Vertically integrated operation

NMG is developing a turnkey natural graphite operation with competitive advantages due to its privileged location, vertical integration, cost structure, ESG credentials and experienced team.

The Company’s Phase-2 Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant projects, located within a 150-km radius of Montréal, Québec, show attractive economics and robust operational parameters underpinned by a large mineral property, NMG’s proprietary technologies, and clean hydroelectricity powering its operations.

Operational Highlights
As per 2022 feasibility Study

61.7 M

Tonnes of probable reserve at a 4.23% Cg average grade

1.16:1

Stripping ratio (LOM)

25 years

Life of mine (LOM)

93%

Average recovery

103 ktpa

Average annual graphite concentrate production (LOM)

97% Cg

Finished product concentrate purity

43 kpta

Annual production of anode material

3 ktpa

Annual production of purified jumbo flakes

99.95% Cg

Purity of advanced materials

Dedicated to stringent sustainable development standards, NMG is committed to having both its equipment used for mining operations and its ore concentration and processing activities become fully electric within the first five years of production. This operating model, A WORLD’S FIRST FOR AN OPEN-PIT MINE, represents a potential reduction of over 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the mine’s lifespan.

Matawinie Mine PROJECT

Quality, Quantity & Access

NMG owns a 100% INTEREST in the Matawinie graphite property located in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 150 km north of Montréal, Québec.

The Matawinie Mine project demonstrates exceptional potential due to its significant HIGH-PURITY MINERAL RESERVE and low-cost operational model. Skilled workforce, high-quality infrastructure, including paved roads and hydroelectricity, as well as the dynamic regional business ecosystem provide a robust milieu for the development of the property.

Information Mine Matawinie

Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate for the West Zone (1)

Current Resource (May 20, 2022)7
Resource Category2 Tonnage
(Mt)5,6
Grade
(% Cg)3
Cg
(Mt)
Measured 28.5 4.28 1.22
Indicated 101.8 4.26 4.33
Measured & Indicated 130.3 4.26 5.55
Inferred4  23.0 4.28 0.98
  1. The Mineral Resources provided in this table were estimated by Yann Camus, P.Eng. SGS of Canada Inc. – Geological Services (“SGS Geological Services”) using current Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (“CIM”) Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines.
  2. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves have not demonstrated economic viability. Additional trenching and/or drilling will be required to convert Inferred and Indicated Mineral Resources to Measured Mineral Resources. There is no certainty that any part of a Mineral Resource will ever be converted into Reserves.
  3. All analyses used for the Resource Estimates were performed by ALS Minerals Laboratories and delivered as graphitic carbon (“% Cg”), internal analytical code C-IR18.
  4. Inferred Mineral Resources represent material that is considered too speculative to be included in economic evaluations. Additional trenching and/or drilling will be required to convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated or Measured Mineral Resources. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher resource category.
  5. Current Resource effective May 20, 2022.
  6. Mineral Resources are stated at a cut-off grade of 1.78 % Cg.
  7. Standards used for this resource update are the same standards produced over the course of the 2018 Feasibility Study (effective as of July 10, 2018 and issued on December 10, 2018) and the Resource Update (results published March 19, 2020). The difference comes mainly from a newly accessible land package along the Hydro-Québec power line.

Mineral Reserves Estimate for the West Zone

Reserve Category

Tonnage (Mt) Grade (% Cg) Cg (Mt)
Proven 17.3 4.16 0.7
Probable 44.3 4.26 1.9
Proven & Probable 61.7 4.23 2.6

The Qualified Person for the Mineral Reserve Estimate is Jeffrey Cassoff, P.Eng., of BBA Inc.
The effective date of the estimate is July 6, 2022.
Mineral Reserves were estimated using a graphite concentrate average selling price of C$2,135/tonne, and consider a 2% royalty, and selling costs of C$47.92/tonne. An average grade of 97% was considered for the graphite concentrate.
A metallurgical recovery of 93% was used.
A cut-off grade of 2.20% Cg was used.
The strip ratio for the open pit is 1.16 to 1.
The Mineral Reserves are inclusive of mining dilution and ore loss.
The reference point for the Mineral Reserves is the primary crusher.
Totals may not add due to rounding.

De-Risking the Project

In addition to supporting a social licence to operate, we have been operating a Phase-1 plant since 2018 in Saint-Michel-des-Saints to:

  • Qualify products and establish a sales record;

  • Test and improve processes for optimization of proposed production;

  • Recruit and train employees ahead of commercial operations.

bécancour battery Materials Plant

From Mine to Market

Graphite sourced from our Matawinie property constitutes a high-purity, battery-grade material to supply the lithium-ion industry.

To maximize margins across the value chain and ensure full traceability of products, we are working to establish a vertically integrated business model to deliver anode material and advanced materials directly to the market.

NMG’s proposed value-added operations will be located in an industrial park and near a major shipping port in Bécancour, Québec, approximately 150 km northeast of Montréal, on the Saint Lawrence River. The robust local infrastructure provides us with direct supply of required chemicals in addition to affordable hydroelectricity, skilled workforce, and a multi-modal logistical base in proximity to U.S. and European markets.

State-of-the-Art Technological Platform

Thanks to our proprietary transformation processes and a license to commercialize Hydro-Québec’s battery material technologies, Nouveau Monde is expected to deliver 99.95+%-pure advanced graphite materials.

Regrouping onsite shaping, purification, and coating units, NMG’s planned beneficiation plant is being engineered to produce a wide range of value-added graphite-based materials. At this modular facility, we are targeting a production of 43 ktpa of coated spherical purified graphite and 3 ktpa of purified jumbo flakes for the battery and specialty markets.

Economic Highlights

In 2022, NMG released the results of its feasibility study completed in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 for its integrated business operation comprised of the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant projects.

Combined operational parameters for a projected annual average production of 103,328 tpa of high-purity flake graphite concentrate at the Matawinie Mine and 42,616 tpa of anode material plus 3,007 tpa of purified jumbo flakes at the Bécancour Battery Material Plant, using a portion of Matawinie’s production as feedstock, indicate an after-tax net present value of C$ 1,581 million and internal rate of return of 21%.

0M$
Pre-Tax NPV @ 8%
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Post-Tax NPV @ 8%
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Pre-Tax IRR
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Post-Tax IRR
0 years
Pre-Tax Payback
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Post-Tax Payback
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Initial CAPEX (Matawinie & Bécancour projects)
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Annual OPEX (Matawinie & Bécancour projects)
0$/t
Average sales price for graphite concentrate (LOM)
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Average sales price for anode material CSPG (LOM)

Our Playground: QuÉbec, CA

Set for Success

Nouveau Monde’s strategic location provides the perfect background for the development and growth of our integrated operations catering to growing markets.

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World-renowned environmental standards

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Stable, pro-business jurisdiction

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At the market’s doorstep

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R&D powerhouse

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Free trade agreements with 40+ countries

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Rapidly developing local lithium-ion/electric hub

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Established mining leadership

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Clean, affordable and renewable hydropower

We benefit from an extremely supportive governmental and institutional shareholder base to underpin our development.

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Leveraging Clean Hydropower

Quebec has vast hydraulic resources, some 500,000 lakes and 4,500 rivers, that power the entire province and adjacent states with an unlimited, green, and affordable source of energy.

Walking the Talk

With graphite playing such an important role in the energy transition, Nouveau Monde is embracing all-electric operations from the extraction and concentration of the mineral to the production of advanced materials.

We are set to become the world’s first all-electric open-pit mine – a feat of its own – but most importantly, we plan to bring to market products with a carbon-neutral footprint to help drive sustainability into the electric vehicle and stationary energy storage value chain.

Illustration showing greenhouse gas savingsIllustration of diesel graphite transportation