‘We’ve got a game-changer’: Resource discovery near Tisdale, Sask., could be next potash or uranium

Saskatchewan could be adding another game-changing industry to its mining portfolio. Keenan Sorokan reports.

Provincial delegates and a Canadian mining company say a “transformational” mineral discovery was made in Saskatchewan.

Near Tisdale, confined to an area about 600 square kilometres — or roughly the size of metropolitan Edmonton — is about one-third of the global supply of alumina, the chemical compound that is a key component in the making of aluminum with hundreds of other uses.

“We believe we’ve got a game changer in terms of greening the industry,” Canadian Energy Metals CEO Christopher Hopkins said of the discovery that was made in 2022.

An economic assessment released on Thursday found 6.8 billion tonnes of alumina in 49.5 billion tonnes of ore located at its Project Thor, established in an area near Tisdale.

What makes Project Thor different from many other alumunium projects in the world is it’s vast amount of aluminia discovered in a relatively small space, what Hopkins described as a “postage stamp.”

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Canada is currently the fourth largest producer of aluminium, according to Hopkins, but the alumunia necessary to create it comes from Guinea, Brazil and China. Hopkins says the variety imported is called bauxite, a more difficult product to work which uses a lot of energy and has an environmental impact. The ore discovered in Tisdale would be an alternative to bauxite, which could eliminate the need to import.

“No alumina is green, and this would be the greenest of the green,” Hopkins said.

Alumina often comes from more remote parts of the world, and given Tisdale’s access to rail, power infrastructure and its position in North America, this project could supply the continent’s aluminum for hundreds of years, Canadian Energy Metals says.

Premier Scott Moe says given the current geopolitical environment and the ability for this discovery to strengthen Saskatchewan and Canada’s natural resource exports, he feels this could eventually be the next prosperous resource found on the Prairies.

“I’m particularly excited about this,” Moe said. “Do I think this has the realm to be in that scope of discussion like uranium and potash coming from Saskatchewan? Yes I do.”

While Tisdale has long been known for its agricultural history, it’s ready for the opportunity Project Thor could bring.

“No real community thrives by standing still. What defines is our work ethic, our optimism, and our willingness to embrace new opportunities,” Tisdale mayor Mike Hill said.

There’s no timeline for getting a mine operational. An economic assessment backs the case for a $6.3 billion project, but plenty of work needs to happen as Hopkins works to show this venture is as viable as he believes.

And he doesn’t believe the project would be possible in another jurisdiction under other leadership.

“In basically 40 months, we’ve taken a resource from completely unknown to a point where we have economic feasibility confirmed for two products,” he said. “Zero to 60 in months.”

Up next for Hopkins and his team is undertaking the design and concept of a demonstration plant. The rest of this year will be spent evaluating the resource before the pre-feasibility phase.