Fortune Minerals Reports Additional Cobalt, Gold & Copper Process Optimization Validation for the NICO Project
22 July 2025
LONDON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fortune Minerals Limited (TSX: FT) (OTCQB: FTMDF) (“Fortune” or the “Company”) (www.fortuneminerals.com) is pleased to report additional process optimization test work validation for the NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper critical minerals project in Canada (“NICO Project”). The test work was completed at SGS Canada Inc. (“SGS”) in Lakefield, Ontario and proved additional enhancements to the cobalt, gold and copper circuits and recoveries for the planned Alberta Hydrometallurgical Facility, expanding on the improvements already announced for the mill, concentrator and bismuth circuits (see January 8 and May 9, 2025, news releases). The Process Design Criteria have been compiled and delivered to Worley Canada Services Ltd. (“Worley”) for engineering evaluation and incorporation into the Company’s updated Feasibility Study in progress.
The NICO Project consists of a planned mine and concentrator in the Northwest Territories (“NWT”) and a hydrometallurgical process facility in Lamont County, Alberta where concentrates from the mine, and other feed sources, will be processed to value-added products for the energy transition, new technologies, and defence industries. Development of the NICO Project will provide a reliable North American vertically integrated supply of cobalt sulphate, gold doré, bismuth ingots, and copper cement, thereby enhancing the domestic production of three critical minerals, plus 1.1 million ounces of in-situ gold as a countercyclical co-product to mitigate metal price volatility.