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By Michael Dubois, Head of Corporate at VG Global Holdings

Grid Metals (TSXV:GRDM)

This Canadian company is a nickel explorer and developer which holds a portfolio of five projects that all tie into its goal of targeting the battery metals industry: its flagship project is its Makwa Mayville nickel-copper project, which also hosts platinum-group metals (PGM) and cobalt mineralization, and the company is also exploring the Donner Lake lithium project and the Campus Creek lithium property. The company sold Bannockburn to Canada Nickel Company for 2 million Canada Nickel common shares, and then continued its exploration at Donner Lake, sharing drill results and a project update in late July, before announcing a strategic financing with the goal of raising up to C$8.52 million, which the company completed on September 26, funds which will be used for exploration, with a primary focus on its Makwa Mayville, Donner Lake and Campus Creek projects. In October, Grid Metals signed a memorandum of understanding with Tantalum Mining, which will perform tests on Grid’s lithium spodumene ore at the Tanco mine, which, if successful, they intend to enter into a binding agreement to “split the costs and profits of mining, processing and selling lithium spodumene concentrate to the global market.” On November 9, the company commenced further drilling at Donner Lake.

Power Nickel (TSXV:PNPN)

This company has stated that its goal is to meet the needs of the battery supply chain by setting itself up to supply high-grade nickel from its flagship Nisk project in Canada, which it is looking to develop into “one of the greenest sources of class-1 nickel in history.” In addition to nickel, the project also holds copper, cobalt, palladium and platinum mineralization, all of which are important metals to the battery sector, and it also has a gold property called Golden Ivan in BC’s Golden Triangle as well. In July, the company released its mineral resource estimate for its Nisk project, in which it stated that the project had indicated nickel equivalent resources of 31,000 MT and inferred resources of 18,100 MT. Then, in September, they announced the commencement of a new round of drilling at the project, and, in November, they completed a private placement worth C$4 million, and the company will be using these funds to expand the drill program from 5,000 meters to between 12,500 to 15,000 meters.

PolyMet Mining (TSX:POM)

The US-based company’s flagship project is its NorthMet copper-nickel project, which is also expected to produce cobalt and precious metals, which has proven and probable reserves of 290 million MT grading 0.288 percent copper and 0.083 percent nickel, while the company is currently working to secure permits that will allow it to begin mining. Its shares price has been up and down over the last year, and, in July, PolyMet announced the significant news that it was creating a 50/50 joint venture with Teck Resources subsidiary Teck American, whereby the companies’ respective NorthMet and Mesaba projects will be under a single management team, an entity named NewRange Copper Nickel, which will “represent two of the largest undeveloped clean energy mineral resources in the U.S.”