FAQ

Rail transport was the subject of a three-year study. The first scenario presented in the initial version of the environmental impact statement is available (in French) (see pp. 4-26 to 88/636 of the PDF). At the end of the study, all the possible rail transport options studied were found to present problems in terms of logistics (a requirement for an additional transfer site), public safety (a kilometre-long train would block streets too long for emergency vehicles) and encroachment on farmland, and were deemed unacceptable.

An assessment of the effects of increased maritime traffic on subaquatic noise in the Saguenay River (WSP, 2017) concluded that, even in MAXIMUM traffic conditions (i.e., an increase of 410 ships by 2030 due to the ongoing projects in the Saguenay region, including Blackrock and GNL Québec), the river would remain unaffected by noise from large ships 95.7% of the time when belugas are present, i.e., between May and October. Taking only the noise from traffic related to the shipping terminal facilities on the north shore into consideration, under maximum multi-user conditions (140 ships), the Saguenay would remain free of noise from these ships for 97.4% of the period when belugas are present there (in French).

In addition, Arianne Phosphate and Rio Tinto have signed a project agreement concerning potential maritime services sharing. The agreement provides for discussions focused on Arianne’s use of ships serving Rio Tinto to deliver its phosphate concentrate to international markets, thus minimizing the increase in maritime traffic on the Saguenay.

During the BAPE hearings, Arianne informed the commission that it wishes to use Rio Tinto ships to transport apatite concentrate that these ships could represent 25% of all vessels used. This percentage could be reduced. Arianne will require approximately 60 ships per year, depending on the vessels’ tonnage.

The concentrated transportation route was set out in Order-in-Council 1139-2015 issued by the government of Québec. To minimize the impact of transportation on more sensitive vacation/resort areas, bypass routes have been proposed to the various government departments. These bypasses are currently preliminary and must be approved by several provincial government departments once the detailed engineering phase has been completed.

A map of the proposed bypass routes is available at:  http://www.arianne-inc.com/files/_user/bloc_document/carte_-_localisation_contournements_-v1_avec_notice-.pdf 

Arianne Phosphate’s product—apatite concentrate—consists of non-water-soluble fine sand. The phosphorus it contains is “locked” inside the apatite crystals and cannot dissolve in water. Therefore, a spill of apatite concentrate into the water would simply release suspended solids, resulting in cloudy water.

We have no positions to fill at the moment. However, you may send your CV to info@arianne-inc.com for future reference. Note that contractors selected for construction must hire their personnel.

No. The Saguenay port authority won’t start building the port until Arianne Phosphate begins constructing the mining facilities.

Yes. Under the Mining Act, all mining companies are required to place the necessary funds to cover rehabilitation and restoration work in trust within the two years following the date of approval of the rehabilitation and restoration plan by the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources Naturelles [Québec department of energy and natural resources] (50% within the 90 days following allocation of the funds, then 25% on the first anniversary and the remaining 25% on the second anniversary of allocation). The rehabilitation and restoration plan must be approved before construction begins.

Yes. The Pourvoirie du Lac-Paul is a very popular outfitter among hunters and fishers. The plan is to ensure its continued operation with the least possible impact on users.

Phosphate rock can come from sedimentary deposits (i.e., North Africa, the Middle East and the United States)or igneous deposits (i.e., Brazil, Canada, Finland, Russia and South Africa).

87% of the product resulting from the transformation of phosphate rock (apatite) goes into fertilizers, and 7% is used as an additive in animal feed. The remaining 6% is used in various products such as preservative and anti-corrosion agents, beauty products, fungicides, ceramics, water treatment and metallurgy.

http://www.arianne-inc.com/en/mining-project/product/what-is-phosphorus 

Arianne Phosphate is a publicly-owned corporation listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in 2003 under the symbol “DAN.”

New Brunswick’s Belledune site is well known for its long history in heavy industry, as well as its significant capacity. Formerly a phosphoric acid plant for two decades, the facility was closed down more than 20 years ago. In addition to being located in an industrial zone designed to accommodate this type of plant, the site’s many advantages include easy access to a supply of sulfuric acid (one of two main ingredients), the size of the available land area, a simple, well-known regulatory process, provincial government support and the ability to obtain the energy required for the project. We are currently at the pre-feasibility stage and are working in partnership with Opportunities New Brunswick; we still have a way to go before we get to that point.

For the moment, the economic study has only been carried out on a single deposit of Arianne Phosphate’s mining titles: Paul Zone. The Paul Zone allows the exploitation of the mine for 25 years. Additional resources, as well as other potential mineralized zones, have been identified on Arianne’s mining titles, which could potentially extend the life of the mine. However, the Canadian Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects regulation (NI 43-101) does not allow an increase in the number of years of operation, until an economic study has been completed on these other mineralized zones.

To see all the potential mineralized zones that have been identified: http://www.arianne-inc.com/en/mining-project/geology

We rejected this possibility for the following reasons:

• The government decree has already determined what transport Arianne must use.
• The projected railway is more than 100 km from the mine, so we still must use trucks and make a transfer, which causes huge logistical problems that led us to abandon the option to use the railway in Saguenay.
• There is no operator linked to the project. We, therefore, assume that we would have to acquire our own locomotive, which requires several years of delivery time.
• No matter the port, Arianne Phosphate has to build a dock, a boat loader, silos, access, etc. We save only on blasting, which is far from covering the price of a train (we have already studied the purchase of a train, we have these data).
• In the project description, it appears that the developer relies on 100% subsidies to finance the railway.
• The promoter never contacted us.

The choice between the different transport scenarios was made on many criteria. The scenario for Saint-Fulgence was superior to both routes to Forestville in its technical, economic and natural environments and equally advantageous in terms of the human environment. In addition, on the most advantageous route of Forestville, the last 89 kilometers are asphalted and normed. It is therefore impossible to circulate our trucks of concentrate.

To this must be added to the road options, the comparison of port options. In both cases, warehouses, conveyors, dock, loaders and other industrial facilities are to be built. In the Sainte-Rose scenario, we need to create a new site, directly in deep water. The port of Forestville is existing, but it would have been necessary to build a 3 kilometers long pier in the St. Lawrence to reach the deep water. (For obvious environmental reasons, we refused to consider dredging over such a distance.) The Sainte-Rose site was therefore judged to have less impact.