Clean technology company Rock Tech has selected the former Norampac paper mill site in Red Rock as the location to develop Ontario’s first lithium refinery.
Rock Tech, which is listed on the TSX-V, has signed a binding cooperation agreement with the BMI Group, outlining a long-term lease for the converter location and a C$5.5-million investment into the project.
"Lithium converters are large value-added production facilities. Substantial infrastructure and several supporting factors are required to enable such projects. Our site selection process evaluated more than 150 different criteria and determined that Red Rock is the best location for this important project," said Rock Tech chief legal and operations officer Kerstin Wedemann.
With BMI developing multimodal road and rail logistics capabilities in the Port of Red Rock, the location is strategically positioned to become a prime lithium refining destination in northern Ontario.
The Red Rock converter will be able to process lithium from third-party mining projects, serving to unlock northern Ontario's nascent lithium mining sector.
BMI CEO Paul Veldman added that the group had been working with Ontario’s Critical Mineral Corridor from the North to Niagra to establish a made-in-Ontario lithium supply chain.
At the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference, currently under way in Ontario, BMI will be meeting with industry partners to discuss the Port of Red Rock, Rock Tech's lithium converter capabilities, and the Critical Mineral Corridor strategic supply chain.