, member of the COPH. They called the local residential lines, but not all vacationers who do not necessarily have a landline in Saint-Michel-des-Saints and who use a cell phone were not consulted. This means that they surveyed the part of the population that was perhaps the most favorable to the project because they anticipate the repercussions on employment related to the mine, ”he explains.
This element was also underlined in the BAPE report, submitted in June 2020. “The sample included 5% of vacationers, whereas they constitute approximately 50% of the population residing in the territory of the municipality of Saint- Michel-des-Saints ”, it mentions.
Not only do opponents not want a mine to “disfigure” the landscape of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, but they also fear the risks associated with toxic mine tailings, although Nouveau Monde graphite assures that the method used “ co-arrangement ”- which aims to encapsulate acid residues and heavy metals in non-toxic residues – protects against possible“ leaks ”.
Even though the mine’s infrastructure work has already started, opponents firmly believe that they can still derail the project.
“This is the first time in Quebec that a mine has been set up in a tourism sector. If the government starts promoting these kinds of projects, where is it going to stop? May Dagher asks.
Mobilization in southern Quebec
“The debate is not whether we are for or against the batteries,” believes Ugo Lapointe, founder of Quebec better mine. “It’s more nuanced than that. We all agree, but we have to do it intelligently. Because if we want to claim to make green transport, the chain must be green from start to finish, ”he summarizes.
“Currently, it is free for all, he continues. The mining companies have mining titles everywhere in the Laurentians, in Lanaudière, in the Outaouais, and there, there are very strong citizen mobilizations. The “La Loutre” graphite mine project in Lomiko – near the Papineau-Labelle wildlife reserve – in particular is causing serious concern among residents of the area.
“There are municipalities that are mobilizing to demand that the government revise the Mining Act. We must review the criteria for territories incompatible with mining activity in Quebec, because we are not able to protect our lakes, rivers and resort areas, ”reports Ugo Lapointe.
“There are other projects that make sense, that are profitable and for which there is good social acceptability. For example, there is Mason Graphite and Focus Graphite, which have certain advantages for us, in Quebec better mine. Their graphite content is higher. They are not in resort areas. They are on the North Shore. And there is very good social acceptability, ”summarizes Mr. Lapointe.
According to him, Quebec has the possibility of choosing which reserves to exploit and which more fragile zones to protect. “Yes, demand will explode, but the world’s reserves are also important. The challenge is to access it and manage the socio-environmental costs, ”he insists.