Canada's Metals & Minerals Industry Set for $34.5 Billion in 2016 Kickoffs

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Canada's Metals and Minerals Industry, part of the backbone of the country's economy, could be looking at a frustrating 2016. Although $34.47 billion in projects are currently slated to begin construction during the year, according to Industrial Info's database, almost all are in the early development stages and are prone to delays or cancellations due to current slowdown in the mining and steel sectors. Slowing demand, low commodities and a slumping energy sector are to blame for the current slowdown in Metals & Minerals project activity. More than two-thirds of the total comes from three provinces: Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing projected construction kickoffs in Canada's Metals & Minerals Industry in 2016, by province or territory.

Almost all of the industry's total investment value (TIV)--about $33.93 billion--is related to projects that are now in the planning stages, where plenty of factors could increase, decrease or eliminate the expected spending. Canada also has $260 million in the engineering stages, while $282 million worth already have kicked off the first stage of construction.

Not surprisingly, the province topping the list is Quebec, which is looking at $13.11 billion in projected Metals & Minerals project kickoffs in 2016, the largest of which, by far, is Tata Steel Minerals Canada Limited's (Montreal, Quebec) $4.24 billion construction of the Taconite KeMag Iron Ore Mine and Concentrator in Schefferville, Quebec. The project, which is part of a larger, 88 million-ton-per-year iron ore taconite project, involves developing the KeMag deposit as a 22-year-mine-life, open pit operation, which will ship its product to a planned pellet plant and shipping port in Sept-Iles, Quebec. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

British Columbia is in a distant second place with $5.84 billion in projected kickoffs, a sizable chunk of which is attributed to Glencore Plc's (Baar, Switzerland) $1.8 billion construction of the Sukunka Coal Mine. The project involves building two to three open pits, an underground longwall mine, and a 24,000-ton-per-day coal-handling and preparation plant to initially produce 1.5 million to 2.5 tons per year. The latter will be increased to 6 million tons per year of metallurgical coal after the longwall mine is brought online. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Saskatchewan isn't too far behind with $4.08 billion in projects set to begin construction from now through December, although almost three-quarters is attributed to a single project: Yancoal Canada Resources Company Limited's (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) $3 billion construction of a potash mine and processing plant in Southey, Saskatchewan. The project is expected to produce 2.8 million tons per year of potash over a 65-year mine life. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The seven other highest-value Metals & Minerals projects set to begin construction in Canada this year are:

• Tata Steel Minerals Canada Limited's $2.51 billion construction of the Taconite LabMag Iron Ore Mine in Labrador City, Newfoundland
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Tata Steel Minerals Canada Limited's $2 billion construction of the Taconite KeMag Iron Slurry Pipelines in Schefferville, Quebec
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Taseko Mines Limited's $1.5 billion construction of the New Prosperity Gold and Copper Mine in Williams Lake, British Columbia
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Royal Nickel Corporation's $1.07 billion, first-phase construction of the Dumont Nickel Mine in Amos, Quebec
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Alderon Iron Ore Corporation's $1 billion construction of the Kami Iron Ore Mine in Wabush, Newfoundland
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Vale S.A.'s $1 billion in replacements and expansions at the Copper Cliff Nickel Mine in Sudbury, Ontario
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
• Arianne Phosphate Incorporated's $982 million construction of the Lac a Paul Phosphate and Titanium Mill in Chicoutimi, Quebec
  For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.