Name of the Mine
Crawford mine.

Location 
Timmins, Ontario, Canada.

Mine Owner/s 
Canada Nickel Company.

Brief Description 
Crawford is the world’s second-largest nickel reserve. The proposed nickel/cobalt sulphide mine aims to support the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain.

Brief History
Discovered in 2019, the Crawford project advanced quickly through exploration and feasibility studies, culminating in a 2023 feasibility study and plans for production in 2027.

Primary Metals/Minerals
Nickel

Secondary Metals/Minerals 
Cobalt and platinum group elements (PGEs).

Geology/Mineralisation
The mineralisation is hosted in ultramafic rocks, primarily serpentinised dunite, and contains nickel in sulphide form with significant cobalt and PGE by-products.

Reserves
Total proven and probable reserves as at August 31, 2024, were estimated at 1.71-billion tonnes grading 0.22% nickel, 0.013% cobalt, 0.014 g/t palladium, 0.009 g/t platinum, 6.44% iron, 0.57% chromium and 1.61% brucite.

Resources
As at August 31, 2024, measured and indicated resources were estimated at 2.56-billion tonnes grading 0.24% nickel, 0.013% cobalt, 0.014 g/t palladium, 0.01 g/t platinum, 6.67% iron, 0.59% chromium and 1.69% brucite. Inferred resources were estimated at 0.22% nickel, 0.013 cobalt, 0.011 g/t palladium, 0.009 g/t platinum, 7.08% iron, 0.57% chromium and 1.09% brucite.

Type of Mine 
Openpit.

Mining Method 
Crawford will be a conventional openpit mine/mill operation and will comprise two openpits.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment
About 89% of material mined will be rock, which will be drilled and blasted before being loaded by electrically powered rope shovels or large hydraulic excavators into 290 t trucks equipped with trolley assist. More than 70% of uphill hauls by this fleet will be transported on trolley, reducing diesel consumption by about 1.5-billion litres while faster speeds will reduce the fleet by 12 units. The remaining material will be overburden, which will not require drilling and blasting and will be loaded and hauled with a mixed fleet of smaller equipment.

The project will have a state-of-the-art processing facility designed to produce high-grade nickel products suitable for the EV market. The concentrator will process ore using a conventional milling circuit. Unit operations include crushing, semiautogenous and ball mill grinding, desliming, nickel flotation, magnetic separation on the flotation tailings and carbon storage using the company's proprietary in-process tailings (IPT) carbonation technology. 

The IPT process will allow for the capture and storage of 1.5-million tonnes of CO2 a year during a 27-year peak period, the bulk of which will be sold to third parties.

Prospects 
As demand for battery metals increases, Crawford is poised to be a critical player in global nickel supply.

Contact Details
Canada Nickel Company
Tel +1 647 256 1954
Email info@canadanickel.com  

Sources
Canada Nickel. Website: http://www.canadanickel.com