Nickel Creek says it won't complete its preliminary economic assessment until improved financial market conditions and a stronger commodity price market, the company said in a news release yesterday.
The stock traded down to 11 cents. A week ago the stock was at 14 cents.
Nickel Creek, formerly Wellgreen Platinum, is a nickel and platinum group metal project three-hours west of Whitehorse. It is located close to the Alaska Highway.
The company decided to stop work on the PEA after its Phase II Metallurgical Program:
The Company has analysed the impact of this new relationship on the Project. The nickel recovery correlation to sulphur results in a reduction in the average nickel recoveries to levels below those observed in our Phase II Metallurgical Program. By applying the nickel sulphur recovery formula discussed above, the Company estimates that the Project's 2017 stated mineral resource tonnage would be reduced by approximately 10% using a nickel price of US$8.25 per pound (see table below). Given this new understanding, combined with current and projected long term commodity prices and financial market conditions, the Company believes it wouldn't be prudent to complete a PEA until the emergence of improved financial market conditions and a stronger commodity price environment, and notionally not until nickel prices settle in the range of at least US$9.00 to US$11.00 per pound. Any decision at that time will need to factor in all relevant considerations, including but not limited to commodity pricing, mine plan, capital and operating costs, metal recoveries and capital market conditions.
Going forward the company says it will ". . . maintain environmental baseline activities, consider optimization alternatives and investigate other opportunities."
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