Port-Cartier, October 15, 2024 – At a press conference today, ArcelorMittal Mining Canada (“ArcelorMittal”) inaugurated the construction site for the flotation project at its Port-Cartier pellet plant. On hand for the event were Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister Responsible for the Laurentides Region, and Kateri Champagne Jourdain, Minister of Employment, Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, and Member for Duplessis.
Representing a total investment of over $200 million for the region, the project is made possible by $50 million in financial support announced today by Minister Benoit Charette as part of the Quebec government’s “Défi GES” program. It will eventually deliver an annual CO2e reduction of approximately 200,000 tonnes, making it the biggest GHG emission reduction project in Quebec.
“This major investment marks a turning point for ArcelorMittal and the North Shore, positioning Port-Cartier as one of the world’s leading producers of direct-reduced pellets,” said Mapi Mobwano, President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada. “Most importantly, the opening of this construction site is proof that the project has come to fruition, and that our company is committed to maintaining our activities here in Port-Cartier and to actively contributing to the North Shore’s economic vitality.”
The project will create some 100 construction jobs, with peaks of up to 200. An estimated 25 permanent positions will be established once everything is up and running.
Announced in 2021 at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, the flotation project will upgrade the Port-Cartier pellet plant to produce up to 10 million tonnes of direct-reduced iron pellets a year.
The iron oxide pellets produced will have low silica and high iron content. These high-purity iron pellets, produced with iron from the Labrador Trough, are highly strategic because steelmakers need them to upgrade their processes to electric arc furnaces in order to reduce their own GHG emissions.
About ArcelorMittal Infrastructure Canada
and ArcelorMittal Mining Canada
Subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal, a leading steel company and one of the five biggest iron ore producers in the world, ArcelorMittal Infrastructure Canada (“AMIC”) and ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. (“AMMC”) are two complementary companies operating in Quebec’s North Shore region. AMIC ensures the transportation of concentrate between Mont-Wright and Port-Cartier and operates a seaport at Port-Cartier, allowing transportation and shipping of AMMC products to four continents. AMMC produces concentrate and iron oxide pellets for the steel market. The two companies employ 2,800 people, making ArcelorMittal the biggest employer on the North Shore. To learn more: mines-infrastructure-arcelormittal.com/en