Matawinie graphite mine Phase‑2 contracts: schedule and design notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Nouveau Monde Graphite is advancing Phase 2 of its Matawinie graphite mine in Québec, designated a “major project of national interest” by the Canadian government, by awarding key contracts for construction capacity, services, equipment and materials. The recently signed packages include provisions for full execution once remaining project milestones and financing are secured, locking in contractor availability and pricing ahead of the main build. For mine planners and project engineers, this signals a move towards shovel‑ready status and a tighter timeline for detailed civil, earthworks and process-plant design coordination.
Technical Brief
- Packages cover both mine-site earthworks and process-plant construction, indicating parallel workfront planning.
- Early procurement of long-lead equipment aims to de-risk schedule exposure to OEM manufacturing queues.
- Service contracts appear to bundle construction management with labour, suggesting integrated EPC-style delivery.
- Locking contractor pricing now effectively caps exposure to near-term construction cost escalation.
- Contract phasing allows partial mobilisation for pre-construction works ahead of full project sanction.
- Coordination demands will increase between detailed engineering and contractors as work packages are now time-bound.
Our Take
With graphite featuring across recent EV raw material spend analysis in our database, Phase‑2 development at the Matawinie graphite mine positions NMG to tap into a market where passenger EV manufacturers like Tesla, BYD and major cell suppliers are driving a structurally higher demand baseline.
Canada’s graphite is repeatedly cited in coverage of its lagging critical minerals strategy, so advancing the Phase‑2 Matawinie Mine in Québec could give NMG leverage in any future federal or provincial support schemes aimed at catching up with US‑style stockpiling and fast‑track permitting.
Among our graphite‑tagged mining project pieces, most activity is still at study or early construction stage, which suggests NMG moving into a contract‑award phase for Matawinie may place it in a relatively advanced cohort of North American graphite developers competing to supply battery‑grade material.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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