Canada Nickel Advances Crawford Project and Processing Facilities in Timmins
Canada Nickel Company is making significant progress on its Crawford Nickel Project, a proposed open-pit, zero-emission mine located 40 kilometers north of Timmins, Ontario. CEO Mark Selby emphasized at the recent State of Mining event in Timmins that 2025 will be pivotal as the company focuses on finalizing permits, securing funding, and selecting sites for two processing facilities. The project aims to position Timmins as a global hub for clean critical minerals.
The Crawford Project is designed to produce low-carbon nickel for electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel markets. Canada Nickel’s subsidiary, NetZero Metals, plans to build two processing plants: one for nickel and another for stainless steel and alloy production. These facilities are expected to be the largest of their kind in North America and Canada, respectively. The plants will utilize carbon storage technology to achieve zero-carbon production, with operations targeted to begin by 2027.
Permitting remains a key focus for 2025. Canada Nickel is in the final stages of federal approvals and expects provincial permits to follow. The company has also completed Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), advancing engineering to 30% completion and enabling the placement of orders for long-lead equipment items. The feasibility studies for the processing facilities are expected to be completed by year-end.
Canada Nickel is exploring multiple locations for its processing plants, with a preference for brownfield industrial sites like Glencore’s Kidd metallurgical site in Timmins. Utilizing existing infrastructure could reduce startup costs and accelerate timelines.
Despite ongoing uncertainty around U.S. tariffs on metals, Selby expressed confidence in the project’s market resilience. He noted that Europe’s demand for low-carbon nickel provides an alternative market if U.S. tariffs impact exports. Additionally, higher steel prices in the U.S. mitigate potential tariff effects on stainless steel products.
