First Atlantic Nickel Selects Long-Term Drill Core Processing & Storage Facility in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Atlantic Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FAN) (OTCQB: FANCF) (FSE: P21) (“First Atlantic” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the selection of a new, secure, drill core processing and storage facility in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, marking a significant step in the Company’s operational expansion.

The new facility will replace the current temporary tent structure, offering a long-term, year-round solution for drill core processing and storage. This move will support ongoing activities related to Phase 1 drilling at the Atlantic Nickel Project, where cores are cut, logged, photographed, and prepared for assays and metallurgical testing. Updates are expected soon as Phase 1 drill cores continue to be processed.

Located within 50 km of the Atlantic Lake Property, the new facility is currently receiving drill cores from Phase 1 drilling. This strategic location supports current operations while offering scalability for future district-scale, multi-zone drill programs along the 30 km nickel trend.

Phase 2 drilling permit applications have been submitted in Newfoundland and Labrador, a jurisdiction renowned for its support of the mining sector and streamlined permitting process, where previous permits were granted within approximately a one month period. The new facility is designed to facilitate a seamless and efficient transition into the planned expanded Phase 2 Drill program, enhancing the operational capacity and readiness of the Atlantic Nickel Project.

This facility will serve multiple purposes:

Drill Core Processing & Storage: Dedicated facility for the processing and storage of drill core from ongoing and future drilling.

Operational Hub: It will act as a corporate base for Newfoundland operations, hosting strategic meetings and providing an office presence where technical staff will be based.

Equipment Storage: The facility will house necessary equipment for on-site testing, including XRF machines, core saws, cameras, and microscopes.

Metallurgical Testing: It will also store rock test material for future metallurgical test work.

The drill core from the Atlantic Nickel Project will be processed at this location, ensuring high-quality data collection and analysis.

For further information, questions, or investor inquiries, please contact Rob Guzman at First Atlantic by phone at +1 844 592 6337 or via email at rob@fanickel.com

Adrian Smith, P.Geo., CEO of First Atlantic, commented, “This facility is a pivotal part of our strategy to expand and enhance our exploration program. It supports our commitment to exploring and developing the potential of our properties in Newfoundland, leveraging the region’s supportive mining environment.”

Figure 1: Drill core from phase 1 program, previously logged and stored at the temporary project tent at the Atlantic Nickel Project.

Figure 2: Phase 1 drill core being prepared for shipment from the temporary project core-logging tent.

Figure 3: New year-round drill core processing facility in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland.

Overview of Ongoing RPM Discovery

The RPM Zone, a high-priority target within the large 30 km ultramafic body of the Pipestone Ophiolite Complex, was discovered by First Atlantic geologists Dr. Ron Britten, Pearce Bradley, and Michael Piller during the 2024 exploration program. The zone’s heavily weathered outcrop, visible in satellite imagery, caught the geologists’ attention during a district-scale sampling program. Float samples from the area revealed significant large-grain awaruite mineralization. The discovery area spans approximately 2.6 km in length and 400 to 600 meters in width and is characterized by a strong magnetic anomaly. Located 25 km south of historic drilling at Atlantic Lake and 10 km south of the Super Gulp discovery, the RPM Zone represents a key development in the exploration program.

The first drill hole at the RPM Zone, reaching a depth of 394 meters, intersected visible disseminated nickel-iron alloy (awaruite) mineralization from surface to bottom. Notably, the awaruite grains, visible to the naked eye, increased in size with depth, often exceeding 25 microns, with many grains surpassing 500 microns – well above the 10-micron threshold for effective magnetic separation. XRF analysis confirmed low levels of sulphur, nickel, and chromium throughout the drill hole. Samples are now being prepared for assay, with results anticipated in the coming months.

The significance of the RPM Zone lies in its impressive mineralization and potential for cost-effective mining. Drilling revealed heavily fractured, broken, and sheared serpentinized nickel host rock, which may enable lower-cost initial mining methods, such as ripping, rather than conventional drilling and blasting. With mineralization open at depth, ongoing drilling aims to further define and expand the mineralized area. The coarse awaruite grains, visible to the naked eye, increase in size downhole, starting at up to 200 microns and exceeding 500 microns in coarser zones. Visible disseminated awaruite was observed from surface to 394 meters, with the drill hole ending in zones of coarser-grained mineralization. This groundbreaking discovery, a testament to the expertise of the geological team, has solidified the RPM Zone as a top priority for exploration and assessment in First Atlantic’s ongoing program.

Atlantic Nickel Project – Corporate Video
Please visit https://www.fanickel.com/KGQo3TTyn0Q to view the most recent corporate video from First Atlantic Nickel, featuring CEO Adrian Smith at the Atlantic Nickel Project with footage of RPM Drill Hole 1.

Awaruite (Nickel-iron alloy Ni₂Fe, Ni₃Fe)
Awaruite, a naturally occurring sulfur-free nickel-iron alloy composed of Ni₃Fe or Ni₂Fe with approximately ~75% nickel content, offers a proven and environmentally safer solution to enhance the resilience and security of North America’s domestic critical minerals supply chain. Unlike conventional nickel sources, awaruite can be processed into high-grade concentrates exceeding 60% nickel content through magnetic processing and simple floatation without the need for smelting, roasting, or high pressure acid leaching¹. Beginning in 2025, the US Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) $7,500 electric vehicle (EV) tax credit mandates that eligible clean vehicles must not contain any critical minerals processed by foreign entities of concern (FEOC)². These entities include Russia and China, which currently dominate the global nickel smelting industry. Awaruite’s smelter-free processing approach could potentially help North American manufacturers meet the IRA’s stringent critical mineral requirements and reduce dependence on FEOCs for nickel processing.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) highlighted awaruite’s potential, stating, “The development of awaruite deposits in other parts of Canada may help alleviate any prolonged shortage of nickel concentrate. Awaruite, a natural iron-nickel alloy, is much easier to concentrate than pentlandite, the principal sulfide of nickel³.” Awaruite’s unique properties enable cleaner and safer processing compared to conventional sulfide and laterite nickel sources, which often involve smelting, roasting, or high-pressure acid leaching that can release toxic sulfur dioxide, generate hazardous waste, and lead to acid mine drainage. Awaruite’s simpler processing, facilitated by its amenability to magnetic processing and lack of sulfur, eliminates these harmful methods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and risks associated with toxic chemical release, addressing concerns about the large carbon footprint and toxic emissions linked to nickel refining.

Figure 4: Quote from USGS on Awaruite

The development of awaruite resources is crucial, given China’s control in the global nickel market. Chinese companies refine and smelt 68% to 80% of the world’s nickel⁴ and control an estimated 84% of Indonesia’s nickel output, the largest worldwide supply⁵. Awaruite is a cleaner source of nickel that reduces dependence on foreign processing controlled by China, leading to a more secure and reliable supply for North America’s stainless steel and electric vehicle industries.

Investor Information                

The Company’s common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “FAN,” the American OTCQB Exchange under the symbol “FANCF” and on several German exchanges, including Frankfurt and Tradegate, under the symbol “P21.”

Investors can get updates about First Atlantic by signing up to receive news via email and SMS text at www.fanickel.com. Stay connected and learn more by following us on these social media platforms:

https://x.com/FirstAtlanticNi
https://www.facebook.com/firstatlanticnickel
https://www.linkedin.com/company/firstatlanticnickel/

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
First Atlantic Investor Relations
Robert Guzman
Tel: +1 844 592 6337
rob@fanickel.com

Disclosure

Adrian Smith, P.Geo., is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. The qualified person is a member in good standing of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL) and is a registered professional geoscientist (P.Geo.). Mr. Smith has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed herein.

About First Atlantic Nickel Corp.

First Atlantic Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FAN) (OTCQB: FANCF) (FSE: P21) is a Canadian mineral exploration company developing the 100%-owned Atlantic Nickel Project, a large-scale nickel deposit strategically located near existing infrastructure in Newfoundland, Canada. The Project’s nickel occurs as awaruite, a natural nickel-iron alloy containing approximately 75% nickel with no-sulfur and no-sulfides. Awaruite’s properties allow for smelter-free magnetic separation and concentration, which could strengthen North America’s critical minerals supply chain by reducing foreign dependence on nickel smelting. This aligns with new US Electric Vehicle US IRA requirements, which stipulate that beginning in 2025, an eligible clean vehicle may not contain any critical minerals processed by a FEOC (Foreign Entities Of Concern)⁶.

First Atlantic aims to be a key input of a secure and reliable North American critical minerals supply chain for the stainless steel and electric vehicle industries in the USA and Canada. The company is positioned to meet the growing demand for responsibly sourced nickel that complies with the critical mineral requirements for eligible clean vehicles under the US IRA. With its commitment to responsible practices and experienced team, First Atlantic is poised to contribute significantly to the nickel industry’s future, supporting the transition to a cleaner energy landscape. This mission gained importance when the US added nickel to its critical minerals list in 2022, recognizing it as a non-fuel mineral essential to economic and national security with a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements:

This news release may include “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and/or assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, expectations regarding the timing, scope, and results from the 2024 work and drilling program; the operational impact of the new facility to provide a long-term, year-round solution for drill core processing and storage while offering scalability for future district-scale, multi-zone drill programs along the 30 km nickel trend, results from assays, new drill permits, which which will enable the Company to rapidly advance this significant discovery and demonstrate its true scale and potential. The Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements, and estimates of market conditions. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base and other metals, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. Additional factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company’s disclosure documents which can be found under the Company’s profile on http://www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The Company is presently an exploration stage company. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks, requires substantial expenditures, and may not result in the discovery of mineral deposits that can be mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company currently has no reserves on any of its properties. As a result, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 

¹ https://fpxnickel.com/projects-overview/what-is-awaruite/
² https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1939
³ https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/nickel/mcs-2012-nicke.pdf
⁴ https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LTRC_ChinaSupplyChain.pdf
⁵ https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3703867/the-rise-of-great-mineral-powers/
⁶ https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1939

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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