Foran Mining has signed a deal to provide electric-powered heavy equipment for its McIlvenna Bay property west of Flin Flon.
Foran announced July 25 that the company and Swedish-based equipment manufacturer Sandvik had reached an agreement that would provide the mining company with electric trucks, drills, loaders and charging equipment that will be used at the company’s facility. The new items will be used to supply initial development at the project site, located about 80 kilometres away from Flin Flon.
“The initial equipment order includes battery electric underground drills, trucks and loaders that will be used for the mine’s development and production activities,” reads a Foran-issued statement on the deal.
“As part of the agreement, Sandvik will provide and maintain all batteries through a service agreement and will support the Foran maintenance team though embedded OEM battery and equipment technicians.”
The company has said in the past that it plans for McIlvenna Bay to be carbon neutral from its first day of production, if it goes ahead - hence, the purchase of the electric equipment.
“This is a very exciting period for Foran as we continue to execute on our initiatives to permit, construct and operate McIlvenna Bay,” said Dave Bernier, Foran chief operating officer.
The company plans to start a mine up at its McIlvenna Bay property, having recently received permits from the Saskatchewan government to build a decline at the site and finding a pair of ancillary deposits at the property. The decline is currently being used to aid in underground surveying and testing, according to statements made by the company earlier this year.
Between initial and sustaining capital costs, the total price tag to start a mine for McIlvenna Bay has been put at just shy of $850 million.
“The neighbouring Flin Flon district has been operating for close to a century and it is our vision to transform the Hanson Lake District into the next multi-decade mining camp,” said Foran executive chairman and CEO Dan Myerson in a statement issued earlier this year.
“Critically, Foran will be resolute in our effort to operate a mine of the future, targeting carbon neutrality and creating a sustainable asset for local communities in a decarbonizing world.”
Callinex
On the Manitoba side, Callinex has completed another round of drilling at its properties near Flin Flon, according to a company announcement last week.
The newest drilling took place with 21 drill holes, mostly on the company’s Rainbow deposit, located at its Pine Bay project about 15 kilometres due east of town. The company has completed just over 60 per cent of its planned 20,000 metre summer drilling campaign.
Assay results from the drilling are not yet available.
“The company has drilled eight holes to test electromagnetic (“EM”) geophysical targets identified at the base of the interpreted growth fault that hosts Rainbow and five other deposits, three of which have seen some level of historic production,” reads the Callinex announcement.
