First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt Corp. (TSXV: FAN) (OTCQB: FANCF) (FSE: P210) reported that drill hole XL-26-16 at its wholly owned Pipestone XL Nickel-Cobalt Alloy Project in central Newfoundland intersected large-grain, visibly disseminated awaruite over its entire 525-meter drilled length and ended in mineralization. The hole, the deepest drilled to date at Pipestone XL, was completed approximately 445 meters south of the Alloy Max discovery hole XL-26-15 and showed higher visual awaruite abundance and more frequent coarser grains. The two holes have confirmed approximately 445 meters of strike within the roughly 4-kilometer Alloy Max target, leaving the majority of the zone untested along strike and at depth.
According to the company, observations from XL-26-16 also showed awaruite abundance, consistency, and grain size increasing as magnetite decreased, prompting the company to reinterpret regional magnetic surveys for potential expansion of the Alloy Max and RPM zones. Drilling is continuing at Alloy Max, the second large-scale awaruite zone identified at Pipestone XL, which spans the 30-kilometer Pipestone Ophiolite Complex. The company is developing its ONSHORE MAX(TM) process to concentrate Pipestone XL awaruite without smelting, roasting, or high-pressure acid leaching and is also evaluating secondary chromium mineralization and low-carbon Engineered Mineral Hydrogen in partnership with VEMA Hydrogen.
The Pipestone XL project is a critical mineral exploration project in Newfoundland and Labrador, covering the entire 30-kilometre Pipestone Ophiolite Complex. Multiple zones, including RPM, Alloy Max, Super Gulp, Atlantic Lake, and Chrome Pond, contain awaruite (Ni₃Fe), a naturally occurring magnetic nickel-iron-cobalt alloy of approximately 77% nickel with no sulphur and no sulphides, along with secondary chromium mineralization. Awaruite's sulphur-free composition removes acid mine drainage risk, while its magnetic properties enable processing through magnetic separation and flotation, eliminating the electricity requirements, emissions, and environmental impacts of conventional smelting, roasting, or high-pressure acid leaching, while reducing dependence on overseas nickel processing infrastructure.
The U.S. Geological Survey recognized awaruite's strategic importance in its 2012 Annual Report on Nickel, noting that these deposits may help alleviate prolonged nickel concentrate shortages since the natural alloy is much easier to concentrate than typical nickel sulphide. In 2026, initial metallurgical test work using the company's ONSHORE MAX process upgraded RPM Zone material into a high-grade alloy concentrate averaging 67.4% nickel and grading up to 71.9% nickel and 1.76% cobalt, demonstrating a smelter-free, mine-to-refinery pathway. First Atlantic is a member of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium.
The company is also advancing a parallel geologic hydrogen initiative at Pipestone XL, where the same serpentinization process that formed awaruite also generates natural hydrogen, and has signed a letter of intent with VEMA Hydrogen to jointly develop low-carbon Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH) through a proposed 50/50 joint venture. The Pipestone XL project is located near existing infrastructure with year-round road access and proximity to hydroelectric power, providing favorable logistics for exploration and future development and strengthening First Atlantic's role to establish a secure and reliable source of North American nickel and cobalt production for the stainless steel, electric vehicle, aerospace, and defense industries. This mission gained importance when the U.S. added nickel to its critical minerals list in 2022, recognizing it as a non-fuel mineral essential to economic and national security with a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.
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