Canada Nickel provides update on Crawford Project

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The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) has announced that a full federal impact assessment will be required for Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford Project north of Timmins.

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This comes after the IAAC reviewed Canada Nickel’s detailed project description, and their response to the Summary of Issues provided by the IAAC.

It also considers comments received to date from Indigenous communities in the area, members of the public, as well as federal and provincial experts.

The 180-day time limit for the Planning Phase resumed as of Dec. 12, 2022, after being paused, at Canada Nickel’s request.

The next steps are outlined by the IAAC. In accordance with the Impact Assessment Act, a series of plans are developed to define to scope, content, and conduct of the assessment.

In February, a 30-day comment window will open on the planning documents such as the Permitting Plan, the Public Participation Plan, and the Indigenous Engagement and Partnership Plan.

The IAAC will then finalize and post the final planning documents later this year.

Discovered in 2019, the Crawford Project is located approximately 40 kilometres north of Timmins. It is a potentially major source of employment and economic production in the coming decades.

It is believed to be the fifth-largest nickel deposit in the world. Due to the area’s particular serpentine rock formations, which can essentially absorb carbon dioxide, the project has the potential to be a “Net Zero” operation, a moniker which the company is hoping to trademark.

The critical minerals found at the site are in big demand from industries such as electric vehicles and other batteries.

Canada Nickel Company also announced this week that their latest test results show that carbon capturing and storage can be incorporated into their plant design for the Crawford Project.

Dubbed “IPT” for short, the company said the in-process tailings carbonation process is both “novel” and has “transformative potential.”

“We believe the Crawford Project has the potential to be a case study in how critical minerals are developed in Ontario and Canada,” said Mark Selby, chair and CEO.

“Crawford is poised to support the energy transition through the large scale production of critical minerals, including nickel and cobalt, and to become the sole North American producer of chromium, while also supporting the country’s climate objectives through large scale carbon capture and storage.”

The process fixes CO2 geologically while the tailings are still in the processing circuit, rather than after they’ve been deposited.

“We are developing Crawford in a manner aligned with the government’s priorities regarding electric vehicles, critical minerals and climate change. The company is exploring its eligibility for tax credits as well as other government funding programs related to the Critical Minerals Strategy that have the potential to improve overall project value and, most importantly for the company shareholders, further reduce any potential dilution to finance it,” said Selby.

“We look forward to continuing our positive momentum in 2023 as we complete this integrated feasibility study for Crawford, continue to successfully advance the Crawford permitting process, work with our recently appointed financial advisors to advance its overall financing package, and aggressively advance our recently acquired Texmont property with its potential for near-term production.”