Bloom Lake iron mine - Phase II

  • Project
  • mines
  • iron mine
  • commissioning
  • detailed engineering
  • material handling
Bloom Lake Iron Mine MFQ

High-purity iron ore plays a key role in decarbonizing the steel industry and is an essential material in infrastructure design and technologies that will be required to ensure the energy transition. However, the steel industry is facing a major challenge. Every tonne of steel produced emits 2.01 tonnes of CO2, making it one of the most carbon-intensive industries in the world. It alone is responsible for almost 10% of the planet’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The steel industry is on the move worldwide. An increasing number of companies are announcing major investments to make the switch to less emissive processes to help produce greener steel.

Thanks to its high-purity iron products and low-emission operations, Quebec Iron Ore (QIO) is positioning itself as a leader in the green steel supply chain. With the commissioning of a second concentrator at the Bloom Lake mine site in 2022, IOQ has doubled production capacity at its facilities, making it possible to extract 15Mtpa of high-purity iron ore concentrate (66.2% Fe).

  • Date Sept 19, 2023
  • Region Eastern Canada
  • Client Minerai de fer Québec

  1. Our experts' solutions

    After the Bloom Lake iron ore mine was restarted in 2018, BBA carried out the feasibility study for Phase II. As a result of the positive results from this study, the consulting engineering firm was selected as the lead partner to operate a second high-purity iron ore concentrator, from detailed engineering to project commissioning.

    BBA has designed all the iron concentrators in Canada for the past 50 years, supporting clients from construction to operation. This cutting-edge expertise was put to good use in designing the high-purity iron ore concentrator for Phase II of the Bloom Lake mine site and in ensuring associated equipment was commissioned and operated reliably, on time and on budget. Thanks to the collaborative work of BBA’s experienced team and the QIO team, the Phase II plant demonstrated its ability to operate at full capacity in just a few weeks

    To optimize equipment and costs, the engineers reused almost all the existing components and infrastructure on site. For example, the team refurbished an existing building that dated back to 2012 to make it compatible with the new process. This required a great deal of creativity and flexibility from the engineers, who were faced with numerous constraints.

    Quebec Iron Ore produces one of the purest high-purity iron ore concentrates in the world and has one of the lowest carbon footprints thanks to hydropower. The Bloom Lake mine has an annual production capacity of 15 million tonnes of high-purity iron per year, which reduces GHG emissions from steel production by 1.9 tonnes of CO2 annually, a level equivalent to taking 420,000 cars off the road each year. BBA has been partnering with QIO since 2018 and is proud to support them in this project, which is helping the steel industry decarbonize.

  1. Beyond providing high-level expertise, BBA stands out for its commitment to the success of our projects. One of the reasons we enjoy working with your firm is because of your agility in finding solutions, within an integrated team dynamic, to ensure projects progress in the intended direction, as in the case of the programming mandate for the Phase II project.
    Alexandre Belleau, Chief Operating Officer, Quebec Iron Ore
    • 15 millions The Bloom Lake mine has an annual production capacity of 15 million tonnes of high-purity iron per year
    • 1.9 tonnes

      The high-purity iron reduces GHG emissions from steel production by 1.9 tonnes of CO2 annually,
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