TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – The Canadian federal government on Thursday gave private project developer BlackRock Metals environmental approval to build an iron-ore and vanadium openpit mine in the traditional territory of the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation, in Quebec.

Canada's Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced that she had drawn the conclusion that the eponymous project was not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects when certain mitigation measures were taken into account.

BlackRock had undertaken to implement mitigation measures in order to reduce the project’s potential environmental effects. These measures included developing a water management plan, restricting work during sensitive periods for wildlife and implementing compensation measures relating to fish, bird and terrestrial wildlife habitat, and loss of Aboriginal use of the area.

The firm had also proposed to implement an environmental management programme that included follow-up of various valued biophysical and human components, as well as an emergency response plan to be used in the event of accidents or spills.

The Minister had referred the project back to the responsible authority, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to execute the environmental approval.

BlackRock planned to build an iron/titanium/vanadium mine with a yearly production capacity of 12.4-million tonnes of ore and three-million tonnes of iron and vanadium concentrate.

The project consists of an openpit mine, an ore-processing plant and mine waste impoundment and storage areas.

The mine plan also entails building a 26.6 km railway line between the mine site and the existing Canadian National railway line.

The project is located in territory covered by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement in the municipality of Chibougamau.

The Grand Council of the Crees, the Cree Regional Authority and the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation last year June agreed to the project being built on their lands and had entered into the BallyHusky agreement that would govern the stakeholders’ ongoing relationships.