Aidan Jaager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Approximately a third of the world’s known supply of alumina is in Saskatchewan after a discovery of 6.8 billion tonnes of the metal was made at a deposit near Tisdale, and Saskatchewan’s premier thinks it could be just as valuable to the province as uranium and potash.
“When we talk about 6.8 billion tonnes of alumina, that’s the amount of the aluminum contained within the ore body, the ores of 50 billion tons roughly. That is held within the project area that is about 230 square miles,” said Christopher Hopkins, president and CEO of Canadian Energy Metals Corp (CEM) and the Thor project where the alumina was found.
“And that size would fit inside the metropolitan area of Edmonton,” he noted.
Alumina — a chemical compound of aluminum — is “one of the most widely used metals on earth,” Hopkins said. It’s used in airplanes, electric vehicles, batteries and rocket ships, strengthening glass and hardening metal.
Premier Scott Moe said minerals like scandium, vanadium and alumina will create security and stability for the Department of National Defence in Canada and NATO countries when it comes to aerospace and the military.
He added that with uncertain partnerships around the world, it will strengthen trade relations.
“The diversification of our general provincial economy, but our mining sector, beyond that traditional dominance of potash and uranium, is something that our government is very much focused on supporting, alongside industry and investment attraction,” Moe said.
He noted that Saskatchewan led Canada in mining investment in 2025 with $7 billion invested in the province. He said the Thor project will create more jobs for Saskatoon and Tisdale.
Moe said the government has a goal to double the number of critical minerals produced in Saskatchewan from three to six.
“Another goal in that strategy aims to increase our share of the national exploration expenditures to 15 per cent, and we met that target in 2025. Saskatchewan has what the world needs.”
Hopkins said the discovery hole was drilled only 50 feet down in May 2022, and in 40 months, a hidden resource was taken to “a point of economic feasibility.”
Shifting from bauxite (sedimentary rock with a high aluminum content) to green alumina is “truly transformational,” Hopkins noted. He said the project could last several years, and a demonstration plan will be designed as the mine’s resources are evaluated over the next year.
