Name of the Project
Baptiste nickel project.

Location
Decar Nickel District, British Columbia, Canada.

Project Owner/s
FPX Nickel Corp.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study has outlined an openpit mining project that will produce an average of 59 100 t/y of nickel in concentrate over a 29-year mine life.

The project will be developed in phases, with an initial mill throughput rate of 108 000 t/d (Phase 1), followed by an expansion to 162 000 t/d (Phase 2) funded from free cash flow after the initial after-tax payback period of 3.7 years.

All mine tailings and waste rock are proposed to be managed within one integrated facility that will use openpit prestripping material and waste rock for embankment construction.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $2.01-billion and an internal rate of return of 18.6% at $8.75/lb nickel, with a payback of 3.7 years.

Capital Expenditure
$2.18-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
FPX Nickel has said that it will initiate a scoping study for a Canadian refinery with the capacity to produce 32 000 t/y of nickel in sulphate.

The scoping study will build on the results of a value engineering study for the Baptiste project and will incorporate the outcomes of an ongoing pilot-scale hydrometallurgical testwork programme, FPX said in a statement on September 17.

The scoping study is set for completion in the first quarter of 2025.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc (recovery methods, process plant, on-site infrastructure, capital cost estimate, operating cost estimate, financial model, opportunities, next steps, and refinery option); Carisbrooke Consulting Inc (off-site power); Equity Exploration Consultants (geology); ERM Consultants Canada (environmental, permitting studies); International Metallurgical & Environmental Inc (metallurgy); Knight Piésold (tailings, water management, and geotechnical); Next Mine Consulting (mineral resource estimate); Onsite Engineering (offsite roads and bridges); and TechSer Mining Consultants (mine design and mineral reserve estimate).

Contact Details for Project Information
FPX Nickel Corp, tel +1 604 681 8600 or email info@fpxnickel.com.