The fast-tracking of the Crawford Project is expected to grow Canada’s GDP by more than C$70Bn (US$58.5Bn) and Ontario’s GDP by C$67Bn (US$49.6Bn).

Canada Nickel’s Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project is the second project to be designated to advance under Ontario’s One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework. Based on the project’s 2023 bankable feasibility study (BFS), production was expected to be 1.6Mt Ni (34.0%), ~24.0kt Co (0.7%), 490koz Pt and Pd (4.1g/t), 58Mt Fe (55.0%), and 28.1kt Cr (2.6%).

The project incorporates an in-process tailings (IPT) carbonation technology that stores up to 1.5Mtpy of CO2. Under a net zero carbon operation, Crawford would produce low-carbon Ni for use in batteries and steel. In 2024, the Crawford Project submitted an impact assessment statement under Canada’s current federal framework, becoming the first mining project to do so. Probable and proven reserves at the project are estimated at 1.7Bnt ore (0.22% Ni).

The proposed development includes a processing plant for electric vehicle and stainless steel supply chains. Project disclosures estimate an economic contribution of C$70Bn (US$51.8Bn) and direct investment of C$5Bn (US$3.7Bn). Annual output is expected to be 48ktpy Ni, 0.8–24ktpy Co, 13kozpy Pt and Pd, 1.6Mtpy Fe, and 76ktpy Cr. Development activities are still ongoing, with construction of an alloy and stainless steel production facility set to commence in Q4 2028.

Considering the low nickel grade of the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, its future commissioning and sustained operation will need to be closely monitored over the coming years. By comparison, Indonesia’s mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) production utilises low-grade limonite ore, yet this feedstock still averages around 1.1% Ni—notably higher than the 0.22% Ni grade reported for the Crawford project.