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K-SURE issues Expression of Interest Letter for support of the TECH Project
April 04, 2022
Queensland Pacific Metals Ltd (ASX:QPM) (“QPM” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce conditional finance support from K-SURE for the provision of debt funding for QPM’s wholly owned TECH Project.
Highlights
- Conditional finance support received from Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (“K-SURE”) for the provision of debt funding for the TECH Project.
- The support from K-SURE follows on from the Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) on Cooperation in Critical Minerals Supply Chains signed between Republic of Korea and Australia in December 2021 and the MOU to undertake joint financings signed between K-SURE and Export Finance Australia (“EFA”) in February 2022.
- The support from K-SURE represents ongoing development of the potential lending syndicate for the TECH Project, with QPM having completed the Strategic Assessment phase of the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (“NAIF”) application process and having previously received a commitment letter for conditional debt funding for A$250m from EFA.
- Formal appointment of ANZ as Export Credit Agency (“ECA”) Co-ordinator, supporting KPMG in their role as Debt advisor
In December 2021, a MOU was entered into between the governments of the Republic of Korea and Australia regarding cooperation in Critical Minerals Supply Chains. Following this, the reciprocal Export Credit Agencies of both countries (K-SURE and EFA) entered into an MOU to strengthen their capacity to work together and undertake joint financings.
With Korean offtakers and shareholders, LG Energy Solution and POSCO, K-SURE is a logical target for QPM as part of its debt financing syndicate for the TECH Project. The formal receipt of an Expression of Interest Letter from K-SURE demonstrates their strong interest in providing debt funding for the TECH Project.
K-SURE has indicated that its partication in the debt funding of the TECH Project will be in line with the terms and conditions of EFA’s participation. The letter received from K-SURE does not constitute a commitment or an offer and any provision of debt funding will be subject to due diligence and typical terms and conditions.
QPM has also appointed ANZ as ECA Co-ordinator, working closely with existing debt advisor KPMG. ANZ has an excellent relationship with K-SURE and other ECAs around the world, in particular those which QPM are targeting and have received eligibility letters from. ANZ has also previously provided QPM with a letter of interest for the provision of debt funding.
QPM Managing Director Dr Stephen Grocott commented,
“The increasing recognition from governments around the world, in particular the Korean and Australian governments, regarding the importance of critical minerals supply chains will be an important factor in QPM achieving its goal of becoming a sustainable producer of battery metals. The support we have received from government backed lenders to date has been tremendous.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr Baek Seung Dal and Mr Steve Kang for their formal expression of interest in the TECH Project and look forward to strengthening our relationship with K-SURE.”
About K-SURE
K-SURE is the official export credit agency of South Korea under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. K-SURE provides debt financing to international projects where there is participation from Korean companies.
This announcement has been authorised for release by Stephen Grocott
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Queensland Pacific Metals Ltd, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
QPM:AU
28 June 2023
Element 25 Signs US$85M Supply Deal with GM for Manganese Sulphate
Element 25 (ASX:E25) has signed a deal with General Motors (NYSE:GM) to supply the car manufacturer 32,500 tonnes of manganese sulphate annually, according to a news report by Reuters.
The news follows GM’s announcement to take an equity stake in Queensland Pacific Metals (ASX:QPM) for a new source of nickel and cobalt for battery cells, in a move to secure the car maker’s supply of battery minerals for its North American electric vehicle production, the report said. This is also Element 25’s second major supply agreement after a deal with global mobility provider Stellantis was sealed earlier this year.
The GM deal will provide Element 25 with US$85 million to fund its Louisiana battery-grade high-purity manganese sulfate (HPMSM) facility, which is scheduled to open in 2025.
To read the full article, click here.
Click here to connect with Element 25 (ASX:E25) for an Investor Presentation.
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3h
Top 9 Countries by Nickel Reserves
Investors interested in nickel stocks are often curious about which countries produce significant amounts of the metal. After all, major producers are often home to many miners and explorers.
But investors should also be aware of which countries hold significant nickel reserves. Why? Many countries that produce large amounts of nickel have big nickel reserves, which shows they have the potential to continue being players in the space long term. On the other hand, some countries produce little nickel, but have high reserves of the metal.
Much of global demand for nickel comes from the steel making industry, particularly in China. The Asian nation is the largest consumer of nickel in the world, accounting for around 65 percent of total consumption, with the majority of it making its way into steel products. The electric vehicle (EV) battery market is emerging as another key market for nickel.
It’s possible that in the future countries with vast nickel reserves could become major players in the space, so exploration companies that already have boots on the ground could be worth watching.
With that in mind, here’s an overview of the nine countries with the largest nickel reserves. Total world nickel reserves are greater than 130 million metric tons (MT), with nickel reserves in countries outside these top nine nations making up just 9.1 million metric tons. All nickel reserves by country data is based on the US Geological Survey’s most recent report, and mine data is sourced from mining database MDO.
1. Indonesia
Nickel reserves: 55 million metric tons
Indonesia has the highest nickel reserves in the world, coming in at 55 million metric tons, and it also takes the top spot for nickel production, with 1.8 million MT of the metal produced last year.
Indonesia’s nickel production has grown exponentially from 2017’s output of 345,000 MT. In fact, it only broke the 1 million MT mark in 2021, meaning it increased by 800,000 MT in just two years. The massive increase is part of the country’s work to build out its EV battery industry in the hopes of being a major supplier to China.
While the electrification push is meant to help save the planet from the catastrophic environmental damage of climate change, in an ironic twist, the massive push for increased EV battery-grade nickel mining in Indonesia is threatening the existence of one of the world's last uncontacted hunter gatherer tribes, as per the BBC.
Two of the countries biggest nickel producing mines are the Hengjaya nickel-iron-cobalt mine and the Weda Bay nickel mine. Nickel Industries (ASX:NIC) owns an 80 percent stake in the Hengjaya nine, which is comprised of a large tonnage, high grade nickel laterite deposit with a mine life expected to extend to 2035. The Weda Bay mine, considered the largest nickel in the world, is operated by PT Weda Bay Nickel, a joint venture (43/57) between Eramet Group (EPA:ERA) and Chinese private company Tsingshan Holding Group.
2. Australia
Nickel reserves: 24 million metric tons
Australia has the second highest nickel reserves in the world, at 24 million metric tons. However, it should be noted that Australia's JORC-compliant proven and probable reserves stand at 865 million MT. In terms of nickel output, Australia only ranks sixth among the world's largest nickel producers, with 160,000 MT produced in 2023.
Australia might see its production levels drop next year as some of the top-producing nickel mines in Australia are mothballed due to oversupply from Indonesia.
BHP's (NYSE:BHP,ASX:BHP,LSE:BHP) Nickel West assets saw 85 percent of its nickel production sold to global battery materials suppliers. However, market conditions have led to the company to make a decision to place Nickel West on care and maintenance by the end of 2024. This follows First Quantum Minerals' (TSX:FM,LSE:FQM) decision to shutter the Ravensthorpe mine, in which South Korean steelmaker POSCO (NYSE:PKX,KRX:005490) has a 30 percent equity stake.
3. Brazil
Nickel reserves: 16 million metric tons
The third largest nickel reserves belong to Brazil, which has a total of 16 million metric tons. The country has seen a rise in nickel production the past few years, with output expanding from 76,100 MT in 2021 to 89,000 MT in 2023. Even so, it still came in as the eighth largest nickel producer in the world.
Brazilian mining company Vale (NYSE:VALE) is a major nickel producer in the country. It owns a 90 percent stake in the the Onca Puma mine, one of the world's largest global producers of the metal.
Other companies mining and exploring for the base metal in the country include Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF), which owns the world-class Barro Alto ferronickel mine and processing complex, and Centaurus Metals (ASX:CTM,OTCQX:CTTZF), which is developing the Jaguar nickel sulfide project. Jaguar has a defined global mineral resource estimate totaling 138.2 million MT at 0.87 percent nickel for 1.2 million MT of contained nickel. Centaurus is aiming to make a final investment decision by the second quarter of 2025.
4. Russia
Nickel reserves: 8.3 million metric tons
Russia, the world’s fourth largest nickel producer in 2023, holds a vast amount of nickel reserves at 8.3 million metric tons. The country experienced a production slump last year, putting out 200,000 MT compared to 222,000 MT in 2022.
Norilsk Nickel (MCX:GMKN), one of the world’s largest nickel and palladium producers, operates in Russia.
Analysts are concerned about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global nickel supply. For the most part, the country’s nickel production feeds into the steelmaking sector rather than the battery market. “Russia plays an outsize role in nickel markets," the New York Times notes in an article. “Norilsk is among a limited number of companies authorized to sell a specialized form of nickel on the London Metal Exchange, which handles all nickel trading.”
5. New Caledonia
Nickel reserves:7.1 million metric tons
New Caledonia hosts the world's fifth largest nickel reserves at 7.1 million metric tons, and the South Pacific French Territory is also the third largest nickel producer, with output of 230,000 MT in 2023. Its nickel industry is the centerpiece of New Caledonia's economy.
Historically, New Caledonia had resisted selling nickel ore directly to large nickel-consuming countries such as China in order to preserve its domestic smelting and refining industry, which is one of its key sources of revenue. However, in recent years, New Caledonia has begun exporting to China, with 39.2 percent of its nickel exports in 2022 going to the Asian country.
Goro and the Societe Le Nickel are two of the major nickel mines in New Caledonia. Operated by Prony Resources New Caledonia, in which Trafigura has a 19 percent stake, Goro produces a chemical form of nickel and cobalt known as mixed hydroxide precipitate that can be used in EV batteries. The Societe Le Nickel mine is a joint venture between Eramet Group (56 percent), the New Caledonia provincial government (34 percent) and Nisshin Steel (10 percent).
New Caledonia became a hot bed of political unrest with pro-independence rioting in May 2024. This has further damaged its beleaguered economy, and halted nickel mining operations.
6. Philippines
Nickel reserves: 4.8 million metric tons
Next on this nickel reserves list is the Philippines, coming in at 4.8 million MT. The country’s nickel production grew significantly last year, rising from 345,000 MT in 2021 to 400,000 MT in 2023.
Nickel Asia is one of the country's leading nickel producers. It's wholly owned nickel operations include the Cagdianao and Hinatuan mines. The company also has a significant stake in the Rio Tuba (60 percent) and Taganito (65 percent) nickel mines.
Nickel Asia supplies limonite ore from its Rio Tuba mine to the Philippines' first hydrometallurgical nickel processing plant. The Coral Bay plant is owned by Coral Bay Nickel, in which Nickel Asia has a 10 percent equity interest.
7. China
Nickel reserves: 4.2 million metric tons
China hosts the seventh largest nickel reserves in the world, coming in at 4.2 million metric tons. The country’s nickel production in 2023 was nearly on par with the previous year, totaling 110,000 MT compared to 114,000 MT in 2022.
Although China is seventh in terms of both nickel reserves and production, the Asian nation plays a significant role in nickel pricing due to the commodity’s role in stainless steel production. China is both the largest steel-producing country and the largest consumer of the alloy metal.
8. Canada
Nickel reserves: 2.2 million metric tons
Next up on this list of largest nickel reserves is Canada with 2.2 million metric tons of nickel. The country also ranks as the fifth largest nickel producer, increasing its output from 143,000 MT in 2022 to 180,000 MT in 2023.
Canada’s key nickel mines include Vale’s Sudbury, Thompson and Voisey’s Bay operations, as well as Glencore’s (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Raglan mine in Quebec and Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations in Ontario. Also in the Sudbury, Ontario region. Global miner KGHM Polska Miedz (WSE:KGH) is constructing the Victoria underground copper-nickel mine.
9. United States
Nickel reserves: 340,000 metric tons
Last on this largest nickel reserves list is the US, which hosts nickel reserves of 340,000 metric tons. With much less nickel in its back pocket than the other nations here, the US is also at the bottom when it comes to the world’s largest nickel producers. In 2023, the country’s nickel output came in at 17,000 MT, a slight decrease of 500 MT from the year before.
The US has only one primary nickel operation: Lundin Mining’s (TSX:LUN,OTC Pink:LUNMF) Eagle mine, located on the Yellow Dog Plains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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22 October
Excellent Metallurgical Results at Hotinvaara Enhance Entire Pulju Project
Premium nickel concentrate can be produced from the extensive disseminated pentlandite present throughout the Hotinvaara deposit.
Nordic Nickel Limited (ASX: NNL; Nordic, or the Company) is pleased to announce extremely positive results from its first pass metallurgical testing program for its Hotinvaara nickel-cobalt deposit in northern Finland. The current in in-situ JORC (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate at Hotinvaara is for 418Mt @ 0.21% Ni and 0.01% Co (0.22% NiEq1) for 862,800t contained Ni and 40,000t contained Co2.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Master composite from 11 samples across the Hotinvaara deposit produced a clean concentrate of 18.4% Ni and 0.66% Co after Locked Cycle Testing.
- Ni recovery of 62% achieved in a first pass program, employing a straightforward, conventional grinding and flotation process (cobalt recovery 51%).
- On average for the master composite, 75% of the total nickel assay is in sulphide form, and nickel deportment in the sulphides is almost entirely in pentlandite.
- Excellent results achieved with a relatively coarse grind of 90 microns, with no re- grind required.
- Comminution test work indicates the ore would be amenable to SAG milling and is not abrasive, both positive for project economics.
- Result is a superior, high-grade nickel concentrate with payable cobalt.
- Hotinvaara’s metallurgical properties compare favourably with similar lower grade nickel sulphide deposits currently under development in Canada.
- Achieving such a premium quality concentrate can be achieved from the abundant lower grade disseminated nickel sulphides at Hotinvaara bodes well for the rest of the Pulju Belt project area.
The Hotinvaara licence itself, within which the deposit sits, covers 5km2 to the southwest of the 240km2 Pulju Project area. The drilled footprint at Hotinvaara represents just 2km of the known 35km of mineralised strike that the prospective ultramafic unit lies within, highlighting the strong potential for resource growth.
The Pulju Project is a rare, district scale nickel-copper-cobalt exploration and development opportunity within a progressive mining district in Europe. To date, Pulju has been shown to host predominantly shallow, disseminated lower-grade nickel sulphides, such as those forming the majority of the current Hotinvaara deposit, but also some minor, but extremely high-grade massive/remobilised sulphides. Regarding the latter, these thin zones of concentrated, remobilised iron-nickel sulphides so far intersected at Hotinvaara have attained grades of up to 9.6% Ni3, demonstrating that Pulju has the potential for a style of extremely high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation that has yet to be targeted.
The metallurgical test results reported here demonstrate that the lower grade disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation at Hotinvaara is amenable to conventional processing and can produce a premium concentrate. Therefore, the next stage of exploration at Pulju may confidently focus on both known styles of mineralisation to achieve potentially valuable outcomes:
1) Increasing the existing resource base by targeting more of the shallow disseminated nickel zones, particularly in the known higher-grade areas. Although the overall grade of the current Hotinvaara resource is 0.22% NiEq, substantial higher-grade zones exist within these wide areas of dissemination, generally associated with greater levels of recrystallisation/remobilisation and higher Ni-in-sulphide content, including:
- 97m @ 0.33% Ni and 0.01% Co in HOV0073;
- 13m @ 0.47% Ni and 0.01% Co in HOV0103;
- 13m @ 0.33% Ni and 0.03% Co in HOV0263; and
- 26m @ 0.59% Ni and 0.02% Co in HOT0164.
Preferentially targeting these zones within the shallow disseminated nickel mineralisation becomes a valuable and viable path for future exploration.
2) Identifying and testing the structures that may have trapped and further concentrated these extensive remobilised sulphides found at Pulju. As a reminder, drilling at Hotinvaara has confirmed that conditions exist for the formation of extremely high grade remobilised and massive sulphides, albeit only in thin zones thus far, for example:
- 0.26m @ 9.61% Ni, 0.36% Co and 0.17% Cu in HOV0323;
- 0.90m @ 4.98% Ni, 0.14% Co and 0.03% Cu in HOV0323;
- 0.32m @ 5.03% Ni, 0.24% Co and 0.06% Cu in HOV0393; and
- 0.60m @ 4.66% Ni, 0.10% Co and 0.02% Cu in HOT0065.
An important next step in pursuit of this depositional model is a detailed structural analysis of the entire Pulju Belt to highlight structural features that may host depositional trap sites for accumulating and concentrating these remobilised sulphides. This analysis will integrate current and historical datasets such as airborne geophysics, surface mapping and the newly acquired BOT sampling database to prioritise later drill testing.
Hotinvaara Metallurgical Test Program - Report Summary
The testwork was conducted by Blue Coast Research in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada and was initiated to develop a baseline metallurgical treatment scheme aimed at making a saleable grade nickel concentrate. Comminution and flotation data sufficient to provide cost input into a potential future economic study of the project were to be created, together with preliminary estimates of recoveries and concentrate quality.
Sixteen samples in total were selected to represent a variety of expected metallurgical response types. Most are siliceous samples from the predominant ultramafic unit spanning a range of nickel head grades and sulphide nickel contents, selected to provide a geospatially and geostatistically valid representation of the main ore body, albeit with a logical bias in favour of shallower samples.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Nordic Nickel, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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03 October
3 Best-performing Canadian Nickel Stocks of 2024
After trending down in 2023, nickel prices climbed to a 10 month high in late May of this year. However, they've since pulled back. While this environment has been tough for nickel companies, some stocks are still thriving.
Supply is expected to outflank demand over the short term, but the longer-term outlook for the metal is strong. Demand from the electric vehicle industry is one reason nickel's outlook looks bright further into the future.
“Global nickel consumption is expected to increase due to recovery of the stainless steel sector and increased usage of nickel in electric vehicle batteries. Batteries now account for almost 17 percent of total nickel demand, behind stainless steel," Ewa Manthey, commodities strategist at financial services firm ING, said in the lead-up to 2024.
“The metal’s appeal to investors as a key green metal will support higher prices in the longer term."
As for Canada, nickel is listed as a top priority in the government's Critical Minerals Strategy. The country is the world's fifth largest producer of nickel, with much of its production coming from mines in Ontario's Sudbury Basin, including Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) Sudbury operation and Glencore's (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations.
In February, Canada Nickel Company (TSXV:CNC,OTCQX:CNIKF) announced its subsidiary NetZero Metals is planning to develop a US$1 billion nickel-processing plant in Ontario that will become North America’s largest once complete.
How are Canadian nickel stocks performing in 2024? Below are the top nickel stocks in Canada on the TSXV and CSE by share price performance so far this year. TSX stocks were considered, but didn't make the cut.
All year-to-date and share price data was obtained on September 27, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. The top nickel stocks in Canada listed had market caps above C$10 million at that time.
1. Power Nickel (TSXV:PNPN)
Year-to-date gain: 208.33 percent
Market cap: C$149.34 million
Share price: C$0.74
Power Nickel is developing its 80 percent owned Nisk polymetallic property in Québec, which hosts nickel, copper, platinum and palladium mineralization. According to the company, it plans to create Canada's first carbon-neutral nickel mine. The polymetallic nature of the project is a plus for the economic case for future nickel production in a low price environment.
This ongoing work has generated positive news flow for the company so far in 2024. After starting the year at C$0.24, Power Nickel began gaining in mid-April following two key announcements. First, the company released drill results from the newly discovered Lion zone 5 kilometers northeast of the main Nisk deposit. Shortly after, it announced the completion of its option to earn an 80 percent stake in Nisk from Critical Elements Lithium (TSXV:CRE,OTCQX:CRECF).
Power Nickel’s share price jumped more than 15 percent on May 10 to reach C$0.64 following news that drilling continued to expand the high-grade, near-surface Lion discovery, with notable assays including 14.42 meters at 0.59 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 69.14 g/t silver, 8.17 percent copper, 6.25 g/t palladium, 8.44 g/t platinum and 0.58 percent nickel.
In June, Power Nickel commenced an 8,000 meter summer drill program at Nisk, and closed a flow-through offering for gross proceeds of over C$20 million. Some of the biggest names in mining — Robert Friedland and Rob McEwen — participated. The company continued to climb before peaking at a year-to-date high of C$0.88 on June 21.
2. Class 1 Nickel and Technologies (CSE:NICO)
Year-to-date gain: 116.67 percent
Market cap: C$23.2 million
Share price: C$0.13
Class 1 Nickel and Technologies' flagship property is its Alexo-Dundonald nickel project near Timmins, Ontario. The past-producing asset hosts four nickel sulfide deposits. The company’s pipeline also includes the past-producing Somanike nickel-copper project near Val-d’Or, Québec, and the River Valley platinum-group metals project near Sudbury, Ontario.
Class 1 Nickel released resource estimate updates for the Alexo South and Alexo North deposits in April and May of this year, respectively. The company said it expects to start work on a preliminary economic assessment for Alexo-Dundonald in the near term as part of its plan to bring the asset back into production.
On October 3, Class 1 Nickel put out an updated resource estimate for the Dundonald South nickel deposit, reporting a 781 percent increase in indicated metric tons and a 474 percent increase in nickel pounds.
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.06, and began climbing in April to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.21 on July 26.
3. EV Nickel (TSXV:EVNI)
Year-to-date gain: 80 percent
Market cap: C$47.14 million
Share price: C$0.54
EV Nickel’s primary project is the 30,000 hectare Shaw Dome asset, which is situated near Timmins, Ontario. The property includes the high-grade W4 deposit, which has a resource of 2 million metric tons at 0.98 percent nickel for 43.3 million pounds of Class 1 nickel across the measured, indicated and inferred categories.
Shaw Dome also holds the large-scale CarLang A zone, which has a resource of 1 billion metric tons at 0.24 percent nickel for 5.3 billion pounds of Class 1 nickel across the indicated and inferred categories.
EV Nickel is working on integrating carbon capture and storage technology for large-scale clean nickel production, and has procured funding from the Canadian government and Ontario's provincial government. In late 2023, the company announced it was moving its carbon capture research and development to the pilot plant stage.
The company's news so far in 2024 includes the closure of a flow-through financing in March that ultimately saw EV Nickel raise C$5.12 million to fund the development of its high-grade, large-scale nickel resources.
In April, EV Nickel launched a 2024 exploration program that is aimed at advancing the CarLang trend and exploring other nickel targets. The most recent news out of the program came in early September with the announcement that diamond drilling at the Langmuir #2 high-priority nickel target had confirmed high-grade nickel, with intercepts such as 18.5 meters grading 1.07 percent nickel, 7.5 meters grading 1.67 percent nickel, 2 meters grading 3.27 percent nickel and 1 meter grading 5.11 percent nickel. EV Nickel described the results as "very encouraging."
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.30 before steadily climbing to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.79 on May 17.
FAQs for nickel investing
How to invest in nickel?
There are a variety of ways to invest in nickel, but stocks and exchange-traded products are the most common. Nickel-focused companies can be found globally on various exchanges, and through the use of a broker or a service such as an app, investors can purchase companies and products that match their investing outlook.
Before buying a nickel stock, potential investors should take time to research the companies they’re considering; they should also decide how many shares will be purchased, and what price they are willing to pay. With many options on the market, it's critical to complete due diligence before making any investment decisions.
Nickel stocks like those mentioned above could be a good option for investors interested in the space. Experienced investors can also look at nickel futures.
What is nickel used for?
Nickel has a variety of applications. Its main use is an alloy material for products such as stainless steel, and it is also used for plating metals to reduce corrosion. It is used in coins as well, such as the 5 cent nickel in the US and Canada; the US nickel is made up of 25 percent nickel and 75 percent copper, while Canada's nickel has nickel plating that makes up 2 percent of its composition.
Nickel's up-and-coming use is in electric vehicles as a component of certain lithium-ion battery compositions, and it has gotten extra attention because of that purpose.
Where is nickel mined?
The world's top nickel-producing countries are primarily in Asia: Indonesia, the Philippines and New Caledonia make up the top three. Rounding out the top five are Russia and Canada. Indonesia's production stands far ahead of the rest of the pack, with 2023 output of 1.8 million metric tons compared to the Philippines' 400,000 metric tons and New Caledonia's 230,000 metric tons.
Significant nickel miners include Norilsk Nickel (OTC Pink:NILSY,MCX:GMKN), Nickel Asia, BHP Group (NYSE:BHP,ASX:BHP,LSE:BHP) and Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF).
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Canada Nickel Company is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
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25 September
Nordic Raises A$1.05 Million to Advance Critical Minerals Projects in Finland
Metallurgical testing and BOT sampling results scheduled for Q4 2024. Strategic partner discussions advancing.
Nickel sulphide explorer Nordic Nickel Limited (ASX: NNL; Nordic, or the Company) announces the successful completion of a A$1.05 million capital raising to support the Company’s ongoing exploration and project development activities in Finland while adding working capital to allow strategic partnership discussions to continue.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Firm commitments received to raise over A$1.05 million through a placement at A$0.06 per share.
- The placement was priced at the last closing price and a nil discount to the 15-day VWAP - a strong show of support from existing shareholders for the Company’s critical minerals projects and development strategy in Europe.
- The Company’s key focus is to maintain the district scale nickel-copper-cobalt opportunity represented by the Pulju tenement package in Finland while avoiding unnecessary dilution for shareholders at a difficult time in the nickel market.
- The Company continues to advance strategic partnership options to progress the Pulju Project in the meaningful fashion it deserves.
The funds raised through the placement will allow the Company to advance towards its goal of becoming a major long-term European supplier of sustainably sourced, traceable, class-1 nickel sulphides, and other critical metals, from its flagship Pulju Project in northern Finland.
The Pulju Project is an exceedingly rare, district scale nickel-copper-cobalt exploration and development opportunity within a progressive mining district in Europe, hosting both shallow, disseminated nickel sulphides and high-grade massive/remobilised sulphides. The project already hosts an in-situ JORC (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate of 418Mt at the Hotinvaara Prospect containing 862,800t Ni, 22,100t Cu and 40,000t Co1.
To date, the Company has drilled 28 diamond holes for 15,432m at Pulju, within the Hotinvaara licence area only, it being the sole licence granted at the time of the drill campaign in 2023, with multiple wide intersections reported within the prospective ultramafic unit1. The drilled area represents just 2km of the known 35km of mineralised strike that lies within the Pulju project area, highlighting the strong potential for resource growth.
It is intended that later drilling at Pulju will focus on increasing the size of the known resource and, importantly, focus on the structures that may have trapped and concentrated the extensive remobilised sulphides found at Pulju. The thin zones of concentrated, remobilised nickel-iron sulphides so far intersected at Hotinvaara have attained grades of up to 9.6% Ni2, demonstrating that Pulju has the potential for a style of extremely high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation that has yet to be targeted.
Upcoming Catalysts and Work Program
The Company will continue its work program planned for the next 12 months, and this includes a large amount of work that is near completion, but also detailed technical desktop studies that will underpin regional and localised drill targeting. These are expected to deliver strong value creation catalysts for shareholders.
Proposed upcoming work programs and key catalysts include:
- Metallurgical Test Results from Hotinvaara: These results will be important to assess the economic potential of the project, not only at Hotinvaara itself, but throughout the Pulju Belt, given that this style of mineralisation appears to be widespread based on historical regional drilling3.
- Resource Model: The metallurgical testing should allow the Company to refine the Hotinvaara resource estimate based on the laboratory scale nickel and cobalt results.
- Base of Till (“BOT”) Drilling Database Results: A new database of over 10,000 historical BOT assay samples have been obtained which, combined with the Company’s own recent BOT drilling at the newly granted Holtinvaara licence, will allow the Company to further assess nickel, cobalt and copper prospectivity across the Pulju Belt.
- Regional Structural Analysis for High Grade Targeting: An important component in targeting high-grade nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation within the Pulju Greenstone Belt will be to undertake detailed regional structural analysis and interpretation. This will highlight structural features that may host depositional trap sites for remobilised sulphides and can be integrated with existing datasets such as the detailed magnetic survey and the BOT sampling database to prioritise drill targeting.
- Strategic Discussions (2024): Ongoing strategic investor and joint venture discussions with various interested parties are expected to be finalised in 2025.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Nordic Nickel, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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23 September
FPX Nickel Announces Management Appointments to Support the Advancement of the Baptiste Nickel Project
FPX Nickel Corp.(TSX-V: FPX, OTCQB: FPOCF) ("FPX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointments of Nigel Fisher as Director, Environment and Jarett Lalonde as Director, Government & Public Affairs for the Company. Mr. Fisher will lead the advancement of environmental and regulatory programs for FPX projects, while Mr. Lalonde will lead the Company's public communications and government relations strategies
."We are excited to grow our team with Nigel and Jarett," commented Tim Bekhuys, FPX's Senior Vice-President, Sustainability & External Relations. "Mr. Lalonde has a proven track record as a trusted government relations advisor to corporations, governments and nonprofits, and brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic insight to our team. Mr. Fisher has been instrumental in permitting and advancing many of British Columbia's largest mines, including most recently, the Blackwater and Eskay Creek mines, and will lead our Environmental Permitting and Assessment for the Baptiste Project."
Mr. Fisher brings 20 years' experience leading environmental assessments, permitting and management systems, developing and executing on regulatory strategy and advancing governance and funding agreements with Indigenous governments across British Columbia. Mr. Fisher has held progressively senior roles with New Gold, Teck Resources, Woodfibre LNG, and most recently, Skeena Resources as Director of Environment and Regulatory Affairs. In his prior roles, he successfully obtained multiple regulatory approvals for large-scale resource projects while maintaining compliance with existing and changing legislation.
Mr. Lalonde is a highly regarded public affairs leader with over 20 years' experience in the natural resources, technology, and regulated products sectors. In his most recent role as Global Head of Product Policy at Shopify, Mr. Lalonde was instrumental in crafting compelling public affairs narratives for the company's diverse product offerings and spearheading engagement with policy makers across North America and Europe. Before joining Shopify, he worked with Global Public Affairs, a leading government relations and strategic communications firm, where he performed advisory work for numerous companies advancing large-scale natural resource projects in British Columbia and across Canada. Mr Lalonde previously served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General & Minister of Justice for the province of British Columbia, and as Policy Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada.
Stock Option Grant
FPX has granted 775,000 stock options to certain employees of the Company. The stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.35 per share for a five-year period commencing on September 23, 2024.
Market Making Services
Further to its news release on August 1, 2024, the Company has engaged the services of Insight Capital Partners Inc. ("Insight") and its market making service provider, ICP Securities Inc. ("ICP") (the "Engagements") effective August 1, 2024.
Pursuant to an agreement (the "Consulting Agreement") between the Company and Insight, Insight will provide capital markets consulting services, including providing the Company with advice and information regarding trading activity, for a term of twenty-four (24) months, provided that after a period of four (4) months either party may terminate the Consulting Agreement on thirty (30) days notice.
In addition, pursuant to an agreement (the "Market Making Agreement") between the Company and ICP, the Company has engaged ICP to provide market making services. As previously announced, ICP will provide automated market making services, including use of its proprietary algorithm, ICP PremiumTM, in compliance with the policies and guidelines of the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable securities laws. The Market Making Agreement is for an initial term of four (4) months (the "Initial Term") and shall be automatically renewed for subsequent one (1) month terms (each subsequent one-month term called an "Additional Term") unless either party provides at least thirty (30) days written notice prior to the end of the Initial Term or an Additional Term, as applicable.
As previously disclosed, there are no performance factors contained in the Consulting Agreement and no stock options or other compensation are being granted in connection with the Engagements. Both Insight and ICP are at arm's length to the Company. Insight and ICP do not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in FPX Nickel or its securities or any right or intent to acquire such an interest at this time; however, Insight, ICP and its clients may acquire an interest in the securities of the Company in the future.
ICP's market-making activity will be primarily to correct temporary imbalances in the supply and demand of the Company's shares. ICP will be responsible for the costs it incurs in buying and selling the Company's shares, and no third party will be providing funds or securities for the market making activities.
About the Baptiste Nickel Project
The Company's Baptiste Nickel Project represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a sulphur-free, nickel-iron mineral called awaruite (Ni3Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The Baptiste mineral claims cover an area of 408 km2, west of Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. In addition to the Baptiste Deposit itself, awaruite mineralization has been confirmed through drilling at several target areas within the same claims package, most notably at the Van Target which is located 6 km to the north of the Baptiste Deposit. Since 2010, approximately US $30 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Baptiste.
The Baptiste deposit is located within the territories, keyohs, and consultative boundaries of the Tl'azt'en Nation, Binche Whut'enne, Yekooche First Nation, and Takla Nation.
About FPX Nickel Corp.
FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the same distinctive style of nickel-iron mineralization. For more information, please view the Company's website at www.fpxnickel.com.
On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.
"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ materially from those currently projected by management at the time of writing due to many factors the majority of which are beyond the control of FPX and its management. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining, directly or indirectly, to the following: the duration of the Consulting Agreement and the Market Making Agreement, and the services provided thereunder. These statements speak only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the documents accompanying this release, as the case may be. The Company does not assumes the obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as expressly required by applicable securities law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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22 September
Nordic Nickel Limited (ASX: NNL) – Trading Halt
Description
The securities of Nordic Nickel Limited (‘NNL’) will be placed in trading halt at the request of NNL, pending it releasing an announcement. Unless ASX decides otherwise, the securities will remain in trading halt until the earlier of the commencement of normal trading on Wednesday, 25 September 2024 or when the announcement is released to the market.
Issued by
ASX Compliance
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Nordic Nickel, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Keep reading...Show less
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