Canada-based Power Metals is working to develop the Case Lake project in north-eastern Ontario, close to the border with Quebec. The project, which could enter production in the second half of 2026, is positioning itself to become the world’s fourth major caesium mine.
During PDAC 2025, Mining Technology spoke with Power Metals CEO Haydn Daxter about the caesium market and the next steps for the Case Lake project.
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Caesium is listed as a critical mineral by both the US and Canada. It is used primarily (70%) as a low-viscosity fluid to help control well pressures and reduce friction during high-temperature well drilling for oil and gas exploration. Caesium also has applications in atomic clocks, solar and battery technology, catalysis and medicine.
“We know that 3,000 tonnes of [caesium] concentrate is the annual consumption, which is not a great deal, but currently, there is no mine that is producing any consistent tonnage,” says Daxter.
To date, only three high-grade caesium mines have operated globally: Bitika in Zimbabwe, Sinclair in Western Australia and Tanco in Manitoba, Canda. China has had a “foothold” in all of these through state-owned operator Sinomine.
The US Geological Survey reported “intermittent” caesium production and processing from mined ore and stockpiles at the Tanco mine in 2024, along with some estimated mine production in China.
“Previously, the US, Canada [and] Australia were all buying their caesium from the Chinese market,” adds Daxter. However, he notes geopolitical tension as well as the tariff war between the US and Canada and Mexico is making it challenging.
Power Metals’ plans for Case Lake
The latest drilling results from Power Metals’ Case Lake project, announced in February, indicate that the project hosts high-grade deposits of caesium, tantalum and lithium (spodumene).
“Last year, we completed over 8,000m of exploration drilling… and we are currently working on a maiden mineral resource that will be out by the end of the first quarter [Q1],” Daxter says.
Power Metals is also working on a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for Case Lake, which is due out in Q2. Further exploration drilling is also scheduled for later this year.
Winsome Resources owns a 19.6% stake in Power Metals, as well as the offtake rights for lithium, cesium and tantalum from the company’s Case Lake project.
Video recorded at PDAC 2025 on 5 March.
