FAQ

The Aeris project involves the modernisation of the Horne Smelter, with the construction of a brand new state-of-the-art section of the plant, developed in Rouyn-Noranda. The research and development that led to this project has been ongoing for a decade.

This work includes the modernization of the converter and anode sectors using new technology developed by our in-house teams, a new casting wheel system and a high-capacity dust collector.

More than $500 million of investment is planned to reduce atmospheric emissions, particularly of arsenic, but also of all other metals. These major investments should enable us to become one of the most efficient copper smelters in the world in terms of atmospheric emissions.

The Aeris project is entirely dedicated to reducing atmospheric emissions from the Horne smelter, particularly arsenic.

According to our current projections, the Aeris modernization project should reduce the average annual concentration of arsenic in ambient air to 3 ng/ m³ or less for approximately 84% of Rouyn-Noranda's urban perimeter, 7 ng/ m³ or less for approximately 97% of the urban perimeter and 15 ng/ m³ at our legal station following the commissioning of the project.

The projects will also reduce emissions of all other metals. They will also bring other benefits, such as a reduction in greenhouse gases and an improvement in the sulphur fixation rate.

According to our current projections, the Aeris modernization project should reduce the average annual concentration of arsenic in ambient air to 3 ng/ m³ or less for approximately 84% of Rouyn-Noranda's urban perimeter, 7 ng/ m³ or less for approximately 97% of the urban perimeter and 15 ng/ m³ at our legal station following the commissionning of the project.

At the moment, it is technically impossible to achieve an annual average concentration of 3 ng/ m3 at the legal station, since the background noise is 4.1 ng/ m3 according to the most recent data provided by the Ministry of the Environment.

As we have always done, we will continue to invest and seek to develop new solutions as part of our continuous improvement process to further reduce our emissions.

The concrete measures taken by the smelter in recent years reflect our mission to meet our commitments and reduce emissions.

The Aeris project involves the modernization of the Horne Smelter. Commissioning is expected to take place in 2027.

In the meantime, we have undertaken transitional and optimisation projects, such as the installation of 4 new dust collectors, which will enable us to achieve significant results in terms of reducing atmospheric emissions.

As of the 3rd quarter of 2023 (16 March to 15 December), the average arsenic level was 48.5 ng/m3. These results confirm that the transitional projects implemented are having a tangible impact on the data measured at the legal station.

Our team of experts has been working on the development of this new technology for over a decade, carrying out plant and laboratory trials both here and internationally. We had to wait for the results of these tests to be analysed before going ahead with the project.

That said, since 2005, the average annual concentration of arsenic a in ambient air at the legal station, located at the boundary of the property, has decreased by 70% thanks to the implementation of numerous projects, such as :

• The construction of 6 storage domes
• Setting up a truck wheel cleaning station
• Installing hoods in the casting wheel area
• Paving internal roads
• Optimisation of the fugitive gas capture network in the anode sector