Schneider Electric has agreed to explore a strategic industrial partnership with Canadian rare-earths company Torngat Metals, in a move both companies say could help build a more resilient supply chain for critical minerals used in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
The non-binding memorandum of understanding centres on the Strange Lake rare earths project in Nunavik, with related infrastructure planned in Labrador and a separation plant proposed for Sept-Îles, in Quebec...
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. According to the companies, the idea is to link the upstream mine, processing and industrial demand in a single value chain, rather than treating the project as a stand-alone extraction venture.
Schneider Electric said the collaboration would draw on its experience in electrification, automation, digital systems and industrial design. Torngat, which is developing Strange Lake as one of Canada’s most prominent rare earths projects, said the tie-up could help bring downstream customers closer to the mine and strengthen the commercial case for the project.
The project is expected to produce both heavy and light rare earths, materials that are central to permanent magnets used in renewable energy systems, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Torngat has previously said the deposit could also supply high-purity rare-earth oxides for electric motors, wind turbines and defence uses.
Frederick Morency, vice-president for sustainability, strategic initiatives and innovation at Schneider Electric Canada, said in the announcement: “This partnership reflects a clear reality: the energy transition depends not only on technology, but on secure and responsible access to critical materials,”. He added that the companies were aiming for “a fully integrated approach, from resource to industrial use, that strengthens both project development and long-term supply resilience.”
Maryse Bélanger, interim chief executive and president of Torngat’s board, said the agreement could help connect the project to genuine industrial demand while bringing in what she described as world-class technology designed with sustainability in mind. “This is an opportunity to build not just a mine, but a complete, future-ready value chain,” she said.
The memorandum was signed in Paris on the margins of a G7-related meeting on financing critical mineral supply chains, in the presence of French and Canadian officials. That setting underlined the wider political and industrial push to secure non-Chinese sources of rare earths, a market that has become strategically important as governments seek to reduce dependence on concentrated supply chains.
Torngat has been advancing Strange Lake for several years. In late 2023, the company said it had made progress on beneficiation testing, drilling, environmental work and engagement with Indigenous partners, while targeting a bankable feasibility study. More recently, reports have indicated that the start of production may slip to 2029 or 2030 because of permitting and other delays.
The project has also attracted financial backing. In 2022, Torngat announced a phased US$50 million investment led by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. Export Development Canada later disclosed a C$110 million bridge financing package to support the next phase of the development. Torngat has said the project could eventually support about 450 jobs, with an emphasis on recruitment from Indigenous communities in Quebec and Labrador.
The proposed separation facility in Sept-Îles is intended to be a major logistical hub for the project, using the port, rail links and power grid already in place there. Torngat says that location gives the project an industrial advantage by reducing the need to build new infrastructure from scratch.
For Schneider Electric, the agreement fits a broader effort to improve supply chain security for materials needed in electrification. For Torngat, it offers a potential route towards a more integrated and commercially anchored project. Together, the companies are presenting Strange Lake not merely as a mine, but as the foundation of a critical minerals ecosystem.
Source: Noah Wire Services
