The mine, located about 80 kilometres east of Cochrane, near the Quebec border, is emerging as a key North American source of the speciality metal
Vancouver-based junior miner Power Metals Corp. is advancing on its Case Lake property in northern Ontario, a high-grade cesium resource, with downstream partner Albemarle Corp. set to process and commercialize the project’s output.
The mine, located about 80 kilometres east of Cochrane, near the Quebec border, is emerging as a key North American source of the speciality metal.
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The property has a mineral resource estimated at 13,000 tonnes at 2.40 per cent cesium oxide, making it the fourth-largest cesium resource globally.
The estimate covers just one of eight pegmatite dykes on the property, with 17 other untested targets showing potential for future expansion.
Case Lake was originally explored for lithium, but with lithium prices stagnating, the company shifted its focus to cesium, a speciality metal.
Between 2017 and 2024, Power Metals drilled nearly 24,000 metres, which identified multiple high-grade targets.
Power Metals CEO Haydn Daxter said cesium production has historically been limited and controlled by China.
“Ours will be the sole operating mine globally and completely unimposed by Chinese interest at this stage.”
Daxter said Case Lake is currently a small open pit mine. The operation is chemical-free and uses very little water, which keeps its environmental footprint low.
“Given the size and scale of the operation, there’s not a great deal of water required, pretty much a dry process of mining other than dust suppression,” he said.
Power Metals has also completed baseline flora and fauna surveys and is working with the Ontario government on a fast-track critical minerals permitting process, with support from Timmins-based environmental consultancy Blue Heron.
The cesium at Case Lake is exceptionally high grade. Drill intercepts have shown up to 26 percent pollucite, the mineral containing cesium, approaching the prefect 30 percent found in pure cesium.
Globally, there are only three other cesium mines: Tanco Mine in Manitoba, Bikita Mine in Zimbabwe and Sinclair Mine in Australia, all of which have had historically similar grades.
“All three projects historically have seen grades around that range and they tend to be very small, isolated pods, so the fact that we’ve got that in North America, we’ve got a fantastic location, just near Cochrane and Timmins, there’s a very vast and well established mining industry, all the ancillary services there and connection into rail, port and all of the transporters there already and then securing Albermarle as our downstream means that now the product goes straight to those guys to produce their chemicals and sold into the North American market,” Daxter said.
He added Albemarle had historically controlled much of the cesium market, and with China now holding 70 percent, the partnership offers a chance to rebalance supply.
“I think Albemarle’s really keen to get back to sort of a 50/50 parody,” Daxter said. “We’ll work with those guys on this project and then look at growing the company and looking at a number of other businesses that have identified cesium in North America.”
Daxter explained cesium is primarily used in oil and gas drilling, but there are emerging uses that could drive demand in the future.
“The secondary use, military technology, GPS satellite tracking, it’s been tested by the department of energy in the U.S. with a lithium metal battery and reduced charge time and increased longevity by about 30 percent,” he said.
Daxter added cesium is also used in atomic clocks and has been tested in some cancer treatments. He said the metal is being explored for emerging technologies, including satellite systems, aerospace applications and solar panels, which are attracting growing interest.
“We’ve been discussing with a Canadian based group that’s looking at entering that market at the same time, and we’ll continue working with those guys as well as our main partner at Albemarle,” he said.
The project is also expected to bring economic benefits to the surrounding communities.
Daxter said the company has engaged local contractors and consultancy groups in the Timmins and Cochrane area, including drilling companies. First Nations partners have also been involved, providing crews and participating alongside environmental consultants.
The process, he said, offers a key benefit for First Nations partners. It is small-scare and environmentally low-impact, ensuring their traditional lands experience minimal disruption, while also giving them a share of financial returns from mining production.
Power Metals is working to formalize those benefits through an impact benefit agreement with the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation.
With its high-grade cesium, strategic North American location and partnership with Albemarle, Case Lake positions Power Metals at the forefront of a market long dominated overseas.