“Our team in Tamarack is excited to have reached the milestone of submitting the initial worksheet form to begin Minnesota’s Environmental Review process, the starting point for any project seeking a permit in the state,” said Henri van Rooyen, CEO of Talon. “We have worked very hard and invested millions of dollars to understand the environment and cultural resources in the area.”

The Tamarack project is envisioned as a small aboveground campus, approximately 60 acres (not including the rail spur). Ore will not be crushed or processed at the mine site. Instead, ore will be extracted underground, transported to the surface, and loaded onto covered and enclosed railcars inside a building to control dust emissions and water discharge.

Talon plans to use a tunnel boring machine (TBM) to create a lined tunnel loop through the glacial till zone to the deep bedrock, ensuring dual means of safe access. Water that seeps from the bedrock into the underground mine will be collected and pumped to the surface for processing. Talon said it is exploring the highest level of membrane-based water treatment technology appropriate for the site with both private sector and state and federal research institutions.

Talon has an agreement with Tesla to supply it with 75,000 metric tons (165 million lbs) of nickel in concentrate (and certain by-products, including cobalt and iron) from the Tamarack nickel project over an estimated 6-year period once commercial production is achieved. Talon’s Battery Minerals Processing Facility to be located in Mercer County, North Dakota, was selected by the Department of Energy on October 19, 2022 for $114 million in grant funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).