Frontier Lithium recently provided an update on infrastructure projects supporting its PAK Lithium Project in northwestern Ontario, which is being developed to supply lithium materials for electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage applications in North America.
Junction Road alternatives for the PAK Lithium Project are highlighted in red. (CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)
The projects are supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) and focus on road access and electrical grid integration required for future mining and processing operations.
The infrastructure work includes two primary projects: an all-season road connection and an electrical grid connection. The All-Season Road Engineering and Design Project involves engineering, permitting, and environmental studies for approximately 56 kilometres of two-lane road intended to connect the PAK Project to Ontario’s provincial highway network.
The PAK Clean Energy Project includes engineering and permitting for a substation and transmission line to connect the site to the Wataynikaneyap power grid, providing long-term electrical capacity for mining operations.
Engineering, environmental assessment, permitting, and Indigenous engagement activities are ongoing to advance both projects toward construction readiness. Work completed in 2024 and 2025 focused on early-stage engineering and planning, with additional engineering, route selection, and permitting activities planned through 2026.
Planned work for the road project includes completion of remaining engineering plans, selection of a preferred route, and final permitting under Ontario’s One Project One Process framework, with construction targeted to begin as early as 2027. Electrical infrastructure work includes technical assessments of required grid upgrades, environmental reviews, and site-specific geotechnical investigations, aligned with provincial transmission expansion projects supporting new mining developments in northern Ontario.
The infrastructure projects support development of the PAK lithium deposit, which underpins a planned mine-to-chemicals operation targeting lithium supply for EV batteries and energy storage systems across North America. Road and power access are critical enablers for domestic lithium production, supporting efforts to localize critical mineral supply chains for EV manufacturing and grid-scale energy storage.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News