en.Wedoany.com Reported - Canadian mineral exploration company Homeland Nickel Inc. (TSX-V: SHL) is advancing its nickel laterite project within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon, aiming to develop North America's largest nickel mine. CEO Stephen Balch estimates that the company's Red Flat deposit contains over 300 million pounds of nickel, while the Cleopatra deposit may hold more than 700 million pounds, making it the largest single nickel deposit in the United States by tonnage.
Homeland Nickel is a Toronto-based critical minerals exploration company focused on nickel laterite projects in Oregon and copper-gold projects in Newfoundland, Canada. The company currently holds nine nickel laterite projects in southern Oregon, including Cleopatra, Red Flat, Eight Dollar Mountain, Woodcock Mountain, and Josephine Creek. Among these, the Cleopatra deposit has historical resources of approximately 40 million tonnes at a nickel grade of 0.92%, representing the largest undeveloped nickel resource in the continental United States. The Red Flat deposit has historical resources of 18.8 million tonnes at a nickel grade of 0.84%. The Cleopatra deposit consists of 139 mining claims covering an area of 1,162 hectares (2,872 acres).
In terms of exploration progress, Homeland Nickel and its partner Patriot Nickel Corp received a permit from the U.S. Forest Service in July 2026 to conduct drone-based LiDAR and magnetometer aerial surveys in the Cleopatra and Red Flat areas during the third quarter of 2026. The survey will help refine nickel laterite resource estimates and establish geological models, laying the groundwork for subsequent feasibility studies. The company is also advancing the environmental review process and plans to conduct sonic and auger drilling in the summer of 2026. The first exploration program will drill to a maximum depth of 50 feet to determine bedrock or nickel laterite thickness, while the second program will re-drill approximately 10% of the original exploration work from historical resource estimates to update resources to NI 43-101 standards. A feasibility study is expected to commence in 2027.
CEO Stephen Balch stated that project permitting is progressing smoothly, with the Forest Service's response time having significantly accelerated. Land use determination for the Cleopatra deposit has been approved, while the Red Flat application is under review. Access roads to the Red Flat deposit have been significantly upgraded due to local timber harvesting, while road issues at the Cleopatra deposit are still being assessed. The company is considering using smaller drilling platforms to avoid reliance on helicopter operations.
Currently, global nickel supply is dominated by mines operated by Chinese companies in Indonesia, but the International Energy Agency predicts that global nickel demand will double by 2040, driven by electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel manufacturing. With the only operating nickel mine in the United States, located in Michigan, scheduled to close by 2030, the federal government has included nickel on its list of critical minerals since 2022 for economic and national security reasons. The Trump administration has directed federal agencies to accelerate mining permit approval processes. The project is expected to create up to 1,000 local jobs over the coming decades, with the total value of nickel in the deposit estimated at $6 billion.
