North Atlantic Titanium Corp. (CSE: NATO) (OTCQB: NATQ.F) (FSE: Y33) has released further details regarding its submission for drilling permits at the Everett Titanium-Vanadium-Phosphate project near Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The company plans a 25,000-meter drilling program focused on the northern portion of the Everett oxide body, following promising mineralogical characterization results from Corem, a Quebec-based applied research center specializing in mineral processing.
The Corem analysis of a composite metallurgical sample from 57 sites across the Everett oxide body found that approximately 99% of oxide minerals consist of high-quality hemo-ilmenite, characterized by very low magnesium, manganese, and aluminum impurities. The composite sample graded 37.0% Fe2O3, 17.4% TiO2, 0.18% V2O5, and 2.27% P2O5. Importantly, the Everett deposit is distinct from the nearby Lac Tio mine, the world's largest hard-rock ilmenite deposit. Unlike Lac Tio, which is a massive hemo-ilmenite cumulate, Everett is hosted in an oxide-apatite-gabbronorite with lower magnesium content and potential for multiple by-products, including vanadium, phosphate, and possible scandium credits.
The company is awaiting permits from Quebec authorities, including a Permit for Forestry Activities (PAF) and a Permit for Work with Impact (ATI). The drilling plan is divided into two stages. Stage 1, comprising 6,000 meters of widely spaced drilling between sections 9N and 19N, aims to delineate the oxide body limits and collect samples for assay and metallurgical analysis. Stage 2, contingent on success, will involve approximately 19,000 meters of infill drilling to define a Mineral Resource Estimate. Stage 1 drilling is expected to begin upon ATI approval, with Stage 2 likely starting in late winter 2026-27.
CEO Dwayne Yaretz stated, "Metallurgical results 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." The Everett project lies only 3 km from the Lac Tio mine, which supplies about 19% of global titanium dioxide feedstock demand via Rio Tinto's operations.
The company holds the 2,406-hectare Everett property under option from Romaine River Titanium Inc. The project is part of a broader collaboration with the Elements08 Strategic Metals Excellence Centre, funded by the Government of Quebec. The drilling targets an oxide body that remains open along strike to the north and south and down-dip, spanning over 6 km of strike length within the Lac Allard Anorthosite intrusion.
North Atlantic Titanium Corp. is focused on developing the Everett project as a secure domestic source of critical minerals, aiming to produce high-quality titanium feedstocks with potential coproducts of vanadium and phosphate. The company also holds a 100% interest in the Sleeping Giant South project in the Abitibi greenstone belt.
