Zinc plays an essential role in the global economy and will continue to be pivotal in the clean energy transition.
Zinc, which is one of the 31 critical minerals identified by Canada as required for a sustainable transition to a low-carbon economy, is used to galvanize iron and steel to protect against corrosion, adding longevity to infrastructure and construction materials that would otherwise deteriorate and have to be rebuilt.
Lead supports the clean energy transition as a component of wind generation and increases solar panel longevity, according to the World Bank. Most importantly, it allows for easier recovery of other metals when recycling electronic waste.
The Pine Point Mining project, located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, has the potential to become one of the world’s largest zinc and lead mines. The site’s major advantages include the significant infrastructure it already has in place, which includes power from the Taltson Hydroelectric dam on site, paved highway access, and 100 kilometres of viable haulage roads.
History
First discovered in the late 19th century, Pine Point was an active open-pit mining operation between 1965 and 1988, producing and shipping 10,785,000 tonnes of lead and zinc concentrates from high-grade ores.
During its operating period, the town of Pine Point was built by Cominco, and when production ended, the mine closed the town. Today, the time is right to develop and potentially resume mining operations to supply the modern world with the zinc and lead it needs for renewable energy technologies.
Pine Point, looking northward
The Pine Point Project, now owned by Pine Point Mining Limited, is located in the Northwest Territories. The 2022 PEA indicated an after-tax NPV of $602M and an IRR of 25%, based on the current Mineral Resource Estimate of 15.7Mt grading 5.55% ZnEq of Indicated Mineral Resources and 47.2Mt grading 5.94% ZnEq of Inferred Mineral Resources, and specifies that the project is amenable to open pit and shallow underground mining. Please refer to the technical report entitled “Preliminary Economic Assessment, Pine Point Project, Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada” dated July 30, 2022 which has been filed on SEDAR.
The site has key supporting infrastructure including paved highway access, an electrical substation, and 100 kilometres of viable haulage roads.
The global push towards decarbonization to combat climate change has led to an unprecedented shift towards metals required for energy transition such as zinc and lead. Pine Point Mining Limited is well poised to become the leading base metal developer in North America, and we intend to take full advantage of that. The Pine Point Project also has a high potential for mineral resource expansion.
Zinc is a critical metal and Pine Point is a strategic source that offers a secure supply chain.
