History – Peak Nickel

Project

History

1960s

Exploration Ventures Ltd. (EVL)

Exploration Ventures Ltd. (EVL) was a Joint Venture (JV) between Consolidated Goldfields Ltd. and Rio Tinto Zinc formed in the late 1960s. Both companies were exploring for Ni in Northeast Scotland during the late-60s nickel boom, and found themselves competing with each other with various farmers, leading to the decision to cooperate and form the JV.

They split the areas of known basic-ultrabasic intrusions in NE Scotland into two. The area of the JV where Rodburn is located was called “Westside”. EVL drilled about 9000m of core over very wide spaced targets on Westside. Sulphide mineralisation was discovered around two main farms and 4,100m of drilling was completed there, delineating the original, non-compliant mineral resource.

1990s

EVL loses its right to explore

EVL held onto the mineral rights over part of the Rodburn resource for 20 years, but were unable to work again on one of the crucial farms for various reasons. Consequently the area is one of the only known resources from the 1970s that has never had any further work conducted on it through a number of “nickel booms".

2020s

Peak Nickel consolidates the key mineral rights

Having identified the strategic importance of the area, PNL applied for a Mines Royal Option through the Crown Estate, and began field activities at Rodburn in 2021, securing additional rights of access over the crucial areas with Prospecting Agreements. This is the first time that all of the important mineral rights have been unified for 50 years.