Carbon Neutrality

SHAKESPEARE: CANADA’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL NICKEL MINE

Our goal is to be the first mine in Canada to meet the growing demand for carbon neutral nickel. To achieve our carbon neutral goal, we are designing the Shakespeare project with the intention of minimizing GHG emissions. Once we have avoided as many emissions as possible, we will invest in verified carbon offset projects to reach carbon neutrality.

An emissions model of the Shakespeare project developed by Synergy Enterprises revealed that the two largest emission sources would be consumption of diesel in vehicles and equipment and purchased electricity from the Ontario grid. To reduce these emission sources, Magna will be sourcing a B50 biodiesel blend for all diesel-power equipment and building a dedicated hydro line in partnership with HydroOne, providing clean, renewable power directly to site.

These efforts will allow Magna to reduce emissions by 50% compared to business as usual.

As a result of these initiatives, Shakespeare’s emissions intensity will be below industry averages published by the Nickel Institute, representing 52% of the global production of Class 1 nickel, and it is well below industry averages for all other types of nickel, particularly ferronickel and nickel pig iron.

“Life Cycle Assessment of Nickel Products” (Mistry et al., 2016)
“Life Cycle Data” (Nickel Institute, 2020)
“Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Nickel Products” (Wei et al., 2020)

WHY CARBON NEUTRALITY?

Governments, corporations and individuals are mobilizing to tackle climate change around the world, and Magna Mining is no exception. We recognize that to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change, we must take action to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in line with science-based targets.

Carbon Neutrality is achieved when a business offsets their carbon footprint by investing in verified carbon offset projects that mitigate or remove the same amount of carbon as their operations produced. In doing so, the business ensures they are not contributing additional GHG emissions to the atmosphere, and therefore have a net zero impact on climate change.

Carbon offset projects reduce, remove, or prevent future GHGs from entering the atmosphere and help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. All carbon offset projects are additional, meaning they would not have happened without the funding from the sale of offsets. This ensures our investment is actually moving the needle and reducing emissions that would not have been reduced otherwise.

For more information about carbon neutrality, please visit offsetguide.org.

CARBON NEUTRAL EXPLORATION


In order to conduct our current exploration focussed activities such as field sampling, drilling and assaying, we must rely on diesel-powered equipment, as electrified and low-emission technology is not currently available in the market. However, we can implement a carbon neutrality strategy that serves to immediately offset these GHG emissions and demonstrate our commitment to a sustainable approach to mining at all stages of the project lifecycle.

Working with Synergy Enterprises, we have estimated total GHG emissions in 2021. In early 2022, Synergy will conduct a reconciliation based on actual fuel, utility and shipping data to ensure emissions offset are exactly equal to emissions produced.

We chose to support the Niagara Escarpment Forest Carbon Project (NEFCP17) because of it’s proximity to the Shakespeare site, and because funds support continued conservation and restoration activities in the region.

The Niagara Escarpment Forest Carbon Project is publicly listed on the CSA CleanProjects Registry and has been 3rd party verified under ISO-14064-2 by Carbon Consult Group. This project promotes and maintains the function and diversity of ecosystems along Ontario’s Niagara escarpment. The Niagara escarpment stretches from Niagara Falls towards Tobermory, and extends along Manitoulin Island.