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Noble Mineral
Overview
Noble Mineral Exploration (TSXV:NOB,FWB:NB7,OTCQB:NLPXF) is a Canadian junior exploration company with shareholdings in Canada Nickel, Spruce Ridge Resources and MacDonald Mines Exploration.
Noble holds approximately 90,000 hectares of mineral rights in various areas of Northern Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, upon which it plans to generate joint venture exploration programs. The company is exploring for nickel, cobalt, platinum group metals (PGMs), volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), gold, chromium, copper, zinc, silver and gold. The company owns one contiguous block of land totaling 25,000 hectares staked and patented mineral rights at Project 81 including a 50-percent interest in the Carnegie, Prosser, Wark and Kidd Twps (6,600 hectares ) claims, and an option on 4,800 hectares in Calder Twp.
Noble’s Project 81 properties have been sold to Canada Nickel for 3.5 million shares of Canada Nickel, which yielded dividends to Noble shareholders in the second quarter of 2022 by way of a return of capital. Noble has retained a 2-percent net smelter return (NSR) on claims in Bradburn, Mahaffy and MacDiarmid Twps subject to a 50-percent buyback at graduated rates per project.
The Crawford nickel sulfide project covers 9,000 hectares of the larger Project 81 property and is approximately 14 kilometers north of the Kidd Creek mine. After an initial drill program carried out by Spruce Ridge Resources, the Crawford Ni-Co-PGM deposit was taken over by Sprudge Ridge for 22 million shares of Canada Nickel.
Noble Mineral also holds interest in Mann et al Twps comprising 1,900 hectares in the Timmins area of Northern Ontario, for which it holds the mineral rights focusing on Ni-Co-PGM. The company plans a follow-up drilling campaign at the Nagagami River Carbonatite project covering 14,600 hectares of niobium and rare earth discovery near Hearst in Northern Ontario. Noble is also planning its 2023 drill campaign at the 4,600-hectare Boulder Project. Scheduled winter drilling for the same year is set for the 482-hectare Cere-Villebon and 3,700-hectare Buckingham graphite projects.
Noble Mineral has also formed numerous strategic financial and technical partnerships that apply state-of-the-art technology to help identify various types of mineralization. Some of the company’s partners include MacDonald Mines Exploration (TSXV:BMK), a Canadian precious metals explorer, Orix Geoscience, a geological consulting firm, BECI Exploration Consulting, an innovative airborne mineral exploration technology developer, CGG Multiphysics, a fully-integrated geoscience company providing leading geological, geophysical (airborne gravity gradiometer) and reservoir services, Windfall Geotek to produce artificial intelligence (AI), IBK, as their financial advisor, and Franco-Nevada (TSX:FNV), a net smelter royalty (NSR) holder.Company Highlights
- Operates under a prospect generator model.
- Wholly owned 36,400-hectare Project 81 precious, nickel-cobalt and base metal property near Timmins, Ontario, adjacent to Glencore’s Kidd Creek VMS mine and milling complex.
- MOUs in place with First Nations communities.
- Created a pure-play nickel company, Canada Nickel, with the consolidation of 100 percent of the Crawford nickel sulfide project.
- Follow-up exploration planned in several areas of the project.
- Multiple acquisitions include 50 percent interest in claims in Carnegie, Kidd, Wark and Prosser townships near Timmins, Ontario; an agreement to cover the Nagagami Carbonatite Alkalic Complex, 65 kilometers northwest of Hearst, Ontario; 576 mining claims in Central Newfoundland; and a six-party agreement to acquire approximately 695 mining claims near Hearst, Ontario; The company acquired a precious metal prospect, acquiring 214 claims by staking that span 4,500 hectares in the Way Township after discovering a boulder that contained copper, zinc, gold, and platinum group metals.
Key Projects
Project 81
The Project 81 property spans over 36,400 hectares and is located in the Timmins-Cochrane area of Northern Ontario. It comprises patented mineral rights, in addition to contiguous staked mining claims. The property remains mostly underexplored and is prospective for gold, silver, nickel, cobalt, platinum group metals (PGM), chromium, copper, lead, VMS and zinc deposits. Project 81 is within three kilometers of Glencore’s Kidd Creek zinc-copper-silver mine complex, 30 kilometers from the Porcupine-Destor main break, and within 25 kilometers of the City of Timmins, Ontario. The property is accessible by paved highway and has access to high-voltage transmission lines, hydropower, water, mining personnel and mining service suppliers and contractors.
Boulder Project
Noble Minerals has acquired a copper-precious-metal prospect near Hearst, Ontario, extending from about 4 to 15 kilometers southwest of the town of Hearst. The staked area is equivalent to approximately 4,500 hectares. A 140-kilogram boulder was found in the area containing significant concentrations of base and precious metals which, upon analysis conducted in 2019 by the Ontario Geological Survey, determined that the boulder contained: 71.8 percent copper; 3.5 percent lead, 1.09 percent zinc; 252 grams per ton (g/t) of silver, 3.79 g/t of gold; 4.43 g/t of palladium; and 2.22 g/t of platinum and consisted primarily of the mineral cuprite.
Drilling is planned in 2023 to follow up on airborne EM/Mag for Boulder producing more than 70 percent copper.
Nagagami River Carbonatite
First core from Nagagami Complex
Noble acquired an estimated 14,607 hectares, including 695 mining claims, in the Nagagami River area. The carbonatite alkalic complex is positioned approximately 65 kilometers northwest of Hearst, Ontario. Project perspectives are based on magnetic study of the Nagagami land relative to the Niobec mine in Quebec. These geologically similar areas indicate donut-shaped structures with syenitic rocks forming the circular magnetic high, and carbonatitic rocks forming the central magnetic low where niobium and other rare earth mineralization is hosted.
Buckingham Graphite
The Buckingham graphite project comprises 3,700 hectares in the Outaouais area of Western Quebec. A 2022 fieldwork of a two-phase program was conducted to include reprocessing of data from a 2013 survey, property visits to locate trenches, grab samples and drill hole collars. The company has proposed to conduct infill drilling on the property in 2023.
Lucas Twp
Between the 1960s and 1980s, drilling and exploration were conducted at the Lucas gold project. No significant exploration work, however, has been completed on the property since the 1980s. Historic (not NI 43-101 compliant) drill highlights include 9.14 meters grading 3.14 g/t gold and 8.84 meters grading 3.5 g/t gold. The project also has six discrete parallel induced polarization (IP) anomalous trends that require follow-up exploration.
In 2012 and 2018, Noble Mineral completed airborne electromagnetic and magnetic geophysical surveys on the property. The surveys outlined an anomalous gold trend that was followed up with a 3,184-meter drill program over 650 meters of the 1,700-meter strike length. Highlights from the 2018 drill program include 5 meters grading 1.42 g/t gold and 9.5 meters grading 1.84 g/t gold.
The company believes that the gold mineralization at Lucas is structurally controlled and occurs as discrete lenses stacked within the pyrite-gold mineralized tuff unit. Noble Mineral intends to conduct follow-up drilling during future work programs.
Other Projects
- Mann et al Twps: 11,900 hectares in the Timmins area of Northern Ontario, for which it holds the mineral rights focusing on nickel-cobalt-PGM optioned to Canada Nickel
- Dargavel Gold Trend: 7 kilometers strike length with gold results reported
- Lucas Gold: 17 kilometers strike length with gold results reported
- Cere-Villebon: 482 hectares near Val d’Or, Quebec with historic copper-nickel-PGM results on the property with drilling scheduled for winter 2023
- Laverlochere: 518 hectares near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec follow up work on nickel-copper-cobalt-gold and PGM results from 1960’s
- Havre St Pierre: 10,152 hectares untested nickel, copper, gold prospect
- Central Newfoundland: ~14,400 hectares untested VMS/copper/gold anomaly with a 15-kilometer strike length with airborne EM and Mag for 2023
- Holdsworth Gold: ~304 hectares gold project near Wawa, Northern Ontario
Management Team
H. Vance White - President, CEO and Director
H. Vance White has served as president and director of the company since 2003. He has been actively involved in the mineral exploration and production industry for over 50 years. White has also served as director and officer of several other reporting issuers, including Dickenson Mines, now Goldcorp/Newmont. He was the founder of AfriOre, now owned by Lonmin.
Robert Suttie - CFO
Robert Suttie currently works with Marrelli Support Services as its vice-president. He has more than 20 years of experience, 10 of which were in public accounting prior to his tenure with the Marrelli organization. He specializes in management advisory services, accounting and the financial disclosure needs of Marrelli’s public client base. Suttie also serves as CFO for a number of other junior mining companies listed on the TSX and TSXV, leveraging his skills and experience to become integral to the reporting issuers.
Wayne Holmstead – Exploration Manager
Wayne Holmstead brings Noble Mineral Exploration more than 40 years of exploration experience in Ontario and Quebec. He is a P.Geo who graduated from the University of Toronto holding positions of president, vice-president exploration, exploration manager and director for various junior mining companies over the years and has directed all aspects of mineral exploration in Canada.
He co-discovered and arranged financing for the MacLeod Lake copper-molybdenum-gold-silver deposit in James Bay, Quebec. He outlined 18 million tonnes of copper, molybdenum, gold and silver in the Main Zone, and discovered the South Zone and Rocky Point Zone at Macleod Lake through boulder tracing and beep mat prospecting.
Denis Frawley - Corporate Secretary
Denis Frawley is a corporate and securities lawyer at Ormston List Frawley LLP, where he has been practicing since 2006. He regularly advises companies involved in the mineral resource exploration and mining industries on matters related to corporate law, securities law, corporate governance and related areas. Frawley also routinely advises private and public companies on financings, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and general commercial and business matters. In addition, as part of his practice advising public companies, he frequently advises on reverse takeovers and other transformative transactions.
Prior to founding Ormston List Frawley LLP, Frawley was a partner in Toronto at another leading Canadian law firm. He received his bachelors of common and civil law degrees from McGill University and his Bachelor of Social Science in economics from the University of Ottawa. He is permitted to practice in Ontario and New York.
Birks Bovaird - Director
For the majority of his career, Birks Bovaird’s focus has been on the provision and implementation of corporate financial consulting and strategic planning services. He was previously the vice-president of corporate finance for one of Canada’s major accounting firms. He presently is the chairman of Energy Fuels Inc., a premier US-based integrated uranium miner listed on the TSX and NYSE. Bovaird is chairman of GTA Resources and Mining as well as a member of the audit committee. He has been involved with numerous public resource companies, both as a member of management and as a director. He is a graduate of the Canadian Director Education Program and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) designation.
Michael C. Newbury - Director
Michael Newbury is a professional engineer, banker and project finance specialist with over 30 years of experience in the operation, financing and evaluation of natural resource projects. Newbury’s mining and technical expertise, as well as financial and engineering capabilities, enable the evaluation, assessment, development and operational plans and financial structures that manage project risk, minimize equity requirements and maximize shareholder value.
Newbury has a bachelor’s of science from McGill University, managed Barclays Bank’s World Mining Group and the Credit Suisse Corporate Banking Group. He was one of the initial partners in Endeavour Financial and provided his technical expertise to that group for over 10 years. He has extensive experience in the evaluation and financial structuring of natural resource projects in emerging market countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, China and Venezuela, now Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Currently, he operates as an independent consultant and is on the Boards of a number of junior mining companies. He is Noble Mineral Exploration’s designated qualified person (QP) for geological reporting.
Yvan Champagne - Director
As the president of Blue Source Canada, the largest developer and marketer of projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) in Canada, Yvan Champagne oversees project sourcing, offset sales, brokerage and advisory services for the Canadian market. An experienced leader and entrepreneur in carbon markets, Champagne has a great passion for and understanding of environmental technologies and GHG-reduction projects.
His broad experience includes GHG project screening, assessment and contracting, and advising companies and organizations across Canada on sustainable environmental strategies and programs. Champagne brings expertise in government relations, consulting in the energy sector, public affairs and marketing, and growing companies in new markets. Champagne obtained his Bachelor’s of arts in political science from Yale University with a focus on environmental policy and business-government relations. He is also a graduate of the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program.
Dr. Samuel Peralta - Director
Dr. Samuel Peralta has 35 years of business experience in the energy and technology sectors, overseeing business development, product and process innovation and corporate transformation. He holds a PhD in physics, with an industry background in energy, mobile platforms and digital media, advanced sensors and semiconductors. Currently, he is CEO of Windrift Bay, which develops and manages a portfolio of technology and media properties. He was previously director of business and corporate development at Kinectrics, overseeing $70 million annually in high-tech programs for the energy industry.
Previously, he was CEO of Qvadis, a smartphone software provider and CTO for OH Solar, a photovoltaic firm based on an acquisition from Texas Instruments. Peralta served in key positions at Ontario Power Generation and the Ontario Laser and Lightwave Research Centre. He has served on the board of directors of public, private and non-profit firms, with committee leadership in governance, finance and audit, and special projects including mergers and acquisitions. Peralta served on the boards of Qvadis, Envergence, OPEL Solar, Axiom NDT, POET Technologies and the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries. He is currently sitting on the boards of Cobalt Blockchain, Noble Mineral Exploration and Windrift Bay.
Stephen Balch – Special Advisor
Stephen Balch, a professional geologist, has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration as an exploration geophysicist. He is one of Canada’s leading experts on geophysical techniques used to identify nickel-copper sulfide and platinum-group-metal targets. Since 2010, he has served as president and a director of Triumph Instruments, a company that conducts airborne time-domain electromagnetic surveys in North America, China and Mexico.
Since 2001, he has been president of Balch Exploration Consulting, a company that provides consulting services to major mining and junior exploration companies. From 2007 to 2015, Balch served as the president and a director of Canadian Mining Geophysics, a geophysical data recording company. He currently serves as vice-president of exploration for Canada Nickel.
Dr Ed van Hees - Consultant
Dr. Ed van Hees is a registered professional geoscientist with over 40 years of domestic and international experience working in, exploring for, and doing research on the origin and geochemistry of Orogenic gold deposits. He has worked as an exploration field geologist, mine geologist, exploration manager, consulting geologist, research scientist and professor of geology. Most recently, van Hees was employed as the Regional Resident Geologist responsible for the Timmins and Sault Ste Marie Mining Districts with the Ontario Geological Survey Resident Geology Program. Here he supervised the professional staff and authored / co-authored 7 Annual Reports of Activity and 10 Recommendations for Exploration between 2016 and 2020. Starting in 2019 he was employed as a professor for the Haileybury School of Mines where he has taught and helped develop seven geology, geochemistry, geophysics and environmental courses. From 2001 to 2015, van Hees was a professor of geology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where taught core geology courses including mineralogy, petrology, structural geology and exploration / economic geology, as well as conducting research on the geochemistry and structural geology of orogenic gold deposits, and the geochemistry of metal pollution. In total, he has authored/co-authored 36 publications.
Noble Minerals Announces Drilling Results from Noble Minerals-Canada Nickel Joint Venture
Drill Program completed on the Mann and Reaume Properties, part of the Noble Minerals-Canada Nickel Joint Venture (ExploreCo)
Mann Central Property: Drill results include 223 meters of 0.29% nickel including 10 meters of 0.51% nickel
Mann West Property: Drilling successfully delineated mineralization over a 1,700 meter strike length and 600 meters width
Reaume Property: Drilling indicated an improved nickel grade
Toronto, Ontario – September 11, 2024 – TheNewswire – Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. ( "Noble" or the "Company" ) (TSX-V:NOB, FRANKFURT: NB7, OTCQB:NLPXF) is pleased to announce results of a drill program on joint venture properties (ExploreCo) north of Timmins Ontario (See Canada Nickel Press Release dated September 10, 2024).
ExploreCo, the name of which will be announced in due course, will control 1,989 mining claims totaling approximately 42,000 hectares and will include nickel properties in Mann, Newmarket, and Reaume Townships as well as Calder, Galna, McCool, Moody, Mortimer, Stimson, and other properties currently held by Canada Nickel (see Figure 1, ExploreCo properties shown in purple).
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Figure 1: Regional Map of ExploreCo Properties (purple)
Under the Binding Letter of Intent, the first $5 million of funding for ExploreCo will be provided from existing funds by Canada Nickel, after which costs will be funded by pro rata ownership basis, which will initially be 80% Canada Nickel and 20% Noble. Canada Nickel and Noble will continue to maintain their existing royalty rights on the ExploreCo claims, as will previous claim owners who had vended claims to Noble. (see NR July 8, 2024)
Mann Property
The Mann property is located 22 kilometers east of Crawford, 20 kilometers south of Cochrane, and 45 kilometers northeast of Timmins. The property hosts a series of ultramafic rocks that are thought to be folded and faulted along a near-continuous 21-kilometre strike length. The ultramafic rocks continue to the southeast into Newmarket Township. The Company is currently conducting a drill program that has identified targets in four areas within Mann Township, Mann North, Mann West (together formerly Mann Northwest), Central and South.
Mann Central
The outline of the ultramafic body is estimated by magnetics to be 4.5 kilometers long and between 0.5 to 1.0 kilometers wide (or 3.1 square kilometers). Drilling at this target started in June 2024 and consisted of an initial exploratory phase that included 24 drillholes totaling 9,311 meters. This phase of drilling targeted the ultramafic body where it has a shallow dip to the north and is primarily composed of peridotite and minor dunite, with some pyroxenite dykes. Serpentinization of the host rock is moderate to high, containing fine-grained nickel mineralization, with serpentinization appearing more consistent near the center of the target where an area 1.9 kilometers by 600 meters (1.1 square kilometers) has now been delineated by drilling. In this area, hole MAN24-21 intersected 223.4 meters averaging 0.29% nickel, including a 10.5 meters section of 0.51% nickel. Assays are pending for the remaining 15 holes.
Mann North
The target is approximately 1.5 kilometers long by 600 meters wide (0.9 square kilometres). Drilling at Mann North began in June 2024 and consisted of a preliminary exploratory phase of 16 drillholes totaling 6,315 meters. The majority of these holes intersected long sections of peridotite, minor dunite, and lesser talc-rich ultramafic rocks, with strong serpentinization and good disseminated sulphide along most of the target strike length.
MAN24-28, was collared near the north end of the target, drilling to the southwest, starting in dunite at 27 meters downhole and ending in peridotite at 414 meters. MAN24-27 was drilled to test the northeast contact and intersected 5.9 metres of 0.52 g/t Platinum plus Palladium near a pyroxenite-gabbro contact. Assays are pending for the 14 remaining holes now completed.
Mann West
Mann West is approximately 3.5 kilometers long by up to 1.1 kilometers wide (covering 3.4 square kilometers). The drill program has focused on the southern half of the target and is currently exploring a strike length of 1.7 kilometers and a width of at least 600 metres. Drilling thus far has intersected long sections of well-serpentinized peridotite and minor dunite with disseminated and visible nickel mineralization consisting primarily of pentlandite and heazlewoodite. The Company has drilled 16 holes to date at Mann West and is halfway through this phase of exploration that is required for an initial resource estimate expected by Q1 2025. Assays for all the holes at Mann West are currently pending.
Mann South
This target is approximately 5.9 kilometres long by up to 1.2 kilometres wide, having an arcuate and irregular shape, with an overall area of 4.1 square kilometres. The drill program at Mann South started in August and first assay results are not expected until October 2024. Three holes have been completed, and successfully intersected varying degrees of serpentinized peridotite and minor pyroxenite. The Company will continue testing the strike length of Mann South into the fall of 2024.
Reaume Property
The Reaume property is located 20 kilometers northeast of Crawford, 15 kilometers southwest of Cochrane, and 55 kilometers northeast of Timmins. Prior drill campaigns in 2022 had seasonal access constraints, however, in June 2024, the Company resumed exploration and intersected a strongly mineralized portion of the ultramafic body consisting of moderate to strongly serpentinized peridotite containing spotty, coarse-grained awaruite mineralization in hole REU24-12. Assay results are pending on all 5 holes.
Wayne Holmstead P.Geo (ON), a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Noble.
About Noble Mineral Exploration Inc.:
Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company which, in addition to its shareholdings in Canada Nickel Company Inc., Homeland Nickel Inc., Go Metals Corp. and Lode Gold Resources Inc . , and its interest in the Holdsworth gold exploration property in the area of Wawa, Ontario, will continue to hold ~25,000 hectares of mineral rights in the Timmins-Cochrane areas of Northern Ontario known as Project 81, as well as an additional 20% interest in ~11,000 hectares in the Timmins area and ~175 hectares of mining claims in Central Newfoundland. Project 81 hosts diversified drill-ready gold, nickel-cobalt and base metal exploration targets at various stages of exploration. It will also hold its ~14,600 hectares in the Nagagami Carbonatite Complex and its ~4,600 hectares in the Boulder Project both near Hearst, Ontario, as well as ~3,700 hectares in the Buckingham Graphite Property, ~10,152 hectares in the Havre St Pierre Nickel, Copper, PGM property, and ~482 hectares in the Cere-Villebon Nickel, Copper, PGM property, all of which are in the province of Quebec. More detailed information is available on the website at:
www.noblemineralexploration.com .
Noble's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NOB".
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the Company's plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
H. Vance White, President
Phone: 416-214-2250
Fax: 416-367-1954
Email: info@noblemineralexploration.com
Investor Relations: ir@noblemineralexploration.com
Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia
Noble and Canada Nickel Announce Spin-out of Mann Twp JV and Acquisition of Eastern Exploration Properties
(TheNewswire)
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Highlights
Noble has exercised all underlying options with Optionors on the Mann Twp properties
Consolidation of the Canada Nickel-Noble joint venture in Mann Township into a single private company for a future public listing
Transfer by Canada Nickel of several exploration properties east of Timmins
Transfer by Noble of several mining claims and patented mineral properties to Canada Nickel, as well as the right acquire surface rights that could be used within and around the Crawford Project
Provision of certain non-dilutive exploration funding requirements to be provided to the private company by Canada Nickel
Both Canada Nickel and Noble will retain their respective NSR's and NSR buy back rights where applicable
TORONTO, July 8, 2024 – Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. (" Noble " or the " Company ") (TSXV: NOB) (OTCQB: NLPXF) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Binding Letter of Intent (the "LOI") with Canada Nickel Inc. ("Canada Nickel") whereby Noble and Canada Nickel will spin-out certain mining claims (the "Properties") into a new company to consolidate their interests in large tonnage, low grade nickel projects east of Timmins, Ontario.
The terms and conditions of the LOI between Canada Nickel and Noble will include:
(i) The creation of a private exploration company described herein as "ExploreCo", whereby Noble and Canada Nickel both transfer their interests in mining claims in Mann Township (the "Mann Property")
(ii) The transfer from Noble to Canada Nickel of certain mining claims and the transfer from Canada Nickel to ExploreCo of certain mining claims east of Timmins,
(iii) Canada Nickel providing initial flowthrough and hard dollar funding of $5 million from existing cash on-hand to ExploreCo, to be directed to exploration of the properties transferred into ExploreCo, After this initial funding, ExploreCo will be owned 80% by Canada Nickel and 20% by Noble Mineral Exploration and each Company will be responsible for their pro-rata share of funding.
(iv) The transfer by Noble of the right to acquire certain surface rights over the Noble Project 81 area that includes Canada Nickel's Crawford Project,
(v) The retention of underlying NSR and buy-back rights to Noble, Canada Nickel and any underlying NSR owners,
(vi) The retention of certain exploration rights by Noble on the transferred Project 81 claims and patents for non-nickel opportunities.
The transactions under the LOI remain subject to the parties negotiating a definitive agreement, as well as to compliance with legal requirements and any requirements of the TSX Venture Exchange. As such, Noble and Canada Nickel will announce further details as work on the transaction proceeds.
Commenting on the transaction under the LOI, Vance White, CEO of Noble said, "We felt that consolidating the eastern properties into a separate exploration company would maximize the value of the Mann Twp properties without incurring significant upfront dilution to Noble, and at the same time gain exposure to additional identified nickel sulphide targets in the Timmins camp in which Noble currently has no interest. ExploreCo will control ~1,989 mining claims totaling over 42,000 ha and will include Reaume, Mann and Newmarket Townships as well as McCool, Moody, Galna and other properties currently held by Canada Nickel. Noble will vend its interest in Project 81, together with the right to acquire surface rights over Project 81. For properties transferred from Noble to Canada Nickel, Noble will retain a 5-year exploration right to any non-nickel exploration target therein. This 5-year exploration right will be subject to an annual exploration right thereafter upon both parties' consent. Noble intends to use its best efforts so that -upon ExploreCo going public, a portion of Noble's holdings in ExploreCo will be distributed to Noble shareholders in order that they may have a direct benefit as ExploreCo advances all underlying properties to the development stage, although that is a future event and we cannot provide any assurances that this will be done".
The properties that would be held by ExploreCo include:
Figure 1 – Mann Northwest and Central – CNC Drillholes Over Total Magnetic Intensity.
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Figure 2 – NewMarket - CNCDrill Holes Over Total Magnetic Intensity
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Figure 3 - Newmarket – Mann Southeast targets
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Figure 4 – Moody, Mortimer and Stimson Properties
Moody is located 85 km northeast of Timmins and was staked by Canada Nickel (1,940 ha)
Mistango River Mines (1964) and Utah Mines Ltd. (1984) drilled 34 diamond holes and several reverse circulation holes, respectively, but the results were either not provided on MLAS or the core was not recovered
The ultramafic is interpreted to have dimensions of 4.2 km long by up to 700 metres wide
Mortimer is located 80 km northeast of Timmins and includes two ultramafic intrusions that cover a total distance of 10 km and was staked by Canada Nickel (2,732 ha)
The main intrusion has dimensions of 1.8 km long, up to 400 metres wide and has never been intersected by drilling
The secondary intrusion, although longer in strike extent, does not show the same high intensity in the TMI but does have three locally high responses within the intrusion, none of which appears to have been drilled
Stimson is located 82 km northeast of Timmins and encompasses a weakly magnetic ultramafic body having a strike length of at least 2 km and with a higher amplitude TMI of 400 metres long
The ultramafic is interpreted to be a more distal extension of more strongly magnetic ultramafics found in Mortimer and Moody Townships
Figure 5 – ExploreCo Properties
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Statement Regarding TSX Venture Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The completion of any transactions mentioned in this release is subject to customary closing conditions, including final TSX Venture Exchange approval.
Qualified Persons and Data Verification
Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc.
Michael Newbury PEng (ON), a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Noble.
About Noble Mineral Exploration Inc.
Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company which, in addition to its holdings of securities in Canada Nickel Company Inc., Homeland Nickel Inc., Go Metals Corp. and MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd., and its interest in the Holdsworth gold exploration property in the area of Wawa, Ontario, will continue to hold ~25,000 hectares of mineral rights in the Timmins-Cochrane areas of Northern Ontario known as Project 81, as well as an additional 20% interest in ~11,000 hectares in the Timmins area and ~175 hectares of mining claims in Central Newfoundland. Project 81 hosts diversified drill-ready gold, nickel-cobalt and base metal exploration targets at various stages of exploration. It will also hold its ~14,600 hectares in the Nagagami Carbonatite Complex and its ~4,600 hectares in the Boulder Project both near Hearst, Ontario, as well as ~3,700 hectares in the Buckingham Graphite Property, ~10,152 hectares in the Havre St Pierre Nickel, Copper, PGM property, ~518 hectares in the Laverlochere Nickel, Copper, PGM property and ~482 hectares in the Cere-Villebon Nickel, Copper, PGM property, all of which are in the province of Quebec. Noble's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NOB".
More detailed information on Noble is available on the website at www.noblemineralexploration.com .
Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets . Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero Nickel TM , NetZero Cobalt TM , NetZero Iron TM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. Canada Nickel's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "CNC".
For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the Company's plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
H. Vance White, President
Phone: 416-214-2250
Fax: 416-367-1954
Email: info@noblemineralexploration.com
Investor Relations
Email: ir@noblemineralexploration.co m
Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia
Noble Minerals Initiates Temporarily Delayed Drill Program in proximity to the Location of a 140 kg, Mineralized Boulder Found near Hearst, Ontario
(TheNewswire)
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Toronto, Ontario TheNewswire - July 2, 2024 Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. ( "Noble" or the "Company" ) (TSX-V:NOB, FRANKFURT: NB7, OTCQB:NLPXF) is pleased to announce that after a delay due to inclement weather, Noble is now ready to initiate their drill program. Extreme hot, dry weather in mid June gave way to thunderstorms and in some cases tornadoes. Noble was concerned with potential forest fire risk and the health and welfare of their workers. With the coming of more stable weather in July, the company is now ready to start the drill program.
The drill program is planned on 214 claims in Way Township. The claims extend from about 4 to 15 km southwest of the town of Hearst, Ontario. The property area is equivalent to approximately 4,500 hectares or 45 sq km. The drill program follows geophysical surveys done to identify targets that may be the source of the mineralized boulder. The recent geophysical program was partially funded by the Ontario Junior Exploration Program and application has been made to the same program to fund the drill program. The Program will fund up to $200,000 on a $400,000 exploration program.
The mineralized boulder was on display at the highly successful Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins, Ontario in June.
Historically, a sample of a metalliferous boulder, brought to the Timmins Mining District Regional Resident Geologist in 2019 by a Mr. A. Cousineau, was submitted for chemical analysis to Geolabs in Sudbury to establish its metal and mineralogical makeup. Geolabs determined that the boulder contained: 71.8% copper; 3.5% lead, 1.09% zinc; 252 g/t of silver, 3.79 g/t of gold; 4.43 g/t of palladium; and 2.22 g/t of platinum and consisted primarily of cuprite (van Hees et al., 2020).
In 2021, Noble launched an exploration program to in an effort to identify the source of the boulder. Basal till samples collected from two fences of hand auger holes, located about 100 m and 1 km north of the boulder, produced 35 gold grains . These gold grains define a southeast-northwest trending dispersion train that indicate they were transported southeast by a glacial transport from a source area located to the northwest. The dispersion train begins near a northeast trending magnetic anomaly. The gold grains are predominantly reshaped (24) but also include modified (7) and pristine (4), supporting evidence of a local source.
In 2022 an airborne geophysical survey was flown over the property followed by a ground geophysical survey in November/December 2023. The ground geophysical surveys included 29 line-kilometers of Magnetic, VLF-EM and Induced Polarization Survey. The airborne data was successful in outlining a significant northeast trending magnetic high unit that was traced from the southwest section of the survey block to the northeast corner of the survey block. Compilation of the ground based; detailed magnetic survey was done to highlight the northwest trending fault structure that coincides with the location of the boulder. This structure extends at least 1,100 meters and is represented by a modest magnetic low signature commencing at the southeast corner of the grid. The structure can be traced across the grid, generally lying along the northern bank of the river, and has offset the modest magnetic high units in the same area. The western edge of the suspected fault terminates next to a northeast-southwest striking cross fault that also affects the strike of the river.
The approximate location of the mineralized, Cousineau Boulder appears to coincide with a slight bullseye high at the southeast end of one of the northwest striking cross dike like features. The dashed line is suggested at being a possible cross fault system . ( See Figure 1) .
The initial drill holes will be focussed in the vicinity of the boulder location in order to better understand the physical and fault related geology as defined by geophysics done in the Fall of 2023 (Figure 1). Additional drilling will be focussed on various chargeability and conductive anomalies detected during the recent ground surveys.
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 1: Location of the boulder and initial drill holes (DDH) with identified faulting on detailed magnetic background.
Vance White, President and CEO of Noble, said "we are pleased with the progress on this property and to finally get underway the proposed drill program, the results of which may give us more clues as to the possible source of this rich boulder. While the odds are long, if successful, it could result in a significant find."
Figure 2 : Photo of the Cousineau Boulder
References:
van Hees, E.H., P. Bousquet, J. Suma-Momoh, C.M. Daniels, S.L.K. Hinz, C. Boucher, P. Sword, L. Wang, S.P. Fudge, A. Millette and C. Patterson, 2020. Report of Activities 2019, Resident Geologist Program, Timmins Regional Resident Geologist Report: Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Districts; Ontario Geological Survey, Open File Report 6366, 160p.
Wayne Holmstead P.Geo (ON), a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Noble.
About Noble Mineral Exploration Inc.:
Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company which, in addition to its shareholdings in Canada Nickel Company Inc., Homeland Nickel Inc., Go Metals Corp. and Lode Gold Resources Inc . , and its interest in the Holdsworth gold exploration property in the area of Wawa, Ontario, will continue to hold ~25,000 hectares of mineral rights in the Timmins-Cochrane areas of Northern Ontario known as Project 81, as well as an additional 20% interest in ~11,000 hectares in the Timmins area and ~175 hectares of mining claims in Central Newfoundland. Project 81 hosts diversified drill-ready gold, nickel-cobalt and base metal exploration targets at various stages of exploration. It will also hold its ~14,600 hectares in the Nagagami Carbonatite Complex and its ~4,600 hectares in the Boulder Project both near Hearst, Ontario, as well as ~3,700 hectares in the Buckingham Graphite Property, ~10,152 hectares in the Havre St Pierre Nickel, Copper, PGM property, and ~482 hectares in the Cere-Villebon Nickel, Copper, PGM property, all of which are in the province of Quebec. More detailed information is available on the website at:
www.noblemineralexploration.com .
Noble's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NOB".
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the Company's plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
H. Vance White, President
Phone: 416-214-2250
Fax: 416-367-1954
Email: info@noblemineralexploration.com
Investor Relations: ir@noblemineralexploration.com
Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia
Noble Acquires Mann Twp Claims and Spruce Ridge Units, and Agrees to Purchase Interest in Carnegie Twp Claims
(TheNewswire)
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Toronto, Ontario TheNewswire - June 11, 2024 Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. ( "Noble" or the "Company" ) (TSX-V:NOB, FRANKFURT: NB7, OTCQB:NLPXF) is pleased to provide the following updates:
News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia
Noble Minerals Plans to Drill in proximity to the Location of a 140 kg, Mineralized Boulder Found near Hearst, Ontario
(TheNewswire)
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Toronto, Ontario TheNewswire - May 28, 2024 Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. ( "Noble" or the "Company" ) (TSXV:NOB ) ( FRANKFURT:NB7 ) ( OTCQB:NLPXF) is pleased to announce that the company has plans to execute a drill program on 214 claims in Way Township commencing in mid-Jine. The claims extend from about 4 to 15 km southwest of the town of Hearst, Ontario. The property area is equivalent to approximately 4,500 hectares or 45 sq km. The drill program follows geophysical surveys done to identify targets that may be the source of the mineralized boulder. The recent geophysical program was partially funded by the Ontario Junior Exploration Program and application has been made to the same program to fund the drill program. The Program will fund up to $200,000 on a $400,000 exploration program.
The mineralized boulder will be on display at the Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins, Ontario on June 5th and 6th and a representative of Noble Mineral Exploration will be there to answer your questions. (https://virtex.canadianminingexpo.com/)
Historically, a sample of a metalliferous boulder, brought to the Timmins Mining District Regional Resident Geologist in 2019 by a Mr. A. Cousineau, was submitted for chemical analysis to Geolabs in Sudbury to establish its metal and mineralogical makeup. Geolabs determined that the boulder contained: 71.8% copper; 3.5% lead, 1.09% zinc; 252 g/t of silver, 3.79 g/t of gold; 4.43 g/t of palladium; and 2.22 g/t of platinum and consisted primarily of cuprite (van Hees et al., 2020).
In 2021, Noble launched an exploration program to in an effort to identify the source of the boulder. Basal till samples collected from two fences of hand auger holes, located about 100 m and 1 km north of the boulder, produced 35 gold grains . These gold grains define a southeast-northwest trending dispersion train that indicate they were transported southeast by a glacial transport from a source area located to the northwest. The dispersion train begins near a northeast trending magnetic anomaly. The gold grains are predominantly reshaped (24) but also include modified (7) and pristine (4), supporting evidence of a local source.
In 2022 an airborne geophysical survey was flown over the property followed by a ground geophysical survey in November/December 2023. The ground geophysical surveys included 29 line-kilometers of Magnetic, VLF-EM and Induced Polarization Survey. The airborne data was successful in outlining a significant northeast trending magnetic high unit that was traced from the southwest section of the survey block to the northeast corner of the survey block. Compilation of the ground based; detailed magnetic survey was done to highlight the northwest trending fault structure that coincides with the location of the boulder. This structure extends at least 1,100 meters and is represented by a modest magnetic low signature commencing at the southeast corner of the grid. The structure can be traced across the grid, generally lying along the northern bank of the river, and has offset the modest magnetic high units in the same area. The western edge of the suspected fault terminates next to a northeast-southwest striking cross fault that also affects the strike of the river.
The contour plan map of the first vertical derivative of the total field magnetic definitely enhances the northeast striking magnetic high feature as well as the numerous northwest-southeast narrow crosscutting high features. The approximate location of the mineralized, Cousineau Boulder appears to coincide with a slight bullseye high at the southeast end of one of the northwest striking cross dike like features. The white line is suggested at being a possible cross fault system . ( See Figure 1 and 2 below) .
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 1: First Vertical Derivative of the airborne geophysical survey showing
location of the Cousineau Boulder and a possible cross fault structure (white line)
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 2: Location of the boulder with cross fault on detailed magnetic background.
The drill program will initially focus on the cross-fault structure in the vicinity of the boulder.
Vance White, President and CEO of Noble, said "we are pleased with the progress on this property and look forward to the results of the drill program that may give us more clues as to the possible source of this rich boulder. While the odds are long, if successful it could result in a significant find."
Figure 3: Photo of the Cousineau Boulder
References:
van Hees, E.H., P. Bousquet, J. Suma-Momoh, C.M. Daniels, S.L.K. Hinz, C. Boucher, P. Sword, L. Wang, S.P. Fudge, A. Millette and C. Patterson, 2020. Report of Activities 2019, Resident Geologist Program, Timmins Regional Resident Geologist Report: Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Districts; Ontario Geological Survey, Open File Report 6366, 160p.
Wayne Holmstead P.Geo (ON), a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Noble.
About Noble Mineral Exploration Inc.:
Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration company which, in addition to its shareholdings in Canada Nickel Company Inc., Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd., Go Metals Corp. and MacDonald Mines Exploration Ltd., and its interest in the Holdsworth gold exploration property in the area of Wawa, Ontario, will continue to hold ~25,000 hectares of mineral rights in the Timmins-Cochrane areas of Northern Ontario known as Project 81, as well as an additional 20% interest in ~11,000 hectares in the Timmins area and ~175 hectares of mining claims in Central Newfoundland. Project 81 hosts diversified drill-ready gold, nickel-cobalt and base metal exploration targets at various stages of exploration. It will also hold its ~14,600 hectares in the Nagagami Carbonatite Complex and its ~4,600 hectares in the Boulder Project both near Hearst, Ontario, as well as ~3,700 hectares in the Buckingham Graphite Property, ~10,152 hectares in the Havre St Pierre Nickel, Copper, PGM property, and ~482 hectares in the Cere-Villebon Nickel, Copper, PGM property, all of which are in the province of Quebec. More detailed information is available on the website at:
www.noblemineralexploration.com .
Noble's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NOB".
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the Company's plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
H. Vance White, President
Phone: 416-214-2250
Fax: 416-367-1954
Email: info@noblemineralexploration.com
Investor Relations: ir@noblemineralexploration.com
Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia
Grid Battery Metals
Overview
Grid Battery Metals (TSXV:CELL,OTCQB:EVKRF) is a Canada-based exploration company focused on high-value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV) market. The company, formerly called Nickel Rock Resources, changed its name to Grid Battery Metals in April 2023 and started trading on the TSXV under the ticker CELL.
Grid is focused on EV battery metals exploration through its highly prospective lithium and nickel properties in North America. Grid has three lithium properties in Nevada: Texas Springs, Clayton Valley, and Volt Canyon. The Texas Springs property in Elko County covers approximately 2,500 hectares and is adjoining the southern boundary of the Nevada North Lithium Project owned by Surge Battery Metals (TSXV:NILI). Surge recently announced high-grade lithium of up to 8,070 parts per million (ppm) lithium on the Nevada North lithium project, which increases the likelihood of a large-scale high-grade lithium discovery at Texas Spring. Initial soil sampling at Texas Spring by Grid have shown high-grade lithium over 5,600 ppm as announced on February 7, 2024.
The company has completed the first phase of its initial exploration program at Texas Springs, which included a CSAMT geophysical survey and a detailed soil sampling on a 50-meter by 100-meter spacing. Results from these two exploration programs will be key to determining its 2024 exploration plan and possible drilling locations for clay-based lithium targets.
The 2,300-acre Clayton Valley property is immediately north of Albemarle’s (NYSE:ALB) Silver Peak lithium project, the only producing lithium mine in North America. The property has strong potential to host both lithium brine deposits as well as clay-hosted deposits.
Grid has filed the NI 43-101 technical report for the Clayton Valley lithium project, using the results of prior soil samples, geophysical surveys, and drilling on the property, to help identify structure and target areas favorable to lithium accumulation and determine next steps for its overall exploration plan. The company also commenced its 2024 exploration program for the property with Rangefront Geological to perform a detailed soil sampling on a 250 metre x 250 metre spacing, and to oversee an MT geophysical survey performed by KLM Geoscience.
The Volt Canyon lithium property features sediment-hosted lithium clay targets and has excellent accessibility, enabling exploration and exploitation throughout the year. Although limited exploration has been conducted in the immediate area, regional sediment samples in the region taken by the US government returned up to 108 parts per million (ppm) lithium near the property.
Shareholders should benefit from the company’s strategy of divesting its nickel assets into a separate public company. Grid announced plans to spin off its British Columbia nickel property into a new company (ACDC Battery Metals) which will be listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ACDC.
Grid’s management and geological team has been actively exploring for EV battery metals in Nevada for over a decade. They have been successful in finding and funding new lithium discoveries and had a number of successful exits from companies, the most recent being Surge Battery Metals, where they were responsible for the discovery of the Nevada North Lithium Project. The management’s successful track record of lithium exploration in Nevada provides confidence about the company’s future.
The support from both the US and Canadian governments through subsidies and favorable legislation continues to drive EV adoption. In particular, both countries have committed to supporting the mining industry for key battery metals with legislation like the US Inflation Reduction Act, which provides both financial and functional support to the mining industry. Buoyed by government policy, US electric vehicle sales are projected to surpass 4.6 million units by 2030 (versus the 2023 estimate of 1.3 million).
Automakers cannot produce electric vehicles without access to battery metals such as lithium and nickel. Fear of missing out is pushing automakers to lock supplies of minerals for electric vehicle batteries. As such, we are seeing increasing partnerships between miners and auto OEMs. Automakers, including General Motors, Ford, BMW, Tesla and Stellantis, have committed large investments in direct financing of mines. We see more carmakers following suit as they strive to own the full supply chain from mine to product.
In mid-2024, Grid Battery Metals expanded its exploration land holdings in Northern British Columbia with a copper property of 17 mineral claims comprising 27,525.24 hectares. The region hosts numerous operating mines, and good infrastructure including experienced exploration and supporting services.
Company Highlights
- Grid Battery Metals is a Canada-based exploration company focused on high-value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV) market.
- The company has three highly prospective lithium properties in Nevada, USA: Texas Springs, Clayton Valley and Volt Canyon. In addition, it holds a nickel project under its wholly owned subsidiary, AC/DC Battery Metals called the Grid Nickel Group, based in British Columbia, Canada.
- As Grid focuses on its lithium projects in Nevada, Grid has entered into an arrangement agreement to transfer ownership of its interests in its nickel properties in British Columbia to its wholly owned subsidiary AC/DC Battery Metals Inc. (ACDC). ACDC will be listed as a public company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) in 2024. All three lithium projects are in the early stage with exploration planned for 2024. Grid commenced its 2024 exploration program at the Clayton Valley lithium project in March 2024.
- Grid has filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Clayton Valley lithium project, dated March 4, 2024, prepared by Steven McMillin P.G. of Rangefront Geological.
- Grid entered into a purchase and sale agreement with AC/DC Battery Metals to acquire a 100 percent interest in a new copper asset with 17 mineral claims comprising 27,525.24 hectares in North Central British Columbia.
- Grid’s management and exploration team has been actively exploring for EV battery metals in Nevada for over a decade, and has been very successful in finding and funding new lithium discoveries, the most recent being the discovery of the Nevada North lithium project.
- EV sales are booming with projections of 4.6 million units by 2030 in the US. Battery metals such as lithium are critical for EVs. Grid Battery Metals is well positioned to be a pioneering player in the battery metals market with a strong focus on lithium, and promising properties in the US.
Key Projects
Texas Spring Project, Nevada
The Texas Spring lithium project, located in Granite Range, Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project covers approximately 400 hectares (988.4 acres) of area with 34 full lode claims and 30 partial lode claims. It is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Nevada North lithium project, owned by Surge Battery Metals. Surge’s initial drilling efforts have successfully identified lithium-rich clay deposits. A recent discovery in September 2023 showed values of up to 8,070 ppm of lithium. Initial soil sampling at Texas Spring by Grid has shown high-grade lithium over 5,600 ppm as announced on February 7, 2024.
The proximity to Nevada North Lithium certainly increases optimism for the Texas Spring Project. On top of that, the key founders and members of Surge’s geological team are also the founding management team of Grid, which further increases confidence in the project. The project enjoys excellent infrastructure in terms of paved highways and country roads.
The company recently completed the first phase of its initial exploration program at Texas Springs which included a CSAMT geophysical survey and a detailed soil sampling. Together, they would help predict geological structure and possible drilling locations for lithium targets.
Clayton Valley Project, Nevada
The Clayton Valley lithium project, located in Clayton Valley Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project is spread over approximately 930 hectares (~2,300 acres) with 118 claims. The project is located approximately 344 kilometers (~214 miles) from Reno in the northwest and Las Vegas in the southeast. Moreover, the property is around 315 kilometers (~196 miles) from the Tesla giga-factory and features good infrastructure with excellent road access and a nearby electrical substation.
The project claims are adjacent to the Silver Peak lithium project of Albemarle Corporation, which is the only producing lithium mine in North America. Clayton Valley’s lithium is contained in both underground reservoirs (aquifers) in the form of salty groundwater (brine), and in clay-hosted deposits. Historic exploration work dating back to 2021, which included three reverse circulation holes, has inferred the existence of a graben that may be a sub-basin of the larger Clayton Valley basin and may represent a secondary trap for lithium brines.
Volt Canyon Project, Nevada
The Volt Canyon lithium project, located in Monitor Valley, Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project covers an area of approximately 635 hectares (~1,569 acres) with 80 claims and is located approximately 122 kilometers northeast of Tonopah, Nevada. It benefits from excellent accessibility that enables exploration throughout the year.
Although limited exploration has been conducted in the immediate area, regional sediment samples in the region taken by the US government returned up to 108 ppm lithium near the property. The deposit’s origin is thought to be similar to Clayton Valley clay deposits, located about 180 kilometers to the south.
The exploration program includes surface sampling, auger or push drill water sampling along with geophysical work to identify drilling sites for an initial drill test on the property. Subsequently, additional surface and subsurface sampling will be executed in the form of drilling.
Management Team
Tim Fernback - President and CEO
Tim Fernback holds a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of British Columbia. He also holds a Certified Professional Accounting (CPA, CMA) designation in Canada. He has more than 30 years of experience in finance with both public and private companies in Canada and is currently a director of several publicly traded companies.
Robert Guanzon - CFO
Roberts Guanzon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and has rich experience in finance, accounting and corporate strategy. He serves as the CFO of several junior resource companies listed on the TSXV and holds a certified professional accounting (CPA, CMA) designation in Canada.
Tina Whyte - Corporate Secretary
Tina Whyte has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate and securities industry. She is an expert in several areas including corporate governance, continuous disclosure, financing transactions and regulatory filings and compliance. She also holds corporate secretary positions with other publicly listed companies.
Jay Oness - Director
Jay Oness has rich experience in all aspects of corporate management including strategic planning, business development and investor relations for public companies. He has over 20 years of experience and has served as a director, senior executive and consultant to public companies in the resource and non-resource sectors. He is currently VP of business and corporate development of Southern Silver Exploration.
Robert Setter - Director
Robert Setter holds a degree in economics and has over two decades of experience in business development, marketing and research. Previously, he has served as the senior financial editor for Report on Mining. He currently sits on the boards of three other listed mining companies.
Ali H. Alizadeh – Director
Ali H. Alizadeh is a senior geologist possessing extensive experience in mineral exploration & project management. He has been responsible for several uranium, gold and base metal projects during his exploration career with various exploration companies. He graduated with a geology degree in 1991, a M.Sc. in petrology in 1995, and an MBA at Queen’s University in 2010. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.
Jeremy Hanson - Geological Advisor
Jeremy Hanson is a professional geoscientist with a decade of experience in mineral exploration in Canada. He is also a founder of Hardline Exploration, a geological consulting firm focused on Western Canada.
Steven McMillin - Geological Advisor
Steven McMillin boasts over 35 years of hands-on experience in mineral exploration within the United States, particularly in Nevada, earning him widespread recognition as a seasoned exploration geologist. Currently serving as the field operations manager at Rangefront Geological, he spearheads the coordination and execution of drill programs. His role includes liaising with vendors and regulatory bodies, ensuring drill safety measures, overseeing drilling and sampling procedures, and managing site reclamation efforts.
Nickel Investor Report
2024 Nickel Outlook Report
Five times the amount of nickel will be needed to meet global demand by 2050. Don't miss out on investing in a metal that is crucial to the EV revolution!
The Investing News Network spoke with analysts, market watchers and insiders to get the scoop on the trends and stocks that you need to watch to stay ahead of the markets in 2024.
Table of Contents:
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A Sneak Peek At What The Insiders Are Saying
“Global nickel consumption is expected to increase due to recovery of the stainless steel sector and increased usage of nickel in EV batteries. Batteries now account for almost 17 percent of total nickel demand, behind stainless steel."
— Ewa Manthey, ING
"While LME nickel prices are expected to find support from a weaker US dollar in 2024 as the Federal Reserve eases monetary policy, we expect prices to remain subdued as further primary nickel output growth from Indonesia and China keeps the market in a surplus for the third consecutive year."
— Jason Sappor, S&P Global Commodity Insights.
Who We Are
The Investing News Network is a growing network of authoritative publications delivering independent, unbiased news and education for investors. We deliver knowledgeable, carefully curated coverage of a variety of markets including gold, cannabis, biotech and many others. This means you read nothing but the best from the entire world of investing advice, and never have to waste your valuable time doing hours, days or weeks of research yourself.
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So if you are looking for a way to diversify your portfolio amidst political and financial instability, this is the place to start. Right now.
Nickel and the Battery Boom in 2024
Nickel Price Update: Q1 2024 in Review
At the start of the year, experts were predicting that nickel prices would be rangebound in 2024.
With the first quarter in the books, that story seems to largely be playing out. After opening the year at US$16,600 per metric ton (MT) on January 2, nickel was stable during January and February. However, March brought volatility to the sector, with strong gains pushing the base metal to a quarterly high of US$18,165 on March 13.
Nickel's price rise failed to hold, and it once again dropped below the US$17,000 mark by the end of the month. Ultimately, the metal fell to US$16,565 on March 28, resulting in a slight loss for the quarter.
Indonesian supply dampens nickel prices
Lackluster pricing in the nickel market is largely the result of the metal's ongoing oversupply position.
The largest factor is elevated production from Indonesia, which is the top producer of the metal by far. The country produced 1.8 million MT of nickel in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, representing half of global supply.
Indonesia's output has climbed exponentially over the past decade, and has been exacerbated by government initiatives that placed strict limits on the export of raw materials to encourage investment in production and refinement.
In an email to the Investing News Network (INN), Exploration Insights Editor Joe Mazumdar wrote, “The growth in electric vehicle (EV) production and the escalating demand for nickel in batteries prompted the Indonesian government to mandate increased local refining and manufacturing capacity from companies operating in the country.”
Despite the lower quality of material coming from Indonesia, the investment was made to shore up supply lines for Chinese battery makers and was earmarked for EV production. However, EV demand has waned through 2023 and into 2024 due to high interest rates, range anxiety and charging capacity, increasing nickel stockpiles.
A report on the nickel market provided by Jason Sappor, senior analyst with the metals and mining research team at S&P Global Commodity Insights, shows that short positions began to accumulate through February and early March on speculation that Indonesian producers were cutting operating rates due to a lack of raw material from mines.
The lack of mined nickel, which helped push prices up, was caused by delays from a new government approval process for mining output quotas that was implemented by Indonesia in September 2023. The new system will allow mining companies to apply for approvals every three years instead of every year. However, the implementation has been slow, and faced further delays while the country went through general elections.
The nickel market found additional support on speculation that the US government was eyeing sanctions on nickel supply out of Russia. Base metals were ultimately not included in the late February sanctions, and prices for the metal began to decline through the end of March as Indonesian quota approvals accelerated.
Western nickel producers cut output on low prices
According to Macquarie Capital data provided by Mazumdar, 35 percent of nickel production is unprofitable at prices below US$18,000, with that number jumping to 75 percent at the US$15,000 level.
Mazumdar indicated that nickel pricing challenges have led to cuts from Australian producers like First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) and Wyloo Metals, which both announced the suspension of their respective Ravensthorpe and Kambalda nickel-mining operations. Additionally, major Australian nickel producer BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) is considering cuts of its own.
Nickel price, Q1 2024.
Chart via the London Metal Exchange.
Meanwhile, the nickel industry in French territory New Caledonia is facing severe difficulties due to faltering prices.
The French government has been in talks with Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF), Eramet (EPA:ERA) and raw materials trader Trafigura, which have significant stakes in nickel producers in the country, and has offered a 200 million euro bailout package for the nation's nickel industry. The French government set a March 28 deadline for New Caledonia to agree to its rescue package, but a decision had not yet been reached as of April 11.
Earlier this year, Glencore announced plans to shutter and search for a buyer for its New Caledonia-based Koniambo Nickel operation, which it said has yet to turn a profit and is unsustainable even with government assistance.
For its part, Trafigura has declined to contribute bailout capital for its 19 percent stake in Prony Resources Nouvelle-Caledonie and its Goro mine in the territory, which is forcing Prony to find a new investor before it will be able to secure government funding. On April 10, Eramet reached its own deal with France for its subsidiary SLN’s nickel operations in New Caledonia; the transaction will see the company extend financial guarantees to SLN.
The situation has exacerbated tensions over New Caledonia's independence from France, with opponents of the agreement arguing it risks the territory's sovereignty and that the mining companies aren’t contributing enough to bailing out the mines, which employ thousands. Reports on April 10 indicate that protests have turned violent.
While cuts from Australian and New Caledonian miners aren’t expected to shift the market away from its surplus position, Mazumdar expects it will help to maintain some price stability in the market.
“The most recent forecast projects demand (7 percent CAGR) will grow at a slower pace than supply (8 percent CAGR) over the next several years, which should generate more market surpluses,” he said.
Miners seek "green nickel" premium for western products
In an email to INN, Ewa Manthey, commodities strategist at financial services provider ING, suggested western nickel producers are in a challenging position, even as they make cuts to production.
“The recent supply curtailments also limit the supply alternatives to the dominance of Indonesia, where the majority of production is backed by Chinese investment. This comes at a time when the US and the EU are looking to reduce their dependence on third countries to access critical raw materials, including nickel,” she said.
This was affirmed by Mazumdar, who said the US is working to combat the situation through a series of subsidies designed to encourage western producers and aid in the development of new critical minerals projects.
“The US Inflation Reduction Act promotes via subsidies sourcing of critical minerals and EV parts from countries with which it has a free trade agreement or a bilateral agreement. Indonesia and China do not have free trade agreements with the US,” he said. Mazumdar went on to suggest that the biggest benefactors of this plan will be Australia and Canada, but noted that with prices remaining depressed, multibillion-dollar projects will struggle to get off the ground.
Western producer shope their material may eventually see a "green nickel" premium that plays into their focus on ESG. However, this idea hasn’t gained much traction. The London Metal Exchange (LME) believes the green nickel market is too small to warrant its own futures contract, and Mazumdar said much the same. “There is little evidence that a premium for ‘green nickel’ producers or developers has much momentum, although an operation with low carbon emissions may have a better chance of getting funding from institutional investors in western countries,” he noted.
Even though there might not be much interest in green nickel on the LME, there are vocal proponents, including Wyloo’s CEO, Luca Giacovazzi. He sees the premium as being essential for the industry, and has said participants should be looking for a new marketplace if the LME is unwilling to pursue a separate listing for green nickel.
The calls for a premium have largely come from western producers that incur higher labor and production costs to meet ESG initiatives, which is happening less amongst their counterparts in China, Indonesia and Russia.
Western producers were caught off guard early in March as PT CNGR Ding Xing New Energy, a joint venture between China’s CNGR Advanced Material (SHA:300919) and Indonesia’s Rigqueza International, applied to be listed as a “good delivery brand” on the LME. The designation would allow the company, which produces Class 1 nickel, to be recognized as meeting responsible sourcing guidelines set by the LME.
If it is approved, which is considered likely, the company would be the first Indonesian firm to be represented on the LME. There has been pushback from western miners on the basis of ESG and responsible resourcing challenges.
Investor takeaway
As the nickel market faces strong production from Indonesia, experts expect more of the same for prices.
“Looking ahead, we believe nickel prices are likely to remain under pressure, at least in the near term, amid a weak macro picture and a sustained market surplus,” Manthey said. The continued surplus may provide some opportunities for investors looking to get into a critical minerals play at a lower cost, but a reversal may take some time.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
Nickel Price Update: Q2 2024 in Review
The first quarter of the year saw the nickel price under threat from a market glut as Indonesian supply flooded the market, forcing western producers to begin cutting production amid low profitability.
March brought a great deal of volatility, with nickel breaking through the US$18,000 per metric ton (MT) mark; however, by April 1 the base metal had once again slumped, opening the second quarter at US$16,568.
As Q2 progressed, commodities saw broad gains and nickel hit a year-to-date high of US$21,615 on May 20.
After reaching that high point, nickel couldn't find support and fell rapidly to close the second quarter at US$17,291. Since then, the price of nickel has continued to decline, approaching yearly lows of US$16,090 on July 30.
Nickel prices, April 1 to August 8, 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
Russian nickel faces western sanctions
During Q1, nickel prices were negatively affected as Indonesian producers continued to flood the market; however, the base metal began seeing positive momentum as the country experienced delays in approving mining output quotas, and amid speculation that Russian nickel could be sanctioned by the US and UK.
Ultimately, nickel wasn't sanctioned by those countries at the time, and as mining quotas began to work their way through Indonesian red tape, nickel prices once again experienced declines.
However, momentum began to shift again for nickel at the start of Q2. On April 12, news broke that Washington and London had banned US and UK metal exchanges from admitting new aluminum, copper and nickel from Russia. Taking immediate effect, the prohibitions also halted the import of those metals.
In July, the London Metal Exchange extended trading sanctions to Russian miner Norlisk Nickel’s Finnish operations for the trading of briquettes and cathodes; these restrictions are set to come into effect in October.
Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights, suggested this move will have little impact on the sector.
“That nickel is still going to make it into the market, it’s just going to go to a different exchange, probably Shanghai … So I could still see that nickel moving and getting consumed in the global market — it’s just not coming to the west,” he explained to the Investing News Network in an interview.
Nickel continued to climb through April and May as a combination of factors drove metals prices more broadly. Dovish statements from the US Federal Reserve helped provide momentum, as did cooling inflation data.
Ultimately nickel prices fell back, with London Metal Exchange stockpiles of the metal increasing through the second quarter, rising from 77,604 MT on April 1 to 95,436 MT on June 28.
Western nickel producers cut output amid low prices
The overhang in the nickel market caused producers to begin curtailing their production in the early part of the year. This trend continued into the second quarter as more producers started to slow output or shut mines altogether.
Among the hardest-hit regions in the latest round of closures has been Australia, where low prices and high operating costs forced First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) to place its Ravensthorpe operations on care and maintenance at the end of April. The mine had been operating at lower capacity through the start of the year as it worked through aboveground stockpiles and used a lower-cost atmospheric leach circuit to process ore.
BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP), which had been considering cuts earlier in the year, announced on July 11 that it would be suspending operations at its Nickel West operations and West Musgrave project.
In its announcement, it cites oversupply in the global nickel market and indicates consensus that nickel prices will be lower over the next half-decade due to growth in alternative, low-cost supply. BHP said it would begin transitioning its operations starting immediately, with the full suspension being completed between October and December of this year. The company notes that the closure is temporary and said it will review its decision in February 2027.
Mazumdar explained that Indonesia has a competitive advantage, but as more operations begin to cut production it will start to eat into the market surplus, which will be a positive for the nickel market.
“They can’t compete on a cost basis with Indonesia, nobody can. So Indonesia continues to oversupply the market, and now there’s an overhang. What happens is once you get these production cuts, there’s less supply in the market and then that overhang will recede. That’s the best thing that can happen to the nickel market,” he said.
Can government incentives boost western nickel output?
Amid these challenges, the US has set up a number of programs, including tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), to bolster domestic and allied production of nickel and other critical minerals.
The IRA was announced in 2022, but more recently, the Biden administration authorized the US Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Financing Program, which establishes a US$72 billion fund that will be used to provide guaranteed loans to “projects that increase the domestically produced supply of critical minerals.”
Mazumdar doesn’t think incentives like this will be enough to get new projects into the nickel space.
“The west can offer cheap loans to get people to build it, but they’re not going to make any money to pay back the loan no matter how cheap it is unless they give them a grant,” he said.
He explained that to get these projects off the ground, the nickel price would need to go higher to incentivize development, or governments would need to provide a guaranteed price to buy the nickel and build their own stockpiles.
Back-and-forth pressures between government initiatives and Chinese dominance have created a bifurcated market and left Indonesia with few options to diversify its exports, even as it negotiates a trade partnership with the US.
This has led to attempts from Indonesia to restructure investment deals with Chinese firms that would allow Indonesian nickel products to qualify for incentives under the IRA.
What factors are driving nickel demand?
Despite the nickel market's oversupply, there is still high demand, much of it from China.
China is the largest consumer of nickel in the world, accounting for around 65 percent of total consumption, with the bulk of it destined for steel products. However, as China’s real estate market has stalled out, so too has demand for steel products, with consumption slumping 3.3 percent during the first half of the year.
Total 2024 consumption is projected to fall to around 900 million MT, down from 933.4 million MT in 2023.
Despite the decline, nickel demand has been bolstered by increasing sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in recent years. Even though reports indicated that demand for BEVs had waned at the start of 2024, growth in the segment has remained resilient, with BEVs' global share of the light vehicle market expected to reach 19.2 percent in 2024.
In China, the uptake has also been enormous, with sales from Chinese BEV producer BYD (OTC Pink:BYDDF,SZSE:002594) projected to exceed those of North American rival Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in 2024.
Additionally, demand for hybrid vehicles is expected to exceed demand for traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. While batteries for hybrids aren’t as large, they still use more nickel than ICE vehicles.
The amount of nickel used in batteries has been increasing in recent years as consumers demand greater range. BEVs use 25.3 kilograms of nickel on average, while hybrids use an average of 6.5 kilograms.
What will happen to the nickel price in 2024?
While production cuts should bring the market more into balance, the nickel price is likely to be determined by supply coming from Indonesia and demand from Chinese steel and battery production.
Even though governments have created initiatives to stimulate western production, they’re not likely to have much ability to increase mining operations as long as nickel prices remain depressed.
As pricing for nickel bottoms out, there may be opportunities for investors who are willing to be patient; however, it could be some time before prices rebound sufficiently for miners to begin restarting their operations.
Long-term predictions show nickel in the US$17,000 range for 2024, slowly improving to US$23,000 level in 2028.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
Top 3 Canadian Nickel Stocks of 2024
After trending down in 2023, nickel prices climbed to a 10 month high in late May; 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 future 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's nickel market, the critical metal is listed as one of the top priorities in the Canadian government's Critical Minerals Strategy, which was announced in 2023. 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 July 30, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. The top nickel stocks listed had market caps above C$10 million at that time.
1. Class 1 Nickel and Technologies (CSE:NICO)
Year-to-date gain: 233.33 percent; market cap: C$32.66 million; share price: C$0.20
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.
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.06, and it began climbing in April to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.21 on July 26.
2. Power Nickel (TSXV:PNPN)
Year-to-date gain: 158.33 percent; market cap: C$119.22 million; share price: C$0.62
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 came drill results from the newly discovered Lion zone 5 kilometers northeast of the main Nisk deposit. Shortly after, the company 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.
3. EV Nickel (TSXV:EVNI)
Year-to-date gain: 83.33 percent; market cap: C$48.01 million; share price: C$0.55
EV Nickel’s primary project is the 30,000 hectare Shaw Dome asset 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 its 2024 exploration program, which is aimed at advancing the CarLang trend and exploring other nickel targets. The most recent news out of the program came in mid-June with the announcement that diamond drilling on the Langmuir 2 high-priority nickel target had commenced, and plans were in place to begin drilling on high-grade nickel targets contained within the Shaw Dome project starting in mid-June.
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.
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.
Gold Prospectivity Enhanced at Black Swan and Lake Johnston
- Geological setting at Black Swan confirmed to be favourable for gold
- Gold bearing structures identified throughout the geological sequence
- Geological setting shown to be very similar to nearby gold mines including Kanowna Belle and Gordon Sirdar
- 52 gold nuggets found so far from the interpreted gold bearing structures
- Low-cost soil sampling program to be completed this month to better define the emerging gold trends. Anomalies identified will be followed up with drilling
- Felsic intrusive copper-gold system indicated at Lake Johnston
- LJPD0032 intersection of 2.26g/t Au and 2.36% Cu confirmed as a mineralised felsic intrusive
- Association of a broad, open ended, Cu-Au soil anomaly at Billy Ray and the likely link to the mineralised Cu-Au drill intersection beneath supports the prospectivity for a larger Cu-Au system
- The Billy Ray Cu-Au soil anomaly is open and strikes into the newly acquired Mantis tenement, presenting a high priority opportunity to undertake a systematic, multi-element soil sampling program for the first time
- Windarra along trend of known gold mineralisation
- Windarra is interpreted to contain strike extensions to the main mineralised gold trend which controls nearby gold camps – Lancefield and Beasley Creek
- Promising gold in soil anomalies within the tenements and over this prospective corridor will also be followed up with modern day soil programs
CEO, Brendan Shalders, commented, “Recent exploration activities have further enhanced the gold prospectivity at Black Swan and Lake Johnston.
Black Swan is located within the Boorara Geological Domain which hosts a number of gold mines including the nearby Kanowna Belle, Mungarra and Gordon Sirdar projects. The 52 gold nuggets recovered to date enhances the prospectivity of the interpreted gold structures that intersect with the geological sequences at Black Swan.
The team plans to complete a soil sampling program at Black Swan this month to further test the gold prospectivity at the project.
At Lake Johnston, further assessment of the open-ended broad Billy Ray gold in soil anomaly has also confirmed coincident copper anomalism. When considering the likely link to the previously reported LJPD0032 drill intersection grading 2.26g/t Au and 2.36% Cu in a mineralised felsic intrusive, support is building for a larger Cu-Au system in the area. Planned soil sampling across the Mantis tenement will include other important pathfinder elements useful in targeting intrusive related gold systems (Bi-Sb-Tb- As-Te-Ag), which were not assayed historically.
When considering the historical nickel focus at all of our projects, there has been very little sustained exploration for other commodities despite all three projects being located in the heart of the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.
The recently reported gold anomalies at Windarra, the increased gold prospectivity at Black Swan and the growing Cu-Au potential at Lake Johnston all offer exciting opportunities to carry out low-cost, high reward exploration programs whilst maintaining our nickel resources and infrastructure options.
The pleasing progress reported today and planned programs remain consistent with our strategy to assess the greenfields potential for multiple commodities across all three of Poseidon’s projects.”
Black Swan Geology Setting Favourable for Gold Mineralisation
The Black Swan project is situated west of the Mt Monger Fault amongst a series of interpreted secondary structures emanating from the primary fault which are commonly associated with gold mineralisation. The secondary structures are similar to those controlling the Golden Valley and Kanowna Sequence which hosts a number of large gold deposits including Kanowna Belle and Gordon Sirdar (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Black Swan Regional Geology Map & Tenement Locations
Komatiitic nickel deposits such as Black Swan occur as channel like features that are interpreted to be following very early-stage crustal scale structures that remain active throughout the Earth’s geological history. These long-lived structures may become reactivated during the gold mineralising events meaning that separate nickel and gold mineralisation events can share common structural associations (i.e. Beta Hunt).
Following on from the recently reported gold nuggets discovered at Black Swan, metal detecting programs have so far recovered a total of 52 gold nuggets with a combined weight of 17.9 grams.
The nuggets are small in size (typically <0.6 grams in weight) and angular, indicating limited mobility and in-situ formation from a likely nearby source. The nuggets have been found clustered in a single area with the remainder of the tenements not yet tested.
A recent field trip noted the gold nuggets are mapped within hangingwall felsic volcanics with areas of quartz veining and breccias, and ferruginous lag which could be a source for gold mineralisation.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Poseidon Nickel Limited, 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.
Nickel Price Update: Q2 2024 in Review
After reaching that high point, nickel couldn't find support and fell rapidly to close the second quarter at US$17,291. Since then, the price of nickel has continued to decline, approaching yearly lows of US$16,090 on July 30.
Russian nickel faces western sanctions
During Q1, nickel prices were negatively affected as Indonesian producers continued to flood the market; however, the base metal began seeing positive momentum as the country experienced delays in approving mining output quotas, and amid speculation that Russian nickel could be sanctioned by the US and UK.
Ultimately, nickel wasn't sanctioned by those countries at the time, and as mining quotas began to work their way through Indonesian red tape, nickel prices once again experienced declines.
However, momentum began to shift again for nickel at the start of Q2. On April 12, news broke that Washington and London had banned US and UK metal exchanges from admitting new aluminum, copper and nickel from Russia. Taking immediate effect, the prohibitions also halted the import of those metals.
In July, the London Metal Exchange extended trading sanctions to Russian miner Norlisk Nickel’s Finnish operations for the trading of briquettes and cathodes; these restrictions are set to come into effect in October.
Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights, suggested this move will have little impact on the sector.
“That nickel is still going to make it into the market, it’s just going to go to a different exchange, probably Shanghai … So I could still see that nickel moving and getting consumed in the global market — it’s just not coming to the west,” he explained to the Investing News Network in an interview.
Nickel continued to climb through April and May as a combination of factors drove metals prices more broadly. Dovish statements from the US Federal Reserve helped provide momentum, as did cooling inflation data.
Ultimately nickel prices fell back, with London Metal Exchange stockpiles of the metal increasing through the second quarter, rising from 77,604 MT on April 1 to 95,436 MT on June 28.
Western nickel producers cut output amid low prices
The overhang in the nickel market caused producers to begin curtailing their production in the early part of the year. This trend continued into the second quarter as more producers started to slow output or shut mines altogether.
Among the hardest-hit regions in the latest round of closures has been Australia, where low prices and high operating costs forced First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) to place its Ravensthorpe operations on care and maintenance at the end of April. The mine had been operating at lower capacity through the start of the year as it worked through aboveground stockpiles and used a lower-cost atmospheric leach circuit to process ore.
BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP), which had been considering cuts earlier in the year, announced on July 11 that it would be suspending operations at its Nickel West operations and West Musgrave project.
In its announcement, it cites oversupply in the global nickel market and indicates consensus that nickel prices will be lower over the next half-decade due to growth in alternative, low-cost supply. BHP said it would begin transitioning its operations starting immediately, with the full suspension being completed between October and December of this year. The company notes that the closure is temporary and said it will review its decision in February 2027.
Mazumdar explained that Indonesia has a competitive advantage, but as more operations begin to cut production it will start to eat into the market surplus, which will be a positive for the nickel market.
“They can’t compete on a cost basis with Indonesia, nobody can. So Indonesia continues to oversupply the market, and now there’s an overhang. What happens is once you get these production cuts, there’s less supply in the market and then that overhang will recede. That’s the best thing that can happen to the nickel market,” he said.
Can government incentives boost western nickel output?
Amid these challenges, the US has set up a number of programs, including tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), to bolster domestic and allied production of nickel and other critical minerals.
The IRA was announced in 2022, but more recently, the Biden administration authorized the US Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Financing Program, which establishes a US$72 billion fund that will be used to provide guaranteed loans to “projects that increase the domestically produced supply of critical minerals.”
Mazumdar doesn’t think incentives like this will be enough to get new projects into the nickel space.
“The west can offer cheap loans to get people to build it, but they’re not going to make any money to pay back the loan no matter how cheap it is unless they give them a grant,” he said.
He explained that to get these projects off the ground, the nickel price would need to go higher to incentivize development, or governments would need to provide a guaranteed price to buy the nickel and build their own stockpiles.
Back-and-forth pressures between government initiatives and Chinese dominance have created a bifurcated market and left Indonesia with few options to diversify its exports, even as it negotiates a trade partnership with the US.
This has led to attempts from Indonesia to restructure investment deals with Chinese firms that would allow Indonesian nickel products to qualify for incentives under the IRA.
What factors are driving nickel demand?
Despite the nickel market's oversupply, there is still high demand, much of it from China.
China is the largest consumer of nickel in the world, accounting for around 65 percent of total consumption, with the bulk of it destined for steel products. However, as China’s real estate market has stalled out, so too has demand for steel products, with consumption slumping 3.3 percent during the first half of the year.
Total 2024 consumption is projected to fall to around 900 million MT, down from 933.4 million MT in 2023.
Despite the decline, nickel demand has been bolstered by increasing sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in recent years. Even though reports indicated that demand for BEVs had waned at the start of 2024, growth in the segment has remained resilient, with BEVs' global share of the light vehicle market expected to reach 19.2 percent in 2024.
In China, the uptake has also been enormous, with sales from Chinese BEV producer BYD (OTC Pink:BYDDF,SZSE:002594) projected to exceed those of North American rival Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) in 2024.
Additionally, demand for hybrid vehicles is expected to exceed demand for traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. While batteries for hybrids aren’t as large, they still use more nickel than ICE vehicles.
The amount of nickel used in batteries has been increasing in recent years as consumers demand greater range. BEVs use 25.3 kilograms of nickel on average, while hybrids use an average of 6.5 kilograms.
What will happen to the nickel price in 2024?
While production cuts should bring the market more into balance, the nickel price is likely to be determined by supply coming from Indonesia and demand from Chinese steel and battery production.
Even though governments have created initiatives to stimulate western production, they’re not likely to have much ability to increase mining operations as long as nickel prices remain depressed.
As pricing for nickel bottoms out, there may be opportunities for investors who are willing to be patient; however, it could be some time before prices rebound sufficiently for miners to begin restarting their operations.
Long-term predictions show nickel in the US$17,000 range for 2024, slowly improving to US$23,000 level in 2028.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
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