Talon Nickel (USA) LLC, a subsidiary of Talon Metals, submitted its Environmental Assessment Worksheet to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to begin the state’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping process for the Tamarack nickel-copper-cobalt project, located near Tamarack, Minnesota, USA.
“Our team in Tamarack is excited to have reached the milestone of submitting the initial worksheet form to begin Minnesota’s Environmental Review process, the starting point for any project seeking a permit in the state,” said Henri van Rooyen, CEO of Talon. “We have worked very hard and invested millions of dollars to understand the environmental and cultural resources in the area. Environmental data collection started in 2006 and today includes data from the deep bedrock where the high-grade nickel deposit is found, to the surface water in the glacial till layer that contains wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes and homestead wells. This baseline data has helped the team to design the proposed project to safeguard the environment.”
The Tamarack project is envisioned as a small above-ground campus, approximately 60 acres (not including the rail spur). Ore will not be crushed or processed at the mine site. Instead, ore will be extracted underground, transported to the surface and loaded onto covered and enclosed railcars inside a building to control dust emissions and water discharge.
Talon plans to use a tunnel boring machine (TBM) to create a lined tunnel loop through the glacial till zone to the deep bedrock, ensuring dual means of safe access. Water that seeps from the bedrock into the underground mine will be collected and pumped to the surface for processing. Talon said it is exploring the highest level of membrane-based water treatment technology appropriate for the site with both private sector and state and federal research institutions.
Talon has an agreement with Tesla to supply it with 75,000 metric tons (165 million lbs) of nickel in concentrate (and certain by-products, including cobalt and iron) from the Tamarack nickel project over an estimated six-year period once commercial production is achieved. Talon’s Battery Minerals Processing Facility to be located in Mercer County, North Dakota was selected by the Department of Energy on October 19, 2022 for $114 million in grant funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
