Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Monday opened the first call for proposals (CFP) under the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF).

The CFP will be the first of several under the CMIF, with up to C$300-million in contribution funding available under two streams: the preconstruction and project development stream and the infrastructure deployment stream.

Through these streams, applicants can seek access to up to C$50-million for each project for nongovernmental applicants and up to C$100-million per project for provincial and territorial governments investing in public projects.

Applications for this first CFP must be submitted online by February 29.

The CMIF will address key infrastructure gaps to enable sustainable critical minerals production and to connect resources to markets. With up to C$1.5-billion available over seven years, the fund will support clean energy and electrification initiatives as well as transportation and infrastructure projects that will enable the sustainable development of Canada’s critical minerals.

The CMIF is a key component of the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy and will complement other clean energy and transportation support that is already benefiting the critical minerals sector.