Avalon Rare Metals

Avalon Advanced Materials Inc
Public
Traded as TSX: AVL OTCQX: AVLNF
Industry Metals & mining
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people
 Donald S. Bubar
(President & CEO)
Jim Andersen
(VP Finance, Corporate Secretary & CFO)
David Marsh
(SVP, Metallurgy & Technology Development)
Bill Mercer
(VP, Exploration)
Pierre Neatby
(VP, Marketing)
Mark Wiseman
(VP, Sustainability)
Products lithium, petalite, tin, neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, tantalum, cesium, calcium feldspar, rare-earth elements
Website www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com

Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (formerly Avalon Rare Metals Inc.) is a Canadian mineral development company with a primary focus on the rare metals and minerals, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Avalon specializes in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. Avalon's principal assets are its 100% owned Nechalacho Project (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories), Separation Rapids (near Minaki, Ontario), East Kemptville, Nova Scotia, Lilypad Lakes (near Ignace, Ontario), and Warren Township[1] (Ontario).

Avalon is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "AVL" and on the OTCQX market under the symbol "AVLNF".

Projects

Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements Project

Avalon's Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements Deposit[2] is located 100 km southeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Avalon completed a Feasibility Study in April 2013, focused on defining high-grade, resources in the large basal zone of the deposit.

On July 29, 2013, the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board completed its Report of Environmental Assessment and recommended approval of the Nechalacho Project. On November 4, 2013, the Federal government approved the project, allowing the company to proceed with formal applications for the required land use permits and water licenses.

As rare earth prices fell, the project become largely inactive. In May 2018, Avalon announced it was re-activating the project on the global demand for neodymium and praseodymium.[3]

First Nations Agreements

The Nechalacho Project at Thor Lake is situated in an area known as the Akaitcho Territory, which is subject to a comprehensive land claim negotiation between several communities of the Dene Nation and Canada's federal government. In 2012, Avalon completed an Accommodation Agreement with the Deninu Kue First Nation.[4] The Accommodation Agreement provides business and employment opportunities for the Deninu Kue related to the project and contains measures to mitigate environmental and cultural impacts that may result from the project development. In February 2014, the company signed a Participation Agreement with the Northwest Territory Metis Nation.

Separation Rapids Lithium Project

Avalon is also developing a lithium (petalite) deposit, located 70 km north of Kenora in Ontario, Canada. The Separation Rapids property is host to a large "complex-type" pegmatite; it is the fourth example in the world of a rare-metal pegmatite with the size required to be of major economic importance. The strike length of the deposit is over 1.5 km, and the width ranges from 10 to 70 metres. The mineralized zone is well exposed at surface in a low dome-shaped hill. This part of the deposit will be readily amenable to mining by low-cost quarrying methods. Avalon has demonstrated it is able to produce high-purity petalite from the deposit, for use in the glass-ceramics industry, as well as battery-grade lithium chemicals for use in the lithium-ion battery sector.[5]

The property lies within the traditional land use area of the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations of Whitedog, Ontario. In August 1999, Avalon signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WIN which was renewed in May 2013.

East Kemptville Tin Project

The East Kemptville Tin Project is located approximately 45 km northeast of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in the vicinity of the former East Kemptville Tin Mine. In May 2014, Avalon entered into an agreement with the surface rights holder to secure access to lands held under the Special Licence for a limited drilling program, to confirm historic estimates of tin-copper-zinc resources remaining in the ground after production ceased at the East Kemptville mine in 1992, and bring them into compliance with NI 43–101 for reporting purposes. In July 2018, Avalon announced the completion of a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment on the project. The company's re-development model, as presently conceived, is an environmental remediation project that will be financed through the sale of tin concentrates recovered in large part from previously-mined mineralized material on the site.[6]

Corporate sustainability

Avalon has made social responsibility, health and safety and environmental stewardship its cornerstones of development. In 2011, Avalon produced its first full corporate sustainability report, entitled Journey to a Sustainable Future, prepared within the framework of the GRI version G3.1.[7] A 2017 Sustainability Report Concentrating on Cleantech Materials Production was released in November 2017.[8]

Avalon has placed on Corporate Knights' Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada in 2018, 2016 and 2015.[9]

University Student Outreach Initiative

In 2011, Avalon established its University Student Outreach Initiative[10] to build and enhance the talent pools needed to design, improve and operate future facilities. Given the limited rare-metals course material in Canadian universities, Avalon has partnered with several institutions to promote knowledge of rare metals within university curriculum. Institutions include: Canadian MBA Leadership Conference, McGill University, Ryerson University, Schulich School of Business, York University, Schulich School of Business, University of British Columbia, Mining Engineering, University of Toronto, University of Windsor, Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology and Western University.

Company representatives have delivered lectures to undergraduate chemistry, metallurgy, mining and geology classes, led graduate business seminars and sponsored student projects and case competitions. Avalon has also sponsored students to participate in industry conferences and provided research initiatives, cultivating the next generation of engineers and business leaders.

In addition, Avalon continues to actively organize, sponsor and participate in numerous PDAC and other major industry forums focused on technical and CSR-related specialties, as well as local community education programs.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.avalonraremetals.com/projects/
  2. ↑ http://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/nechalacho/nechalacho_overview/
  3. ↑ http://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/nechalacho/nechalacho_overview/
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  5. ↑ Ontario Supporting Mining Innovation in Kenora. Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, ontario.ca, June 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ http://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/news_media/news_releases/index.php?content_id=846
  7. ↑ http://www.avalonraremetals.com/_resources/AVL_CSR2011_singlepages.pdf
  8. ↑ http://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/sustainability/2017-sustainability-report/
  9. ↑ http://www.avalonadvancedmaterials.com/news_media/news_releases/index.php?content_id=837
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.