FPX Nickel Completes Birchy North Drilling and Commences Drilling at Expanded Wolverine Target at Advocate Nickel Property in Newfoundland
FPX advances Awaruite nickel exploration at Advocate with new drilling and expanded tenure.
FPX Nickel Corp. has completed its inaugural 8-hole, 2,421-metre drill program at the Birchy North Target on the Advocate Nickel Property in Newfoundland. Visible awaruite nickel was identified in all Birchy North holes, with SEM analysis by JOGMEC confirming awaruite presence across all samples. Assay results for Davis Tube Recoverable (DTR) nickel are expected in late October or early November 2026.
The company has commenced a new minimum 1,600-metre drill program at the Wolverine Target, testing a geochemical footprint expanded to 5.4 km in strike length. A high-grade core zone has been delineated by 38 rock samples, with 6 samples returning >0.10% DTR Ni, including two at 0.14% DTR Ni.
Mineral tenure at the Advocate Property was expanded by ~91.5 km² to a total of 210.5 km², with all licenses transferred to direct FPX ownership, although vendor Shoreline Exploration retains a contractual interest. The project operates under a 60/40 joint venture with JOGMEC, which holds the ability to obtain a 60% interest and has funded 60% of expenditures to date.
FPX Nickel Corp. released an incremental exploration update following the August 2026 announcement of its inaugural drill program. The results confirmed visible awaruite in all Birchy North holes, validating the geological model and metallurgical assumptions regarding magnetic separation recovery, though quantitative grade-thickness results were not yet provided.
The company also expanded the Wolverine Target footprint and initiated a new drill program, demonstrating consistent exploration momentum within what is expected to be a multi-year campaign. No material financial impact, financing, or strategic partnership changes were disclosed, with the news aligning with prior expectations and maintaining the exploration pipeline without altering near-term capital requirements or the project timeline.
FPX Nickel Corp. (FPX) is a pre-revenue junior explorer focused on sulphur-free, nickel-iron awaruite (Ni3Fe) deposits. Its flagship asset is the Baptiste Nickel Project in central British Columbia, a large-scale greenfield discovery covering 453 km². The company completed a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) for the project in September 2023.
The PFS outlines a 29-year mine life with an after-tax net present value (NPV) of $2.01 billion USD at an 8% discount rate. The study projects an internal rate of return (IRR) of 18.6%, a payback period of 3.7 years, and C1 operating costs of $3.70 per pound of nickel. Production is expected to average 132 million pounds of nickel annually, processed via bulk-tonnage open-pit mining and magnetic separation or flotation.
In addition to Baptiste, FPX holds the Advocate Property in Newfoundland and the Klow Property in British Columbia, both of which host awaruite mineralization similar to that found at Baptiste. The company notes that its sulphur-free mineralization and direct connection to the BC Hydro grid could result in one of the lowest carbon-intensity nickel production profiles globally, as no intermediate smelting is required.