The Canadian government has awarded Northcliff Resources a C$8.21-million grant to advance its Sisson tungsten/molybdenum project in New Brunswick.

The funds, provided by Natural Resources Canada through the Global Partnerships Initiative, will support an updated feasibility study and basic engineering work.

The Sisson project, located near tidewater in south-eastern Canada, is aimed at supplying critical minerals for industries such as communications technology, aerospace, defence and clean technology.

The investment builds on $15-million (about C$20.7-million) in Defense Production Act Title III funding awarded to Northcliff in May by the US Department of Defense.

“Canada is a global leader in mining, including the responsibly sourced critical minerals that power our economy for clean energy, digital technologies, and national defence,” said Canada's Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Tim Hodgson. “This federal investment demonstrates Canada’s commitment to increasing Canadian mineral production to strengthen domestic supply chains, create Canadian jobs, and make the most of our natural resources, in New Brunswick and across the country.”

Northcliff chairperson, president and CEO Andrew Ing said the coordinated funding demonstrated the strategic importance of the project. “Bilateral investments by the Canadian and US governments are being made to ensure that the minerals are available to support newly developing technologies, as well as maintain security of supply and North American industrial competitiveness,” he said.

Northcliff has spent about C$70-million on studies, environmental approvals and other development work since completing a positive feasibility study in 2013. The company is now focused on advancing the project to a construction decision, with detailed project planning, financing and offtake talks under way.

In the 2013 feasibility study, development of the Sisson project was proposed as an openpit mine with conventional processing facilities, supplemented by value-added downstream and on-site processing of tungsten concentrates in an ammonium paratungstate plant.