VANCOUVER – The AME Roundup focused on technical highlights and industry successes of British Columbia’s mineral exploration industry. Here are a couple of takeaways from the 2020 conference:
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Nickel Demand Remains High in 2020
The rise of nickel production throughout the 2010s is seeing renewed activity among investors and explorers. Nickel is critical in the long-term trend of electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy and battery storage.
Greg Honig, director of origination, Canada at Resource Capital Funds, said the stainless steel sector – accounting for 70% of global nickel consumption – would continue to grow in 2020, while nickel pig iron will continue to disrupt the industry. Car battery manufactures are still demanding nickel for the production of EVs.
On the exploration side, Balmoral Resources Ltd. (TSX:BAR) is exploring a portfolio of gold and base metal properties in Canada’s Abitibi region.
Balmoral’s flagship, the 1,000 sq. km Detour Gold Trend Project, hosts the resource-stage Bug and Martiniere West gold deposits and the Grasset nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE deposit.
The company discovered nickel and copper in 2012 and 2014 at the Grasset property. Grasset is one of the largest nickel sulphide deposits in the region.
“The exploration of Grasset is still in its infancy,” said Michael Tucker, exploration manager at Balmoral Resources.
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Reopening of a Prolific Canadian Zinc Mine
Zinc explorers, like Osisko Metals Inc. (TSXV:OM), remain bullish about zinc in 2020. A Northwest Territories zinc mine could be in operation by the mid-2020s.
The original Pine Point zinc mine ran from 1965 until 1987, according to Mining News.
In November 2019, Osisko Metals released a NI43-101 near-surface Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Pine Point of 52.4 million tonnes grading 4.64% zinc and 1.83% lead (6.47% ZnEq), containing 5.3 billion pounds of zinc and 2.1 billion pounds of lead.
“There is much potential in the Pine Point Foundation,” said Robert Wares, executive chairman of Osisko Metals Inc. “Most of the foundation remains undrilled, while the infrastructure is still in place – hydroelectric power, and rail and road access.”
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