Snow Lake Lithium to power five million EVs over ten years

The planned all-electric mine is described as ‘perfectly placed’ to enable domestic supply of lithium to North American automotive manufacturers from 2025. Based in Manitoba, Canada, Snow Lake Lithium said its location is ideal to serve the automotive industry with access to the US rail network via the Arctic Gateway railway. 

To enable seamless integration of the supply chain, the company plans to establish a joint venture to establish a lithium hydroxide processing plant and is seeking a partnership with an automotive OEM or battery manufacturer to deliver this. The proposed plant will be located in CentrePort Canada in Southern Manitoba and a scoping study is underway to identify the most effective approach.

“Local sourcing of critical raw materials, such as lithium, is the only logical step to create a vertically integrated domestic supply chain,” said Philip Gross, CEO Snow Lake Lithium.

“Snow Lake Lithium has access to a rich lithium resource and is on the doorstep of North American manufacturers. This is enough lithium to power 500,000 electric vehicles a year produced in North America, which would significantly reduce logistics and emissions that would be created by importing raw materials from China.”

Snow Lake Lithium’s 55,000-acre site is expected to produce 160,000 tonnes of six per cent lithium spodumene a year over a ten year period. Currently, Snow Lake Lithium has explored approximately one per cent of its site and is confident that further exploration will increase estimates over the course of the next year. 

The planned mine will be operated by almost 100 per cent renewable, hydroelectric power to ensure the most sustainable lithium manufacturing approach. 

Over the coming months, Snow Lake Lithium will continue its engineering evaluation and drilling programme across its site, with the expectation that mining operations will transition to commercial production targeted for 2025.