First Atlantic Nickel Corp. has announced a significant expansion of its ongoing drilling program in central Newfoundland. The company is adding four new drill holes to its Phase 2X campaign at the RPM Zone, part of the Pipestone XL Nickel Alloy Project. This decision follows a perfect success rate in initial exploration, with all ten discovery holes confirming the presence of magnetically recoverable awaruite, a valuable nickel-iron-cobalt alloy.
Drilling Success Prompts Program Expansion
The expansion is a direct response to the consistent results from the RPM Zone. All ten discovery holes have intersected large-grain, visible awaruite mineralization from near the surface to the end of each hole. This success has already helped define an area measuring 800 meters in strike length by 750 meters in width. Notably, this confirmed zone represents only about 20% of a larger 4-kilometer target area identified within the broader 30-kilometer ultramafic nickel trend on the property.
The newly added drill holes, numbered AN-25-11 through AN-25-14, are strategically designed to test the limits of the mineralization. The goal is to extend the drill-confirmed strike length to approximately 1.4 kilometers north-south and increase the width to 850 meters, systematically exploring the potential of the larger target.
Strategic Targets for New Drill Holes
The four additional holes will probe extensions in multiple directions. Holes AN-25-11 and AN-25-12 will push eastward from the location of hole AN-25-10, which is the company's best result to date. This eastern trend toward an area known as Chrome Pond has consistently yielded the property's highest grades of magnetically recoverable nickel.
Hole AN-25-13 will test a 400-meter northern extension on a new section, while hole AN-25-14 will be a 200-meter step-out to the south. This multi-directional approach aims to confirm that the awaruite system remains open and continuous beyond the currently drilled area.
The Awaruite Advantage for a North American Supply Chain
The discovery of awaruite at Pipestone XL is significant beyond just the presence of nickel. Awaruite (Ni₃Fe) is a naturally occurring metallic alloy containing roughly 77% nickel, along with iron and cobalt. Its metallic nature allows for a simpler, more sustainable processing path compared to traditional nickel sulfide ores.
First Atlantic highlights that the mineral can be concentrated using magnetic separation and flotation, processes that bypass the energy-intensive and environmentally challenging steps of smelting, roasting, or high-pressure acid leaching. This positions the project as a potential source for a secure, lower-carbon, onshore North American nickel supply chain, suitable for direct feed into battery refineries for electric vehicles or stainless steel production.
The company reports that magnetic separation tests on drill core have achieved a 90% mass reduction, sending most waste rock to tailings. The remaining 10% magnetic concentrate has consistently graded between 1% and 2% nickel across all RPM Zone holes and can be further upgraded on-site.
First Atlantic Nickel is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol FAN. The expanded drilling program is now underway from its base in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador.
