Baffinland hopes railroad to Steensby is built in next few years

Local Journalism Initiative

April 25, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.·2 min read

Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. is applying to continue exporting six million tonnes of iron ore from Mary River Mine through Milne Inlet, its northern marine shipping corridor, until 2030 or its railroad to Steensby Inlet is built.

Megan Lord-Hoyle, the company’s vice-president of sustainable development, shared the news Wednesday during a presentation at the Nunavut Mining Symposium in Iqaluit.

The company previously applied to ship 12 million tonnes of ore through Milne Inlet, but the federal government shot that plan down in 2022.

The company has been operating under temporary permits to ship six million tonnes through Milne Inlet as it reverts to a plan to build a railroad south to Steensby Inlet, where there are fewer environmental concerns around shipping.

The Milne Inlet route traverses the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area, which is a sensitive habitat for narwhals and seabirds.

Baffinland’s current shipping permit expires Dec. 31. That operation plan, which received support from the Nunavut Impact Review Board, allows the mine to temporarily export six million tonnes of ore per year through Milne Inlet.

Lord-Hoyle said in her presentation that the new proposal would allow the mine to continue operating while it works toward building its Steensby railway project.

“We’ve worked closely with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and communities to make any additions to the form of the project that they would like to see as we move into this next [phase],” she said.

An application is already visible on the NIRB website. The project’s dashboard indicates monitoring started April 19.

The new operations proposal “will run until 2030 or whenever the Steensby component is fully operational,” said Peter Akman, Baffinland’s head of communications, in an email.

“It is our plan to break ground on the Steensby component next year,” Akman said, adding the company hopes construction will take three to four years.

“All of that is dependent on securing the necessary permits and financing.”

In her presentation, Lord-Hoyle highlighted how the green light to export an extra 1.8 million tonnes of iron ore, allowed under the temporary permits Baffinland has operated under since 2018, has economically benefited communities in the region.

The Steensby Inlet project — a rail line extending 149 kilometres south from Mary River to Steensby Port — received federal approval in 2012.

Baffinland CEO Brian Penney announced last year the company’s plans to focus on Steensby as a long-term option.

Once completed, the company will stop shipping from Milne Inlet, Lord-Hoyle said.

The symposium, which opened Monday, runs until Thursday at the Aqsarniit hotel.

Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News

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