Giga Metals, Arca team up on carbon removal at Turnagain nickel project

Giga Metals (TSXV: GIGA), which is advancing the Turnagain nickel project in British Columbia, and Arca Climate Technologies have entered a long-term tailings and waste rock access agreement in partnership with Japan’s Mitsubishi.

The agreement grants Arca an exclusive right to evaluate the potential of the ultramafic waste rock and mine tailings at the Turnagain project to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over a 10-year period. Over that span, Arca will conduct sampling, analysis, pilot-scale testing and techno-economic studies using its proprietary technology.

Arca is one of the first companies commercializing mineralization for the capture and storage of atmospheric CO2 that is supported by scientific research and technology development. The Canadian company was named in 2022 as one of the country’s most investable cleantech ventures.

In 2021, Giga and Arca conducted tests at the University of British Columbia, showing that the Turnagain project has potential for significant mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is absorbed by exposing tailings or other waste rock to the atmosphere. This exposure converts the host rock minerals to carbonate minerals, locking away the CO2 for geological time periods.

The Turnagain deposit hosts minerals including olivine – Mg2SiO4, serpentine – Mg3Si2O5(OH)4, and brucite – Mg(OH)2, which naturally carbonate.

Giga estimates that approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of ultramafic material will be generated at the site once mining commences. Arca’s technologies activate minerals found in ultramafic rock, accelerating a natural geochemical process called carbon mineralization – the transformation of atmospheric CO2 into stable solid mineral form, it said.

Co-benefits related to waste valorization and mine site sustainability are also generated, Arca noted, adding that it estimates that the deployment of its technologies on site will create the lifetime potential to remove up to 220 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. 

The Canadian government’s 2022 Critical Minerals Strategy identified nickel production as a national priority to meet the demands of the energy transition, with the goal of making Canada a global supplier of critical minerals. It also established the Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund, the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Major Projects Office to increase efficiencies.

“As Canada seeks to strengthen our economy and our position as a leading producer of critical minerals, Turnagain stands out as one of the largest undeveloped nickel resources in the country,“ Arca CEO Paul Needham said in a news release.

“By pairing critical minerals development with permanent carbon dioxide removal, Giga Metals and Arca will demonstrate a new mining paradigm with enhanced project economics and broader societal benefit.” 

Giga Metals CEO Scott Lendrum said the focus will be on producing nickel concentrate with high ESG credentials and maximizing the permanent sequestration of carbon dioxide by converting mine waste into reactive sequestration minerals.

“Working with Arca allows us to evaluate emerging technologies that could enhance the environmental and economic performance of the Turnagain project while supporting innovation in the mining sector,” Lendrum said.

By market close in Toronto, Giga Metals’ stock was up 3.7%. The company has a C$17.7 million ($12.7 million) market capitalization.