Name and Location
Strange Lake rare earths mine and Quebec processing complex, Canada.

Client
Quest Rare Minerals.

Project Description
As envisaged in the prefeasibility study (PFS) completed on the project, Quest’s Strange Lake B-Zone deposit, located in northern Quebec, will be one of the world’s largest and highest-grade heavy rare-earth element (HREE) mining projects and the planned processing facility, in southern Quebec, will be the largest of its kind in North America.

The Strange Lake B-Zone mine is designed to be a standard truck-and-shovel openpit operation, targeted to exploit the highest rare-earth element grades possible for the first ten years of production (the Phase 1 pit), which will be followed by additional lower-grade mineralisation for subsequent production years (the Phase 2 pit).

The mine is designed to ship 1 440 000 t/y of ore to the metallurgical processing facility at an average stripping ratio of 0.34 (waste rock: ore ratio) for a minimum 30-year mine life.

The hydrometallurgical plant, in the base case, will process whole ore shipped from Strange Lake and produce four separate products – a mixed HREE plus yttrium (HREE+Y) oxide concentrate, a mixed light rare-earth element (LREE) double sulphate concentrate, high-purity zirconium basic sulphate (ZBS) and a high-purity niobium oxide.

Average yearly production is a mixed HREE+Y oxide concentrate containing 2 100 t of HREE oxide and 4 250 t of yttrium oxide, 24 650 t of zirconium oxide contained as high-purity ZBS, 3 200 t of high-purity niobium oxide and a mixed LREE double sulphate concentrate containing 7 300 t of LREE oxide equivalent.

Value
The PFS estimates the initial start-up capital expenditure to be $2.57-billion.

Duration
Delivery of first product is expected in 2018.

Latest Developments
Quest has identified numerous efficiency improvements to the base case assumptions presented by the PFS, which are intended to further reduce project capital and operating costs and increase product yields.
These improvements will be evaluated during the definitive feasibility study work to be initiated in early 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Quest Rare Minerals, tel +1 514 878 3551, fax +1 514 878 4427 or email info@questrareminerals.com.