Company Behind Planned Aitkin Co. Nickel Mine Receives $114M for Processing Plant

A proposed underground nickel mine in Aitkin County may be one step closer to becoming a reality.

Talon Metals Corp. recently announced that its subsidiary, Talon Nickel, was one of 20 companies to receive a portion of the $2.8 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The aim of the law is to bring manufacturing and processing of batteries for electric vehicles and the electric grid stateside.

The money received, $114 million, is said to go toward a new processing plant located in Mercer County, North Dakota. This amount is reported to be 27% of the total project cost. Talon states they are still in negotiations to purchase the site in North Dakota for the processing facility.

The nickel for this processing facility will come from the Tamarack mine in central Minnesota, but the processing will take place in North Dakota. Talon says that by moving the processing facilities from Minnesota, land disturbances will be reduced along with the scope of the environmental review and permitting.

Permitting processes for the facilities have not begun in either state. Talon anticipates the nickel mine will open in 2026.