Nord Precious Metals’ Frank Basa on Unlocking 29 New Silver Veins

What began as a modest exploration program in Ontario’s storied Cobalt Camp has evolved into something far more expansive. Frank Basa, CEO and Chairman of Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. (TSXV: NTH | OTCQB: CCWOF), revealed that what the company initially believed to be 10 veins of mineralization has now tripled. “It turned out we have 29 of them, which was a very large surprise,” Basa explained. “Now we’re going to do another 30,000 meters of drilling, and in the process of following up on these veins, we might end up hitting a lot more.” He noted that Nord intends to release a 3D model to demonstrate just how much larger the system is than first imagined.The company is no stranger to discovery. Nord operates the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp, integrating high-grade silver discovery with the recovery of strategic metals. Its flagship Castle property covers 63 square kilometers, encompassing the past-producing Castle Mine and the Castle East discovery, where drilling has outlined 7.56 million ounces of silver in Inferred resources grading an average of 8,582 g/t Ag (250.2 oz/ton). “It’s a combination of very high-grade silver—we have assays up to 89,000 g/t silver—and a lot of cobalt, copper, nickel,” Basa said. “We have the ability to recover all the precious metals, including gold, which has also shown up.”A critical element of Nord’s strategy lies in its proprietary Re-2Ox hydrometallurgical process, which Basa says took six years and $8 million to develop. “We were able to produce cobalt sulfate on-spec for the Asian market, and of course, we also recovered silver first,” he recalled. From just a 20-ton waste sample, Nord poured a 1,000-ounce silver bar while simultaneously producing cobalt sulfate. This dual-track process underscores what Basa calls the company’s unique positioning: “Silver, gold, and we can also recover the critical metals that are part of the vein structure.”Silver, however, remains front and center. Basa described the Castle property as the priority asset. “Castle was actually the highest-grade silver mine when Agnico operated in the camp,” he noted. “Their underground grades were anywhere from 32 to 80 ounces a ton—silver only. Extremely high-grade mines in the camp. So hopefully we’ll follow in those footsteps and actually produce product—silver and critical metals.”In September, Nord announced that it had advanced its Recovery Permit application with the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines, receiving formal guidance that outlines an expedited pathway for processing material not only from its own properties but also from neighboring ones. “The province created a pathway whereby you can get a permit in 80 days, which is unheard of anywhere in the world,” Basa said. The plan is to reprocess high-grade tailings—historically running between 4 and 10 ounces of silver per ton—using a gravity plant the company has already purchased.“Hopefully that will start next year,” Basa said. “We’ve initiated the process of getting the permit, we’ll be hiring an environmental consultant, and hopefully we’ll be able to start producing revenue next year.”The implications extend beyond Nord’s own operations. The Ontario Ministry confirmed that toll processing can be included in Nord’s permit application, effectively positioning the company’s Temiskaming Testing Labs facility as a district-scale hub for legacy tailings recovery. “The Ministry’s guidance on toll processing validates our hub-and-spoke model at the regulatory level,” Basa stated in the news release. “In an era where strategic mineral security requires domestic midstream infrastructure, we’re demonstrating that substantial value exists in our own industrial heritage.”