Mark Selby, CEO and Director of Canada Nickel Company (TSX.V:CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF), joins us for a comprehensive introduction to the company, projects, work strategy, management team, and financials on their focus in the emerging Timmins Ontario nickel and critical minerals district. We start off with a with getting the background on how the company came together with a particular focus on the flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, but also expanding out into 20 other regional ultramafic targets along this trend. 11 of these additional targets, like the Reid Project and Mann Northwest Project, have seen exploration work that demonstrates the potential size and scale of those additional Projects.
Next we had Mark highlight some of the resource specifics and key metrics and takeaways form the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Project to date, noting that it is the 5th largest undeveloped nickel sulphide project in the sector, that is attractive to both battery metals and stainless steel markets. He outlines some of the main updates investors can look forward to in the upcoming Feasibility Study; where there will be near a doubling of the mine throughput highlighted, and improved metals recovery rates compared to the previously released Preliminary Economic Study. Additionally, the Company will be including more details on the implementation of one of the largest carbon storage projects in Canada as another value driver, that is of interest of the government.
We then drill down into the polymetallic nature of the Crawford Project, and that in addition to the nickel and cobalt, that there is a substantial amount of iron, chrome, platinum, and palladium in the resource that contribute as co-credits. This provides the company with a dual path of looking for offtake agreements with both the battery metals manufacturers for their nickel-cobalt concentrate, and the 304 stainless steel manufacturing for their iron/chrome/nickel magnetite product. This brings into the discussion how some of these potential strategic partnerships may assist in the capital stack needed for the debt financing to develop the project and to build the stainless steel plant. In addition to strategic partners like Anglo American, and potential off-take partners, there are opportunities for the development capital that could also come from streaming transactions, and government tax credits to help finance the future development.
- We know there were a lot of questions submitted that we didn’t get to in this initial introduction, but we will be following up with Mark for future interviews to dig in a bit more granularly and discuss other projects like Texmont, so please submit any additional questions to either Fleck@kereport.com or Shad@kereport.com.