The Baptiste nickel deposit area at FPX Nickel’s Decar Nickel District property in central British Columbia. Credit: FPX Nickel
FPX Nickel (TSXV: FPX) has commenced a preliminary feasibility study (PFS) for its Baptiste nickel project located in central British Columbia.
The PFS marks the culmination of the extensive de-risking and optimization program that has been undertaken since the issuance of the 2020 preliminary economic assessment. It is expected to be completed in September 2023.
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The PFS will present two strategic options, including the base case and a secondary option.
The base case entails the production of a high-grade awaruite concentrate (50-65% nickel) for direct feed to the stainless steel market, utilizing a simple and robust concentrator flowsheet that is only possible due to Baptiste’s awaruite mineralization.
The secondary option involves further upgrading of the high-grade awaruite concentrate to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt-rich products for the electric vehicle battery supply chain, utilizing moderate leaching conditions and standard hydrometallurgical unit operations.
“Since completion of the 2020 PEA, we have consistently applied a major company-style mindset to project development, and believe the PFS will confirm Baptiste as a peer-leading development-stage nickel project, highlighting its potential for large-scale, low-cost and low-carbon nickel production spanning multiple decades,” CEO Martin Turenne said in a news release.
