This paper presents a discussion on Quebec’s pegmatite lithium resources and potential markets. It also evaluates the opportunities of lithium battery production for electric vehicles (EV) in the province while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The paper shows that mining Quebec’s lithium ore deposits would be sufficient to satisfy the province’s lithium demand and also for exporting abroad lithium-ion batteries. By considering only the projects whose final product is LMH or LCE, Quebec would be able to produce between 10 and 21 million lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles with a greenhouse gas emissions footprint of only 43% of the international average value due to Quebec’s hydro power. Finally, considering Quebec’s lithium mining project economics, the increased future demand for lithium would render Quebec’s lithium pegmatite projects competitive compared with those reported for brine projects.
Abstract. High energy cost and high wind resource are creating an interest for wind-diesel hybrid power production for remote grids in the Canadian North. With the first industrial wind turbine in Nunavik, the Raglan Mine has demonstrated the benefits and viability of wind power as an economical way to produce fuel savings and environment benefits. Results for the first year of wind power production are presented. An after tax economic rate of return of 22,4% is calculated for the project. Financial analyses of adding multiple wind turbines to the remote grid are carried out, using Homer Pro and Retscreen 4 software. Lower economical returns are calculated for every wind turbine added to the grid. A fuel cost superior to 1 CAD/L is needed to achieved a minimal rate of return of 15%, as the integration rate decreases for every additional wind turbine. Three energy storage options are evaluated in order to better utilise excess wind power. In presence of 2 or 3 wind turbines of 3MW nominal capacity each, a lithium-ion battery and a fly-wheel are financially the best energy storage technologies to increase the wind penetration. A hydrogen loop is calculated to be too expensive. An extreme high wind penetration rate, defined as 4 to 6 of the same wind turbine, is deemed not economically viable for the Raglan Mine, regardless of the energy storage technology considered.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.