MONTREAL, Feb. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Mining Group Ltd. ("Imperial") (TSX VENTURE: IPG; OTCQB: IMPNF) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $245,355 grant from the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to undertake optimization work on its patent-pending (US Patent and Trademark Office provisional application #63/265,176) metallurgical process for Crater Lake scandium-rare earth mineralization.
“We are grateful to the Government of Quebec and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources for acknowledging Imperial's vision of developing a strong scandium and rare earth industry as supporting the Quebec Government’s Green Economy Plan, 2030," said Peter J. Cashin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Mining Group. “The optimization work is intended to improve the scandium recovery, lower mine operating costs and reduce carbon footprint of Imperial’s metallurgical process. This award is a key step in Imperial’s long-term strategic goal of becoming the premier global supplier of scandium.”
The grant is related to a four-year, $4.25-million financial support program announced by the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in September 2021. The program is intended to support companies in the field of mining exploration for the identification, exploration and development of high-potential critical and strategic mineral (CSM) projects in Quebec. Titled the Mining Exploration Support Program for Critical and Strategic Minerals, 2021-2024, the program provides financial assistance to mining exploration companies to advance the development of their CSM deposits in the Province