North Atlantic Titanium Corp. (CSE: NATO) (OTCQB: NATQ.F) (FSE: Y33) has submitted applications for drilling permits for its diamond drill program at the Everett Titanium-Vanadium-Phosphate project near Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The company announced that its Quebec environmental consultants have fully filed the Permit for forestry activities (PAF) and the Permit for Work with Impact (ATI) for the drilling campaign on behalf of the company and Romaine River Titanium Inc., from which North Atlantic Titanium holds the 2,406-hectare Everett property under option.
The drilling plans focus on confirming historical diamond drilling conducted in 1951 and 1968 in the northern area of the exposed Everett Oxide Body. The program totals approximately 25,000 meters across 20 drill pads, to be completed in three years or less. According to the company, forest impacts are minimal because the work mostly involves brushing out historical drill trails for access. The trails will provide access to both the north and south areas of the 2.5-kilometer-long exposure of the Everett Oxide Body. Diamond drilling will proceed in success-contingent stages to test the northern area, leading to a mineral resource estimate (MRE). Drilling depths are expected to be less than 350 meters, as described in the ATI application, and all drilling sites will be accessed by the trails prepared during this year's forestry permit.
Dwayne Yaretz, CEO of North Atlantic Titanium, stated: "Metallurgical results from the ongoing Elements08 metallurgical testing reinforce the Company's strategy to advance a secure, domestic critical minerals processing supply chain in Canada - supporting defense readiness and the reshoring of Western titanium metal production. Work under this ATI permit application will define our technical program and follow-up drilling for the next 18 to 24 months."
The company previously joined Romaine River in a collaboration with the Centre technologique des residus industriels (CTRI), Impact Global Solutions (IGS), and Corem in support of metallurgical testing at the Everett project. The program is managed by the Elements08 Strategic Metals Excellence Centre, partly funded by the Government of Quebec.
The Everett project is part of North Atlantic Titanium's focus on developing a domestic critical minerals supply chain for titanium, vanadium, and phosphate. The company also holds a 100-percent interest in the Sleeping Giant South project in the Abitibi greenstone belt. The importance of this announcement lies in the potential to secure a domestic source of titanium feedstocks, which are critical for defense and aerospace applications, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains. The three-year drilling program could lead to a mineral resource estimate, advancing the project toward development and supporting Western titanium metal production.
