In what could be said as a major development in the mines industry, the Prime Minister (PM) Mark Carney Tuesday announced that construction is starting on this transformative project just six months after its referral to the Major Projects Office.

The PM added that once, completed, the Matawinie Mine project will be the largest graphite mine in North America, and in the G7 – supplying up to 106,000 tonnes annually. Graphite is an indispensable component for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage systems, advanced manufacturing, and defence and aerospace technologies. With global demand rapidly outpacing supply, the Matawinie Mine will help position Canada as the reliable partner of choice for Asia, Europe, and beyond. 

PM Carney's government launched the Major Projects Office (MPO) last year to get major infrastructure projects – new ports, mines, trade and energy corridors – built faster. In six months, Canada’s new government has referred 22 projects and transformative strategies to the MPO worth over $126 billion in investment.  

The Matawinie Mine will create more than 1,000 new jobs from engineering to the skilled trades, attract nearly $2 billion in investment into our economy, and support lower emissions. 

NMG will integrate the mine with a battery material plant in Bécancour, Québec, becoming Canada’s first integrated graphite operation – from extraction to refinery. Both the Matawinie Mine and the processing facilities will operate primarily on Québec’s low‑cost, renewable hydroelectricity, enabling an all‑electric production model that significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional graphite supply chains. This integrated, low‑carbon approach will reduce reliance on higher‑emitting foreign sources.

By building more of the critical minerals value chain here at home, Canada will strengthen our battery and automotive sectors, reduce reliance on concentrated foreign sources of graphite, and position Canada as a reliable supplier of responsibly sourced graphite materials. 

To ensure this transformative project was built, the MPO convened four federal departments and agencies to coordinate financing support, commercial arrangements, and permitting and approval processes, and secure offtake agreements for the company – including federal government stockpiling. This has helped the company reach a final investment decision less than six months after the project was referred to MPO. This is a nation-building project that will make Canada stronger – more secure, sustainable, and independent.

"Canada has what the world wants – and we’re moving at speed to get it to market. The Matawinie Mine will position Canada as a choice supplier of graphite in a world where demand is rapidly outpacing supply. It will create more than a thousand good career opportunities, strengthen our supply chains, and build a stronger, more competitive, more independent Canadian economy for all," PM  Mark Carney.