Engineering Québec’s Future
Navigating the pathways of engineering excellence
The uptick in mining activity seen in Québec in recent years was only possible thanks to the province’s exceptional engineers, and that segment might well be the key to unlocking the province’s full mining potential. Looking ahead, Québec engineers will continue to leverage their versatility to take on projects that financiers (and society) want and need to pursue at short notice, as the switch from a gold-dominated order to one with critical mineral diversification.
SNC-Lavalin leveraged its unmatched firepower and experience on the mining engineering scene to do such a strategic repositioning in Québec in 2022, and in April 2023, the firm was contracted by lithium giant Sayona to complete the environmental and social impact assessment for the Sayona Moblan lithium project. Notably, SNC-Lavalin will provide design and engineering services for the site’s tailings storage facility, water management, and site infrastructure. Dominic Tremblay, VP Québec - mining and metallurgy, who is actively involved in the project, added: “We are leveraging our strengths in mining sustainability to minimize all the potential environmental and social impacts of the project.”
Pushed by the need for more critical minerals, detailed engineering services are likely to be even more in demand in the coming years. G Mining Services is a reference for Canada’s top mining operators, taking on large-scale projects spanning several commodities. Currently involved in Equinox’s Greenstone project, which should become the biggest gold mine built in Canada since Canadian Malartic, the firm also assisted Allkem with its PFS at the James Bay Lithium project and plans to start construction by the end of 2024. A game changer for the James Bay region, the 2021 Feasibility Study and Maiden Ore Reserve detailed average annual production of 321,000 t/y of 5.6% Li2O spodumene concentrate with an approximate 19-year mine life. For Michael Gignac, VP finance at G Mining Services, the societal push to move away from fossil fuels mean such projects are only the start for the firm: “As there is a need to reduce our reliance on oil, the world will need more minerals and there will be a need to build more mines. This explains the demand for our detailed engineering and construction services, and why the future is bright for us.”
"Clients are increasingly concerned about the risks that widespread technology adoption carries."
Claude Sarrazin, President, Groupe SIRCO
Decarbonization through innovation
Innovation is necessary to accelerate decarbonization. With investors carrying out meticulous due diligence into operators’ carbon footprints, engineers are having to rethink the way they can maximize project value while lowering scope 1,2, and 3 emissions. In Québec, SNC-Lavalin’s pit-to-port solution allows operators to maximize value across the mining lifecycle, and in the era of digital transition, SNC-Lavalin now uses digital and remote technologies to optimize efficiency while integrating mine design with geotechnical and environmental constraints. According to Dominic Tremblay: “We are seeing the mining industry become less conservative, implementing advanced technologies and solutions to improve their operations.”
Beyond AI-driven processes and digital twins, SNC-Lavalin adapted its trademarked Decarbonomics platform (launched in 2022) to expand into the mining sector in mid-2023. This data-driven approach aims at decarbonizing assets and processes through a program-optimized net-zero strategy. Dominic Tremblay explained: “The software can track mining assets’ emissions from pit to port, identifying areas where improvements can be made to reduce carbon emissions.”
Widespread software, machine-learning, and cloud-based adoption however come with its sets of risks. SIRCO offers investigation and cybersecurity protection services, and its president Claude Sarrazin noted the growing concerns among his clients when it came to hostile actors trying to obtain mining operators’ valuable information: “With digital systems, you are looking at high levels of risk that administrators were not exposed to in the past, and this becomes worrisome. The good news is that in Québec, the government has funded a new Minister for Cybersecurity.”
"In my view, fuel lifecycle carbon neutrality is achievable for most mining operations over the next two to three decades."
Andrew Wilkins, VP Business Development and Marketing, DGSC
Finally, coupling innovation with power source management is key to successful decarbonization. Québec has the advantage of having a low-carbon generating grid that makes the jurisdiction ideally placed for ESG-focused projects and investments. G Mining Services’ clients have a clear agenda, as explained by Michael Gignac: “Sustainability is a key focus for our clients. Social acceptability is everything when you want to build a mine, and investors are closely looking at ESG. Managing the power sourcing and optimizing it is the real key.”
These thoughts were seconded by Riad Faour, CEO of Progesys, a project management firm delivering industrial mining projects. “A factor key to the Québec operating environment is ESG. Business decisions and investments nowadays are driven by ESG objectives, focusing on the environment, decarbonization, and net zero emissions” he unveiled.
Québec’s engineering scene is busier than ever. Beyond local impacts, with firms growing figures in terms of headcounts, turnover, and large-scale projects, Québecois engineers distinguish themselves with their global footprint. In 2023, G Mining Services leveraged lessons learned from its TZ project in Brazil, while being involved in projects throughout Canada, Ecuador, Burkina Faso, the US, and Guyana. And in 2022, when two workers were trapped underground at the Cerro de Maimon mine of Cormidom in the Dominican Republic, two of Québec’s finest homegrown engineering firms, Meglab and Machines Roger, joined forces to gather specialized equipment and fly it to the Dominican Republic via a Canadian military aircraft. Meglab’s Eric Dessurealt, VP operations at Meglab, summed up Québec engineer’s reach: “We have an experienced and knowledgeable team based in Québec, but we send them out to sites wherever our solutions and expertise are required.”
Image courtesy of Metso Outotec