Timmins officials not deterred by Noront announcement to accept Sault’s bid as the site for a proposed ferrochrome processing facility.
Timmins officials are not giving up hope. In light of Tuesday’s announcement by Noront Resources in favour of Sault Ste. Marie as the location for its ferrochrome processing facility, Timmins officials vow to continue to press a case for locating the smelter here.
Timmins’ hopes rest on a likelihood that when it comes time to start construction, Noront, a junior mining company, may not be the one calling the shots.
“We believe that there is lots of time to affect this decision simply because Noront will not be the company that builds this facility,” said Mayor George Pirie, who hosted a press conference in the boardroom of the Timmins Economic Development Corporation Tuesday afternoon.
“They will need a partner with far deeper pockets and Glencore (which owns the Kidd metallurgical site) would be an example of a partner like that, although there are others. “So it gives us time to continue to affect the decision.”
In its announcement, Noront said it hoped to begin construction of the new plant by the second quarter of 2025. “Their announcement said 2025 but we know they’ve got to build a nickel mine first before they begin to access the chromite deposit,” said Pirie.
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