SAGUENAY, QUEBEC – (February 23, 2017) – Arianne Phosphate (the “Company” or “Arianne”) (TSX VENTURE: DAN; OTC: DRRSF; FRANKFURT: JE9N), a development-stage phosphate mining company, advancing the Lac à Paul project in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, is pleased to announce that it has secured a favorable power agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. This agreement confirms that an additional power bloc of 14-MW from Hydro-Quebec will be made available for the Lac à Paul project’s ore processing facilities. This power bloc now totals 129-MW. Details of the agreement were laid out in a letter to Arianne dated February 21, 2017.
With this additional power bloc, Arianne will be able to supply all of its processing facilities with hydroelectric power, making it the apatite concentrate producer with the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the market. A significant portion of the whole power bloc of 129-MW, i.e. 42-MW, will be used for the electric dryer to dry the apatite concentrate. The innovative technology integrated into the dryer will prevent the equivalent of 86,000 metric tonnes per year of CO2 emissions. It will also have a positive economic impact on the Lac à Paul project.
“Once again, we would like to thank the Québec Government for the additional power bloc,” said Jean-Sébastien David, Arianne’s COO. “The hydroelectric supply for all of our mining facilities will make the Lac à Paul project the most environmentally responsible phosphate project in the industry.”