The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, Oct. 24, edition that Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie mine was referred to the Major Projects Office last year for fast-tracking. The Globe's Niall McGee writes that of the company's total $633-million (U.S.) mine funding package, the company raised about 75 per cent from government sources. That included debt investments worth roughly $459-million (Canadian) from Export Development Canada and the Canada Infrastructure Bank and a $143-million (U.S.) equity raise from Canada Growth Fund and Investissement Quebec. If all goes to plan, when it is up and running, Matawinie will be the biggest operation of its kind in the G7, producing 106,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate a year. The critical mineral is an essential element in lithium ion batteries, fuel cells and industrial lubricants. Building a mine of this scale would be nerve-wracking even for an experienced operator. But Nouveau Monde has never built a mine before. What's more, graphite mines are relatively untested in the West with the economic case for large scale operations mostly unproven. The private sector has been skittish about funding new critical minerals mines in Canada in large part because of the risk.