Name of the Project
PAK lithium mine project and lithium chemicals conversion facility.

Location
North of Red Lake, in Ontario, Canada.

Project Owner/s
The project is operated as a joint venture between lithium mining property developer Frontier (92.5%) and Mitsubishi Corporation (7.5%).

Project Description
The project contains North America’s highest-grade lithium resource and is the biggest in Ontario by size. 

The PAK site includes: the PAK and Spark openpits, rock dumps, a concentrator plant complex, a tailings management facility, electrical distribution, offices, a camp, a warehouse, maintenance, effluent treatment and an airstrip. 

The definitive feasibility study (DFS) proposes an openpit mining operation using conventional drill-blast-load-haul methods for extraction over an estimated 31-year mine life. 

The operating scenario presented in the DFS includes a processing line with a capacity of 200 000 t/y of chemical-grade concentrate or 1.04-million tonnes a year of chemical-grade ore. 

It also includes a 1.04-million-tonne-a-year processing plant that is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of Year 1. The processing plant feed incorporates a production ramp-up of nine months. 

The average mining rate for ore and waste combined throughout the life-of-mine is estimated to be 4.7-million tonnes a year, with a peak production rate of 8.3-million tonnes a year projected in Year 9.

Total concentrate production is estimated at 6.1-million tonnes.

The chemicals plant site will be located in the Thunder Bay region and will comprise the plant and analytical facilities, as well as product and consumable handling infrastructure. 

The DFS for the lithium conversion facility started in July 2025. 

Potential Job Creation
In the two-year construction phase, the project is expected to create 931 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs nationally. In the 30-year operational phase the project is expected to create 415 FTE jobs.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The feasibility estimates a pretax net present value, at an 8% base case discount rate, of $1.48-billion and an internal rate of return of 21.4%, with pretax payback of four years from the start of concentrator operation.

Capital Expenditure
Total capital expenditure is estimated at C$943.23-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not confirmed.

Latest Developments
Frontier Lithium has signed process agreements with Deer Lake First Nation and Sandy Lake First Nation as it advances permitting for its PAK lithium project under the province’s One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework.

The agreements establish a structured approach to engagement, information sharing and participation as technical studies and permitting activities progress for potential all-season road access, as well as the construction and operation of a mine and mill.

The agreements are intended to provide transparency and predictability for all parties while recognising Anishinninew laws and protocols, and aligning Indigenous engagement with provincial regulatory processes. The approach is consistent with Ontario’s objective of streamlining approvals without weakening environmental protections.

The agreements build on more than a decade of engagement between Frontier and the two First Nations, including exploration agreements that have been in place since 2016.

Frontier president and CEO Trevor Walker has said the agreements represent best practice for Indigenous engagement in mining.

Frontier has said the agreements support its anticipated 24-month 1P1P provincial permitting timeline, aligned with the province’s goal of reducing government review timelines by 50%.

Key contracts, suppliers and consultants
Fluor (definitive feasibility study covering various work packages such as infrastructure, process and design, cost estimation, economic valuation, procurement and a technical report for Frontier. Fluor will also advance execution planning, and coordination with specialised consultants supporting technical studies, reporting and environmental assessments); and SLR (prepared construction quantities for the tailings management facility, water management, closure and rehabilitation costs).

Contact Details for Project Information
Frontier Lithium, tel +1 705 897 7622.