ArcelorMittal Mines et Infrastructure Canada

Subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel and mining company and among the top five producers of iron ore products globally, ArcelorMittal Infrastructure Canada G.P. (“AMIC”) and ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P. (“AMMC”) are two complementary entities operating on Quebec’s North Shore. AMMC is ArcelorMittal’s largest mining subsidiary involved in the extraction of iron ore and is the leading Canadian supplier of iron ore products for the global steel market. With activities in both the mining and primary processing sectors, the company produces 26 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate per year, including 10 million tonnes which are then processed into iron oxide pellets at its pellet plant in Port-Cartier (Québec). AMMC operates a mining complex at Mont-Wright, an additional mine at Fire Lake, a crusher, a concentrator, as well as a pellet plant in Port-Cartier.

In 2022, AMIC, which provides rail and port infrastructure for the transportation and shipping of AMMC products across four continents, used 291 ships to send 23.7 million tonnes of concentrate and iron oxide pellets from Port-Cartier to clients in America, Europe, Africa and Asia. AMIC operates a 420-kilometre railway between Mont-Wright and Port-Cartier, as well as a port and a rail workshop in Port-Cartier.

As a member of the Mining Association of Canada, the company supports the Toward Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative and is continuously improving its application of the various protocols. ArcelorMittal is likewise committed to protecting the health and safety of its employees and the environment, as is demonstrated by its adoption of other standards related to management systems. This is the ISO 14001:2015 certification for its environmental management system, the ISO 45001:2018 for its occupational health and safety management system, and the ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system.

The company has a Zero injury/illness/fatality objective and is committed to a safe production throughout its entire value chain. Interventions are based on a “Visible and Responsible Leadership” and a strong field presence. It is committed to undertaking concrete actions towards continuous improvements in H&S and the reinforcement of a corporate culture promoting the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses. Corrective measures to control major risks and the safe planning of work carried out by employees and contractors are continuously implemented. The underlying objective is to make sure every worker returns home safely without any injury or health or physical integrity damage.

These combined initiatives have contributed to an improvement in performance indicators. Compared to 2019, the number of recordable injuries (medical treatment, temporary assignments and lost time injuries) decreased by close to 20. Managers doubled their efforts to be even more present on the field. A focus was placed on workplace good housekeeping. Follow-up visits after significant events are carried out each month to ensure the maintenance and effectiveness of corrective measures.

A rigorous management system was put in place for the tailings sites at Mont-Wright and Port-Cartier, and the company is determined to reach high levels of performance for the management of mine tailings against the protocol issued in 2019.

ArcelorMittal is continuously improving its energy efficiency and reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to diversify its energy portfolio have resulted in industrial-scale pilot test in recent years to substitute heavy fuel oil with different fuels, namely pyrolytic oil (2015) in its pellet process. In 2020, in accordance with ArcelorMittal’s global commitment to achieve carbon neutrality at all its operations by 2050, AMMC initiated the decarbonization of its pellet process, which represents 95% of its GHG emissions covered by the Cap-and-Trade System (C&T System). This transition is expected to take place over the next 15 years. It began with the conversion of two areas of the furnace to pyrolytic oil and will continue by increasing heavy fuel oil substitution by pyrolytic oil. R&D on innovative technologies using hydroelectricity as a renewable source of energy to eliminate the use of heavy fuel oil accelerates. Research and development projects are currently being evaluated to substitute coal with forest biomass recovery products.

In addition to these substitution projects, the company continues its efforts to improve its energy efficiency on a continual basis. For example, the significant energy consumption potential of an innovative and ambitious pelletsieving method, inducing segregation of the pellet bed in the furnace was shown. This method was implemented in 2018, a world premiere. Several numeric fluid mechanics analysis on the furnace led to improvements on heat exchange between zones, inducing energy consumption reduction and a better energy recycling.

In 2021, during COP26, AMMC and the Government of Quebec announced the flotation project to modify the preparation process at the pellet plant which will reduce GHG emissions by 20% and help Canadian steelmakers to reduce their own GHG emissions by 2,7 Mt.

From the start, the company has always been very involved in the community. This commitment continues today and takes several forms, such as donations to non-profit organizations, employees volunteer work and regular meetings with our various stakeholders. In 2012, ArcelorMittal signed an Impact Benefit Agreement with the Uashat mak Mani-Utenam Innu community, and this agreement has been jointly maintained ever since.

Now, more than ever, the company is committed to improving its performance under the TSM initiative.

For more information, please visit https://mines-infrastructure-arcelormittal.com/en/.