THUNDER BAY — With conditional government support already in hand, Frontier Lithium is proceeding with a comprehensive study that will determine the cost and scope of a proposed refinery on Mission Island.
The company has commissioned Fluor Canada, an engineering and construction firm, to undertake a definitive feasibility study covering various aspects of the project including infrastructure requirements, process and design, cost estimates, economic valuation, procurement and a technical report.
Fluor will also work with specialized consultants on environmental assessments and other elements of the refinery project, which Frontier estimates would create 450 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs once operational.
The plant would be built on the site of the former Ontario Power Generation station, decommissioned in 2018 and demolished in 2021.
Frontier CEO Trevor Walker said Fluor was selected to lead the 18-month study because of its global and North American expertise in critical minerals development.
"Advancing this phase of the project is critical not only for Frontier, but for ensuring that we continue to build a successful made-in-Canada EV battery supply chain. We're confident in the lithium refining experience of our project team and excited to move forward into this next phase," Walker said.
Construction of the refinery would not begin before 2028.
The plant would process material from Frontier's lithium ore deposits in Northwestern Ontario, but could also accommodate material mined by other companies.
Walker said it would produce enough lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) lithium hydroxide salts to support the production of batteries for up to 500,000 electric vehicles a year.
In an interview, Walker said the company is blessed to have "an anchor resource" 175 kilometres north of Red Lake at Pak Lake.
"That's one of the top three deposits in size in North America, with the lowest impurity levels."
He said the company is open to working with other producers to source feedstock, but "our main focus is to get out of the gate successfully for Northern Ontario, for the province, for the country...It's really a strategic enabler for Canada's clean energy future."
The federal and Ontario governments embraced the project earlier this year with the announcement of conditional financial support.
Walker said Frontier expects to complete agreements with the two governments late this year or in early 2026 but said the current study will not have to be completed before the contribution arrangements are finalized.
To date, the company has spent over $100 million on the project.
Two other companies are also considering the construction of lithium processing facilities in Thunder Bay.
Avalon Advanced Materials has acquired the former pulp and paper mill property on Strathcona Avenue, while Green Technology Metals is investigating a site on Maureen Street.
A fourth company, Rock Tech Lithium, has identified Red Rock as its preferred location for a lithium processing plant.
