Feb 4, 2023
FPX Nickel’s (OTC: FPOCF — TSX-V: FPX) CEO Martin Turenne joined us for a much-awaited sponsor update. The Baptiste Project pilot plant’s results are in, and they are quite positive. The novel environmentally clean process of extracting nickel from lower grade deposits, without toxic smelting, has exceeded all expectations. The end product yielded a 65% nickel concentrate, with an impressive 85+% recovery rate.
Martin is confident that a commercial-scale plant will produce 100 million pounds per annum. With nickel at $13 per pound, and costs of $3 per pound, there’s a huge profit margin. Even at $10 nickel the profits are enormous.The naysayers who doubted FPX’s ability to profitably produce high-grade nickel from low grade deposits have all been proven wrong.
FPX recently announced a $12 million investment by a corporate strategic investor means that the pieces are falling into place. (The well-known company requested confidentiality for now.) FPX’s current stock price of CAD$.43 means that the market hasn’t yet to factor in these important developments.
The company’s Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) is expected in September. FPX is sitting on CAD$18 million and is fully funded for the foreseeable future. The Van Project discovery promises to be larger than Baptiste but is currently on the back burner. It is also not reflected in the share price. Both are among the largest undeveloped nickel deposits in the world.
The nickel market’s demand characteristics are highly positive. The rushed conversion to Electric Vehicles, coupled with a lack of environmentally friendly sources, means that FPX’s project will come into production at exactly the right time. Upstream users such as Tesla, Ford and GM have been rushing to secure battery metals sources and gone directly to the producers. GM’s recent $650 million investment in Lithium America is but one example.
The US Inflation Recovery Act (IRA) is adding even more fuel to the fire. Its generous subsidies and favorable pro-development policies are highly positive for both the Canadian battery metals and FPX. Martin is moving quickly to secure these benefits for FPX.
The stars are aligning for FPX. Martin is quite clear that these projects will require a major company to take over to fully exploit these reserves. News flow has been brisk and will increase in anticipation of FPX’s PFS. This bodes well for shareholders and the end users who are anxious to work with companies such as FPX.
Company website: www.FPXNickel.com
Ticker symbols: OTC: FPOCF — TSX-V: FPX