"The project package is due back to Noront early in the new year."

Ack...Tinman I believe you are correct....it seems like one of those movies where you keep running to a target and never get any closer.  This will be worth the wait.

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http://www.saultstar.com/2017/11/06/city-officially-launches-ferrochrome-application

Map of the Ring of Fire

Noront is reaching out to Sault Ste. Marie to formally ask the city if it is interested in hosting a ferrochrome processing plant.

“With our strategic location, transportation infrastructure, talent and other competitive advantages, we’re making the case that our community is the prime site to host this project,” said Dan Hollingsworth, executive director of Business Development for the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.

“We look forward to working with our partners on preparing a response that exceeds Noront’s expectations.”

The request formally launches the process that will see the City of Sault Ste. Marie make a case that it is the ideal location to host the plant.

Hollingsworth will serve as project lead of a team. CAO Al Horsman, deputy CAO of community development and enterprise services Tom Vair and Nevin Buconjic, manager of trade investment and community marketing for the EDC will make up the rest of the committee.

“It's really a formal request package for the community,” Vair said in an interview with The Sault Star.

Vair said some of the work and data needed has already been compiled by the EDC and readily available while other factors still need to be explored.

Specific site information still needs to be gathered but the city has reached out to Algoma and it's lenders and all parties are on board, Vair said.

Community support and engagement still needs to be completed and Vair said that will occur in the coming months.

“We’ve put together a strong project team and are committed to a thorough and thoughtful process,” said Mayor Christian Provenzano. “We will work hard to assess this opportunity and construct a compelling response that our community can be proud of and support. This will require working with our First Nation neighbours, community stakeholders and a broad and substantive community engagement.”

Other community stakeholders will be brought in to assist the project team in developing the city's request for proposals as needed.

It's also expected that the city will host community forums to share information and obtain feedback on the initiative.

The potential site for the plant is adjacent to Algoma and the Port of Algoma, on lands already designated heavy industrial and close to all forms of transportation.

Sault Ste. Marie is one of four Northern Ontario communities which have expressed interest in the plant.

Others include Sudbury, Fort Williams First Nation and Timmins.

Noront Resources is a Canadian-based mining firm which has the largest land position in the Ring of Fire.

A ferrochrome plant ultimately prepares and transforms the chromite ore deposits to ferrochrome, the product used to create stainless steel products.

Ferrochrome is created with iron, chrome and oxygen. The high-grade chromite ore taken from the Ring of Fire area is grinded and put through a processing plant that requires high levels of energy to melt the ore and add carbon to separate the oxygen from the iron and chrome. The completed iron and chrome project is called ferrochrome.

It's expected the plant would require 100 to 130 mW of power to operate a plant. Any lands would need to be properly designated for heavy industrial use and an array of other planning and environmental requirements would also need to be met.

The final product would be exported to the industrial regions in the Northeast United States, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, to make stainless steel. Currently companies there get their ferrochrome from South Africa and Kazakhstan.

The first of its kind ferrochrome plant in North America is estimated at $1 billion.

The project package is due back to Noront early in the new year.