Name of the Project
Baptiste nickel project.

Location
Decar Nickel District, British Columbia, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Vancouver-based junior nickel mining company 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
An economic-impact study published in January 2025 has concluded that the project could, on average, create 1 100 direct jobs, 3 400 indirect jobs and 1 900 induced jobs over the life-of-mine.

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 been awarded C$3.5-million from Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) to advance the project.

The nonrepayable contribution will cover half the estimated costs of feasibility and environmental and cultural baseline studies for the access road and electrical transmission line. The studies will be conducted in collaboration with First Nations and will provide key inputs into the regulatory process and the overall feasibility study for Baptiste.

The powerline study will connect the Baptiste site to BC Hydro’s Glenannan substation, near Fraser Lake, about 90 km south of the project. The 155 km route avoids major waterbodies, provincial parks and other sensitive areas. The CMIF funding will also support the design of an access road corridor linking Baptiste to provincial highways in the Fort St. James region through existing forest service roads.

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.