Canada Nickel completes carbon sequestration study

Executive Summary

• Canada Nickel Company Inc. successfully completed an in-situ carbon sequestration pilot study at its Crawford nickel project in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin and DOE ARPA-E.
• The pilot demonstrated a third pathway for carbon capture, distinct from the company's existing IPT carbonation and NetCarb processes, by injecting CO2 directly into the rock mass prior to mining.
• Approximately 12 tonnes of CO2 were successfully sequestered with no surface leakage detected, confirming the viability of the technique for permanent storage and potential reduction of future mining energy costs.

Key Details

• Pilot Outcome: Successfully sequestered 12 tonnes of CO2 at the Crawford nickel project near Timmins, Ont.
• Methodology: In-situ carbon injection pilot conducted prior to mining to precondition and fracture the rock mass.
• Collaborators: Conducted with a team led by Dr. Estibalitz Ukar (University of Texas at Austin), funded by the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy (DOE ARPA-E).
• Timeline: Field test conducted between mid-November and mid-December 2025.
  • Nov 20 - Dec 1: Short-duration injection trials over a 12-day period.
  • Dec 2 - Dec 18: Continuous injection of CO2-saturated water at a constant rate.
• Well Configuration:
  • Single injection well drilled to a depth of 396 m.
  • Well cased to 350 m, establishing an injection interval between 350 m and 396 m.
  • Water sourced from an on-site well.
• Monitoring Infrastructure:
  • 4 water monitoring wells.
  • 12 surface seismic monitoring stations.
  • 3 seismic monitoring boreholes.
• Safety & Integrity Results:
  • All injected CO2 remained dissolved at depth.
  • No upward migration of CO2 gas observed.
  • No significant seismic events (M>1) detected.
  • No CO2 observed emerging from monitoring wells or through the silty sedimentary cover.
  • No surface leakage detected.
  • Preliminary chemical analyses confirm injected water had not reached monitoring wells as predicted by reactive transport modelling.
• Future Plans:
  • Monitoring of seismicity, water chemistry, and potential CO2 leakage will continue for several months.
  • Monitoring wells to be re-entered and sampled in the spring following ground thaw.
  • Area monitored using InSAR satellite measurements.
• Strategic Context:
  • This initiative is independent of the company's IPT carbonation and NetCarb programs.
  • Aims to support the vision of a "Zero-Carbon Industrial Cluster" in the Timmins region.
  • Potential to lower future mining costs by reducing energy intensity for blasting and processing.
  • Turns non-economic ultramafic deposits into valuable assets for carbon removal.

Notable Quotes

• Mark Selby, CEO: "This achievement marks another critical milestone toward realizing a zero-carbon industrial cluster in the Timmins region. By successfully demonstrating a third pathway for utilizing our ultramafic deposits to capture and store carbon... we are expanding the tools available for large-scale decarbonization."
• Dr. Estibalitz Ukar, University of Texas at Austin: "The Crawford in-situ mineralization field test shows that carbon capture doesn't have to be an add-on to mining -- it can be built in from the very beginning... In-situ mineralization allows us to permanently store CO2 while simultaneously reducing mining energy requirements, creating both environmental and economic value."