Scandinavian gets Keivitsa study

A new resource estimate on the Keivitsa nickel-copper deposit in Finnish Lapland will pave the way for a prefeasibility study.

Owner Scandinavian Gold (SGL-T) engaged South African consulting firm Lower Quartile Solutions for the estimate, which includes figures for resources to 300-metre and 1,000-metre vertical depths. It updates an estimate from 2001, adding 4,185 metres of new drill data.

The measured and indicated resource to 300 metres is 70 million tonnes grading 0.31% nickel, 0.43% copper, 0.01% cobalt, 0.34 gram platinum, 0.22 gram palladium and 0.15 gram gold per tonne. Another 16 million tonnes are inferred, at grades of 0.29% nickel, 0.49% copper, 0.01% cobalt, 0.24 gram platinum, 0.18 gram palladium and 0.15 gram gold per tonne. Both figures were based on a cutoff grade of 0.2% nickel.

Calculated down to 1,000 metres, the measured and indicated resource grows to 141 million tonnes grading 0.3% nickel, 0.42% copper, 0.01% cobalt, 0.28 gram platinum, 0.18 gram palladium and 0.12 gram gold per tonne. Another 291 million tonnes are inferred, grading 0.29% nickel, 0.46% copper, 0.01% cobalt, 0.12 gram platinum, 0.09 gram palladium and 0.09 gram gold per tonne.

A prefeasibility study is scheduled to be complete in March, and the company also says it expects to submit applications for mining and environmental permits then.