Responsible Resource Development
Ironstone Resources Ltd., a private Alberta-based minerals exploration and development company, is focused on commercial development of its iron and vanadium polymetallic deposit in Clear Hills, Alberta, situated approximately 480 kilometers northwest of Edmonton.
The Clear Hills project features a large compliant resource, excellent infrastructure, and short shipping times to Asian and North American markets. New process technology has been developed with Hatch to beneficiate not only the Clear Hills ironstone, but similar oolitic deposits worldwide. The Clear Hills iron and vanadium project represents one of Canada’s premier undeveloped mineral resource assets.
The Clear Hills project area encompasses over 190,000 hectares of permits and leases in one of the world’s best mining jurisdictions. Ironstone has diamond cored 230 holes over several drilling programs, and has brought the deposit into NI 43-101 compliance.
SRK Consulting (Canada) Ltd. reports 557.7 million tonnes indicated resources grading 33.3% Fe and 0.20% vanadium pentoxide in its NI 43-101 technical report (July 2012). The Clear Hills represents one of the largest compliant resources of vanadium pentoxide in the world containing 2.45 billion pounds.
Annual production of 2.5 million tonnes high-value hot briquetted iron will be sold to the alternative iron unit and scrap metal markets for use in steelmaking, with vanadium pentoxide targeted to the emerging battery storage market.
Ironstone, in conjunction with HATCH, has developed the HICS process, an enhanced direct reduced iron and segregation pyrotechnology for beneficiating ubiquitous oolitic ironstones into iron metallics, with vanadium pentoxide and other economic minerals deported into the gangue for further recovery.
Laboratory tests and internal modelling suggests that the thermal energy produced in the reduction process would offset a large component of operating costs through the production and sale of electricity into the local grid. This will also help to serve the Peace Region's growing power needs.
The market-transforming HICS technology could potentially position Ironstone’s Clear Hills project as one of the lowest cost producers of alternative iron units in the world. Success in licensing the HICS process (co-owned with Hatch) to unlock the value of billions of tonnes of oolitic iron ore deposits across the globe, may also provide Ironstone with an additional revenue stream.
Ironstone conducts its operations safely, responsibly and sustainably. Our values serve as the foundation in the way we manage the economic, social and environmental impact of our operations, and how we govern our business.