Can you give an update on AtkinsRéalis’ activities and milestones achieved over the past year?

2022 was a year of transition for AtkinsRéalis as we repositioned ourselves in the Québec mining market to assist with key critical mineral projects. We consolidated all the expertise we provide to the industry to create a hub in the province.

What is AtkinsRéalis’ role in advancing the Sayona Moblan lithium project?

AtkinsRéalis is actively working on completing an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment at Sayona’s Moblan project where we are leveraging our strengths in mining sustainability to minimize all the potential environmental and social impacts.

AtkinsRéalis will provide design and engineering services for a tailing storage facility, water management, and site and plant infrastructure, incorporating sustainable mining solutions from the earliest stage to mine closure. We will also collaborate with InnovExplo and Primero on several aspects of the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.

Which of AtkinsRéalis’ services are most in demand in Québec?

Everything related to mining sustainability, waste management, and the environment is in extremely high demand. We are seeing the mining industry become less conservative, implementing advanced technologies and solutions to improve their operations, namely in waste management by extracting resources from old waste that could not be extracted in the past. Our focus is to help our clients mine more while reducing their impacts, especially considering the amount of mining and resources that will be necessary to keep up with the demands of the energy transition. AtkinsRéalis is differentiated in the market in that we offer a pit-to-port solution, optimizing all the ESG components in the value chain for our clients.

What is AtkinsRéalis’ approach to growing the Company’s presence in Québec?

AtkinsRéalis is focused on bringing our clients the best value and we leverage our global expertise and knowledge to do so. We will also partner with peer companies that complement our work as we are all working for the same clients. Collaboration with external and internal stakeholders is a key value for us and has served us well in our work.

We are also leveraging new technologies that can be used to mine more ore bodies more cleanly and reduce the waste generated. Implementing more sustainable mining technologies will be necessary to address the energy transition; forecasts show that during the next 30 years, we will have to mine twice the volume of copper that has been mined since humankind began mining the critical mineral. The energy transition requires mining and advanced technologies will have to be implemented to create a balance between critical mineral demand and optimization for more sustainable mining. AtkinsRéalis is excited to be part of this digitization, optimization, and sustainable mining journey with our clients.

What is AtkinsRéalis’ role in helping to decarbonize the mining industry?

AtkinsRéalis has launched the Decarbonomics platform, a data-driven solution that captures a project's carbon emissions and can cost-effectively decarbonize the built environment. The software can track mining assets’ emissions from pit to port, identifying areas where improvements can be made to reduce carbon emissions. Decarbonomics will provide clients with a complete picture of carbon presence across their entire value chain through accessible and easy-to-use interactive dashboards and will enable companies to accelerate their net zero plans into delivery in the most cost-effective way.

If we want to accelerate decarbonization, we must continue to innovate. We are very proud of how we are leading the way by focusing on ensuring that innovations and technologies, such as modeling, digital twins, and AI are part of all our projects, which optimize processes and lower carbon emissions.

What are AtkinsRéalis’ key objectives for 2023 and beyond?

The mining industry is an essential enabler of the energy transition and a net zero future. If there is no mining, there is no energy transition. AtkinsRéalis is focused on providing our clients with technologies and solutions to enable better ways of mining for the increased demands of critical minerals needed for the energy transition. We have extensive expertise and knowledge and want to continue bringing value to clients and the mining industry of the future. We will also continue to be at the forefront of sustainable mining, and we are leveraging advanced digital technologies to improve the industry and its impact on the environment as we work towards electrification.