Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. announced that it has launched a prefeasibility study (or "PFS") on its wholly owned Tony claim block, part of its Matawinie graphite Property. Met-Chem Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the multi-disciplinary global DRA engineering group, has been contracted to produce and coordinate the PFS. Other engineering firms including SNC-Lavalin Group Inc, and Journeaux Assoc., a division of Lab Journeaux Inc., will be involved in certain aspects of the PFS. The PFS will focus on the West Zone deposit where a Mineral Resource Estimate was recently updated to 32.9 Mt grading 4.50 % graphitic carbon (or "Cg") in the indicated category and 0.2 Mt grading 4.84 % Cg in the Inferred Category. The PFS is scheduled to be completed in September of 2017. In addition, Nouveau Monde announced the results of a metallurgy optimization program, which provides an updated and simplified process flowsheet. These improvements to the flow sheet will be reflected in the upcoming PFS. Highlights of the optimization program include an overall recovery rate of 97.4 % at a combined concentrate grade of 97.3 % total carbon ("Ct") during locked cycle tests while improving upon previous flake size distribution. It is important to note that locked cycle tests simulate a commercial operation as opposed to previous open circuit tests, performed for the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), which provides a gross estimate of concentrate parameters. Flake size distribution is a critical and key advantage of Nouveau Monde as it allows the company to pursue multiple industrial markets for graphite (including steel making) as well as the ever growing lithium ion battery market.