Our Environmental Actions at the Port of Québec

In accordance with the order issued by the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), we recently reached an important milestone by submitting two major deliverables to the Ministry:

1. A performance report on our equipment, conducted by independent experts at Ausenco.

2. A pre-feasibility study on the installation of removable covers for ship holds during the loading of nickel matte conducted by WSP.

For several years now, we have been conducting a continuous improvement program to limit the impact of our activities at the Port of Québec. The publication of the outcomes of the external audit and the pre-feasibility study are part of this same approach.

The outcomes of the equipment audit reflect the ongoing efforts we have been making at the Port since 2013:

• Our overall performance was rated 4.45 out of 5 and described by the auditor as achieving a high level of operational performance that meets technical best practice and exceeds current industry standards. This outcome results from significant investments over the last few years.

• That said, we know that community perceptions and expectations go beyond performance audits, which is why we are continuing our work in the field.

• In terms of best practice in the maritime sector, our average score of 4.35 out of 5 puts us well above the usual average of 2 to 3 for similar operations elsewhere.

Our identified strengths:

• Effective control of fugitive dust emissions;

• Proper loading and unloading procedures;

• Rigorously maintained cleaning and surveillance equipment.

Areas for improvement were also highlighted:

• Modernizing the terminology of certain procedures;

• Exploring solutions to limit handling during cleaning in the closed warehouse, in order to minimize the risk of emissions;

• Studying the possibilities and means of reintroducing products recovered during cleaning into the main handling flow.

In the interests of continuous improvement, the elements audited will now be incorporated into our ISO 14001 audits.

As a reminder, we have been ISO 14001 certified since 2015. This internationally recognized standard provides a rigorous and verifiable framework for environmental management, including annual surveillance audits and a recertification audit every three years.

In practical terms, this means that:

• Our actions to prevent and reduce emissions will not only be monitored: they will also be verified by external auditors.
• Each recommendation contained in the external audit report and the pre-feasibility study will be incorporated into our continuous improvement program.
• These actions will become an integral part of our formal environmental management cycle.

We assessed several concepts in response to the MELCCFP’s request to limit emissions during the loading of nickel matte.

Of these options, the concept of a removable hard cover seemed to best meet the objective of capturing dust while being technically feasible on paper.

• This solution may be technically feasible on paper, but it is now proving unrealistic in the operational context of the Port of Quebec.

• The modules required would be enormous (three modules measuring 7.6 m wide x 25 m long and weighing 19 tonnes per module), implying major logistical and storage constraints on site. We also anticipate safety issues for our workers when handling these modules.

Although closing the holds is not a viable option in our current context, we are actively exploring other solutions to reduce dust emissions during loading. For example, a new project will be implemented this summer at the Sudbury smelter to capture fine dust at its origin, before it is shipped to the Port of Quebec. In practical terms, this initiative will improve the retention of the lightest particles (fine matte) at source, by redirecting them to a specialized collection system. These improvements will be installed during our maintenance shutdown scheduled from May 26 to June 11, 2025, with tests starting in mid-June. This is another step in our commitment to proactively reducing the environmental impact of our activities.

We are continuing our work by undertaking:

• A pre-feasibility study for covering holds during the unloading of nickel concentrate.

• The deployment and installation of monitors measuring nickel in fine particles (PM10) in real time, scheduled for October 22, 2025. This measurement is a key driver for optimizing and calibrating our activities on an ongoing basis, based on data collected in real time on our emissions.