Patriot Battery Metals (TSX: PMET; ASX: PMT; OTCQX: PMETF) has provided a progress update on the permitting process of the company's Shaakichiuwaanaan property, located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec. The Shaakichiuwaanaan property hosts a consolidated mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 80.1 Mt at 1.44% Li2O indicated and 62.5 Mt at 1.31% Li2O inferred.
Ken Brinsden, Patriot CEO commented: "We are really proud of the teams' efforts to ensure both that the project remains on track, but also that the quality and extensive work contributing to our upcoming ESIA submissions suits the community's and regulator's needs. It can't be underestimated how much work has already been achieved by Patriot to ensure Shaakichiuwaanaan is well-placed in the global lithium raw material development pipeline. From discovery and establishing a globally significant resource, to moving the project to the upcoming mine authorization process in less than four years, demonstrates both the quality in the project and team delivering it,”
Brinsden added: “We also note with interest recent comments in the public domain in respect of federal approvals, minimizing duplication and greater provincial approval cooperation. We intend to maintain close contact with all the key government agencies and the Cree, to ensure a diligent and timely approval process for the project.”
In February 2025, Patriot submitted its initial project description for the Shaakichiuwaanaan lithium project (CV5 pegmatite) to IAAC to formally initiate the federal elements to the project permitting process.
The federal joint assessment committee – consisting of representatives of IAAC and the Cree Nation government – has determined the initial project description meets the necessary requirements. As such, IAAC has begun its formal planning and comment period, and undertook two public information sessions in February 2025.
The federal impact assessment process will run in parallel with the provincial permitting process for the project which commenced in 2023 and will leverage the existing provincial process to streamline the federal requirements to the extent possible.
In November 2023, Patriot filed a preliminary information statement with the Quebec Government. Subsequently, Patriot received the formal guidelines for the project's ESIA submission. The company filed an amendment with MELCCFP in January 2025 to reflect the change of project name to Shaakichiuwaanaan and to clarify the hybrid mining approach (using both open pit and underground mining methods) in the feasibility study for the project.
Collectively, these inputs now form the basis for the final ESIA documentation and the formal commencement of the mine authorization process later this year.
Over approximately a three -year period, extensive environmental baseline data collection field programs and community consultations have been completed as planned to underpin the company's ESIA (supporting both federal and provincial processes), for the development of the CV5 pegmatite. As a result of the above, the provincial and federal ESIA submissions remain on-track for presentation in the second half of 2025.
More information is posted on www.PatriotBatteryMetals.com.
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