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Canada

Miller Project

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Graphite
  • Marble
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe results of a positive PEA for the Miller graphite and architectural marble project were released on March 4, 2016. The proposed project infrastructure will be located at two separate locations: the Mine and Mill at the Miller site and the Thermal upgrade plant at the Asbury site.

On November 16th, 2022, the Company completed an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Miller Property.

In May 2023, the Company submitted a revised application for review of the Miller Project, to the CPTAQ. As part of this application, after concerns were expressed by the local community, Canada Carbon revised the proposed mine plan for the Miller Project, deferred any development of its proposed marble quarry project and decided to focus its efforts on developing the graphite mine.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Canada Carbon Inc. 100 % Direct
Canada Carbon Inc. acquired the Miller property from 9228-6202 Quebec Inc. in 2013.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Metamorphic hosted

Summary:

The Project represents an example of a granulite-hosted, high temperature graphite deposit, which could be paralleled to the Sierra de Aracena metamorphic belt described by Rodas et al. (2000), where the same type of graphite occurrences are found: I) stratiform graphite associated with gneiss and quartzite interbedded with calc-silicate series; II) disseminated graphite; III) graphite associated with anatectic tonalities and their restitic enclaves and IV) graphite veins. Graphite in all types of occurrences shows high crystallinity as revealed by the x-ray diffraction (XRD) study and thermal properties (Rodas et al. 2000).

The Project area lies in the Grenville Geological Province, which is recognized as a deeply exhumed Mesoproterozoic Himalayan-type collision orogenic belt that extends over thousands of kilometres and is interpreted as a collage of gneissic terranes that were subjected to high-grade metamorphism. The Project area is included in the south portion of the Morin Terrane, composed of supracrustal rocks, commonly at granulite metamorphic facies, and intruded by several bodies of granitic to anorthositic composition. The well-banded quartzo-feldspathic gneisses were divided into two groups and quartzites were documented as very massive, well-jointed, white or pinkish rocks. Crystalline limestone (marble) appeared to correspond to two large beds. Graphite is observed as dissemination and pods/veins in the marble, skarn, and paragneiss units of the Miller Property. Several pods and veins have been identified and explored by Canada Carbon. Canada Carbon has discovered multiple new graphite mineralized showings. These include nine high-grade surface graphite showings, and large, lower-grade disseminations of graphite in marble and skarn units.

Through trenching, Canada Carbon has identified many examples of graphite mineralization associated with marble and detritical rock sequences. Numerous variations of the graphite mineralization are observed within the Project area. Graphite primarily occurs in well crystallized euhedral flakes.

Wollastonite Pods
Wollastonite-graphite mineralization is a frequent association on the Property. This mineralization form often appears in small pods of tens of centimeters in diameter and can reach up to 1.6 m in thickness. Both wollastonite and graphite form well crystallized minerals and graphite assays around 15% in these pods.

Banded Graphite Formation
Banded graphite formations are thin (1 to 5 mm) bands of graphite sandwiched between thin (1 to 10 mm) layers of graphite-quartz-feldspar, stacked closely, and reaching thicknesses of many metres. The grain sizes of this mineralization type are small (less than or equal to 1 mm). The banded formations are continuous over long distances (10 m and longer) and affected by intense folding. The average graphite content of this unit is between 5 and 10%.

Graphite Pods (Marble)
Small pods (tens of centimetres long to a couple of centimetres wide) of pure graphite are often present in the white marble units. The graphite grains are coarse (5 to 50 mm) and form euhedral flakes. Many of the pods are observed along an east-west alignment direction.

Disseminated Graphite (Marble)
In all the marble units observed, graphite occurs frequently in well crystallized, euhedral, small (1 to 5 mm) disseminated crystals. The chemical reaction between carbonate and silica might have produced calc-silicates and graphite, which seems to precipitate at the boundary of the calcsilicate and marble grains. The average graphite content in the marble is approximately 0.5% graphite.

Disseminated Graphite (Skarn)
Similar to disseminated graphite in marble, disseminated graphite in skarn occurs almost everywhere, more frequently close to marble units. In skarn units farther from marble units, sulfides are more abundant. Graphite in skarn units is often found in clumps instead of flakes and is far less homogenously distributed than in the marble units.

Graphite Veins
Graphite veins seem to follow shear or fault zones, which might be evidence of structural control of metamorphic hydrothermal fluids. They are thin, centimeter-wide, sheets of aphanitic graphite that can cover many square metres. Directions of movement of faults are registered in the graphite veins as strikes and kinks. No general directions have been observed, as they are often following folded structures.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Graphite Refined graphite t 1,50019,164
Marble Rock t 150,0001,182,037

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual production capacity 1,650 t of graphite concentrate *
Waste tonnes, LOM 6,511,528 t *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 2,096,856 t *
* According to 2016 study.

Production Costs

CommodityAverage
Cash costs Marble 54 / t *  CAD
Cash costs Graphite 8,666 / t *  CAD
Assumed price Marble 184 / t *  CAD
Assumed price Graphite 13,000 / t *  USD
* According to 2016 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

CurrencyAverage
Processing costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
G&A ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2016 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M CAD 77.7
Refining costs $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Transportation (haulage) costs $M CAD 0.4
G&A costs $M CAD 25.2
Total OpEx $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Mining Taxes $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Income Taxes $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
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Royalty payments $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M CAD  ......  Subscribe
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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 10, 2025

Workforce

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2016

Aerial view:

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