It came down to Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie and today, Noront Resources announced the Soo as its preferred choice to locate a ferrochrome smelter.
Timmins mayor George Pirie refuses to consider that a loss.
“We’re still in the game,” he confidently told a news conference at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation office.
The mayor considers the location decision a first step. He notes that Noront – a junior company – will not be building the smelter.
“They’ll need a partner with far deeper pockets and Glencore would be an example of a partner like that, although there’s others,” he told reporters. “So it gives us time to continue to affect the decision.”
Glencore owns the Kidd Met Site… the proposed Timmins location for the plant.
“I think our site is the best site,” Pirie states. “ I think that this is an announcement that allows Noront to essentially market a little bit easier. This announcement has been pending for quite some time. So it’s an opportunity for them to market freely with a site.”
Ferrochrome is a product of chromite, which is found in the Ring of Fire… and is a key ingredient in stainless steel.