Labrador Iron Mines

Holdings Limited

TSX: LIM

 
 
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Schefferville Area Properties

Location
Phase 1 - James
- Redmond
- Knob Lake
- Houston
Phase 2 - Astray Lake
- Sawyer Lake
Phase 3 - Howse
- Kivivic No. 1 & 2
 
Geology
Deposit Types
Mineral Resources & Reserve Estimates
Transportation & Infrastructure
Mining & Processing
Iron Ore Products & Markets

Transportation & Infrastructure

Existing Local Infrastructure

Infrastructure - All

The project benefits from and relies upon the significant level of pre-existing infrastructure put in place by the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) for its previous mining operations. It is the existence of extensive infrastructure facilities, the majority of which are in sound operational condition, that provide LIM with a strong competitive advantage and low risk start-up. It will also ensure that new build facilities will be kept to a minimum so as to limit the impact of the project on both the physical and the social environments.

Infrastructure - Schefferville

  • Access roads
  • Hydro-electric power
  • 565km railway link
  • Deep port facilities
  • Town site and Airport
  • Town of Schefferville

    The town of Schefferville, Quebec is located approximately 2 km from the Labrador border on the north shore of Knob Lake. The town was established by IOC in 1954 to support mining operations in the area and economic activity there has been largely dependent on the iron ore industry. The township provides some key infrastructure including roadways, power and water supply, buildings and sewage facilities, as well as an airport which has daily flights from Montreal, Quebec and Sept-Iles.

    Menihek Hydro Plant

    Infrastructure - Menehek

    The Menihek power plant located 35km southeast of Schefferville is the only provider of electric power to the area. The power plant contains two 5 MW Westinghouse generators and one 12 MW unit, sufficient to supply the power that LIM would require for the early development sites close to Schefferville (James, Knob Lake and Redmond).



    Roads

    Most of the roads that provide access to the different properties designated for early development (James, Houston, Knob Lake and Redmond) already exist and require minimal upgrade.

    Infrastructure - Roads

    The Railway

    The only means to transport iron ore from the Schefferville area to seaports is by rail. The railway, comprising 565km of track between Schefferville and Sept-Iles and originally constructed by IOC is still available and has been in continuous operation for 50 years. The northern section of the railway from Schefferville to Emeril Junction is now operated by Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. (TRTI), a company owned by a consortium of First Nations.

    The TRTI section of the track is not presently actively hauling iron ore but operates a service from Schefferville to Sept-Iles for passenger and light freight traffic.

    Infrastructure - Railway

    An independent preliminary study of the TRTI railway was carried out for LIM in August 2006 by Hatch Mott MacDonald (Hatch) which concluded that the Menihek Subdivision is in very good condition despite more than 20 years of under capitalization. However, some of the tracks, rails and culverts require refurbishing and a repair and replacement program is recommended to take place over a number of years. LIM has negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with TRTI to provide loading, haulage and offloading of iron ore. LIM plans to construct a rail loading facility at the former Silver Yards marshalling area and plans to use the existing railway connection operated by TRTI where it will connect to the Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway (QNS&L) which operates the 360km of rail from Emeril Junction, to enable the iron ore products to reach Sept-Iles. Under Canadian Federal legislation each rail operator is designated as a Common Carrier and is obliged to provide a suitable level of service.

    To support the transfer of the bulk sample iron ore to the Port of Sept-Iles, in 2008 LIM leased ten 90-tonne gondola ore cars and rented five ballast cars from TRTI. The gondola cars will become part of the future leased transport fleet that will include additional ore cars as well as main line and shunting locomotives. In 2008 bulk sample products were successfully transported by rail from Schefferville to Sept-Iles over both the TRTI track and track operated by QNS&L. The products that were moved in LIM's bulk sample process were the first iron ore shipments to leave the Schefferville area in over a quarter of a century.

    Deep Seaport

    The Port of Sept-Iles was originally developed for the initial IOC operations in the late 1940's and has continued and grown since that time. Today it exports in excess of 20 million tonnes of iron products annually. LIM has agreements with the Port Authority and stevedoring contractors regarding the use of the Authority's wharves for the storage and ship-loading of the Company's products.

    Corporate - Port
    Vessel Loading at IOC Wharf
     

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