SAINT-MICHEL-DES-SAINTS, Quebec, Dec. 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (“Nouveau Monde” or “NMG”) (TSX.V: NOU; OTCQX: NMGRF; Frankfurt: NM9) has just completed its drilling program and pre-construction preparations after more than six months of field work at its Matawinie graphite deposit.
Resource Update
A major drilling program focused at the West Zone of the Tony Block (Met-Chem feasibility study, December 2018) has just been completed. Since June 2019, 77 holes have been drilled totalling 13,350 m. The operation generated 3,928 samples that provide greater resource detail.
Bernard-Olivier Martel, P.Geo., BSc, supervised the program. A strict protocol, including the insertion of duplicate (172), blank (174) and standard graphite (84) samples within the sample stream, was adopted for quality assurance and control. The quarter core samples were then individually bagged and sent for analysis, and the remaining core was kept as a reference and for possible metallurgical testing. The samples will be analyzed for graphitic carbon (Cg) content by a LECO analyzer (ALS code; C-IR18) at the ALS Val d'Or - Geochemistry Laboratory. This laboratory is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited.
Data compilation will lead to a mineral resource estimate update for this deposit, in accordance with the provisions of National Instrument (NI) 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, during the first quarter of 2020.
Data Collection for the Detailed Engineering Phase
This work not only has added to NMG's geological knowledge but also included the collection of geotechnical, geomechanical and hydrogeological data required for the detailed engineering of the Matawinie project. The work included drilling, trenching, sample collections, and the installation of additional on-site observation wells. The targeted areas will be used for the project's future infrastructure, such as the buildings, crusher, concentrator and industrial site, accumulation areas for the co-disposal piles, collection ponds and drainage ditches, main access road, borrow pits and the projected pit. SNC-Lavalin carried out the geotechnical and hydrogeology characterization studies, F8 Roc & Falaises Inc. profiled the geomechanical properties of the pit, and Poly-Go Inc. collected data related to the access road and the identification of the borrow pits required for the construction. SNC-Lavalin also characterized physical and chemical properties of additional soil samples; this information will be added to the already substantive data provided in Nouveau Monde’s environmental and social impact study.
“These field campaigns have put us in an excellent position to launch the commercial phase of our project,” explained Eric Desaulniers, President and CEO, Nouveau Monde Graphite. “Once the campaign results have been analyzed, our master team will have an in-depth portrait of the site and its mineral resources, which will be a considerable asset for us to accelerate the project’s development.”
The technical information in this news release was reviewed by Antoine Cloutier, P. Geo., chief geologist for Nouveau Monde Graphite and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
About Nouveau Monde Graphite
In 2015, Nouveau Monde Graphite discovered a major and high-quality graphite deposit on its Matawinie property, located in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 150 km north of Montral. This discovery led to the completion of a Feasibility Study, which revealed strong economics with projected graphite concentrate production of 100,000 tonnes per year over a 26-year period. Nouveau Monde will operate its demonstration plant until 2020. During this period, the Corporation expects to produce 2,000 tonnes of concentrated flake graphite to qualify its products with North American and international clients.
Moreover, in a perspective of vertical integration and sustainable development, Nouveau Monde is planning to establish a large-scale graphite secondary transformation facility, catering to the needs of the booming lithium-ion battery and expandable graphite markets.
With over 60 years of experience in the world of graphite, Nouveau Monde’s team is developing its project with the utmost respect for neighbouring communities, while favouring a minimal ecological footprint. Nouveau Monde’s project has direct access to the workforce and the infrastructure needed to operate its mining project, and it can also rely on an abundant, affordable source of hydroelectricity, a renewable resource.