Canada's Nunavut Impact Review Board has cleared one of the largest mining operations in the country in the territory of Nunavut on the North Baffin Island, the Mary River iron ore project run by Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation (BIMC) by imposing an array of stringent requirements.

Global steel giant ArcelorMittal is the majority shareholder in BIMC with a 70% stake while Canada's Iron Ore Holdings owns the remaining 30%.

NIRB has stipulated 184 conditions which are mostly focused on minimizing the negative environmental and social effects of the proposed development.

The board's decision is the outcome of a four year assessment of the project considering the environmental and social impacts of the project on the pristine northernmost territory of Nunavut in the country's Arctic region.

The CAD 4 billion Mary River project involves construction of a massive open pit iron ore mine in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut and associated infrastructure for extraction, transportation and shipment of iron ore. The high quality iron ore deposit consists of an estimated 365 million tonnes of grade 64.66%. The project will have an estimated annual capacity of 18 million tonne, which will be suitable for direct shipping after crushing and screening. The iron ore will be transported from the mine site at Mary River to an all season deep water port in Steensby Inlet through a 150 km rail link. From the port, the ore will be loaded onto purpose built vessels with ice breaking capabilities for shipment to customers across the Atlantic.

The construction phase of the project is estimated to be four years, and the mine will have a projected life of 21 years. The closure of the mine is expected to take 3 years after that and further monitoring will last for at least 5 years.

Source - Canada Press

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