First Nickel Reports Financial and Operating Results for the Three and Six Month Periods Ended June 30, 2014

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug 11, 2014) - First Nickel Inc. ("FNI" or the "Company") (TSX:FNI) announces its results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. The Company's unaudited condensed interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the period have been filed on SEDAR and will be available at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.fnimining.com. This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited condensed interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the period ended June 30, 2014. This news release contains forward-looking information that is subject to the risks and assumptions set out in our cautionary statement on forward-looking information, which is located at the end of this news release. (All dollar amounts herein are in Canadian funds unless otherwise indicated.)

KEY DETAILS - SECOND QUARTER OF 2014

• Production: The Lockerby Mine produced 3.1 million pounds of contained nickel and 1.7 million pounds of contained copper during the three months ended June 30, 2014 and 5.8 million pounds of contained nickel and 3.3 million pounds of contained copper for the first half of the year.
• Revenue: Revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014 was $21.5 million and $38.3 million, respectively.
• Total cash production costs¹: Total cash production costs were $12.3 million and $25.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, or $7.55 and $7.94 per GMV-net pound of nickel produced, respectively.
• May 6^th accident: The investigation was completed, including an independent engineering and safety report. The accident scene was returned to the Company and mining resumed on that level on July 24.
• Development: Ramp development to the 68 Level was completed early in January and lateral development totaled 496 metres and 1,028 metres for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively.
• Net loss: The Company had a net loss of $0.9 million and $10.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively.
• Liquidity: At June 30, 2014, the unrestricted cash balance was $2.2 million and the Company had US$1.0 million available to draw under the BNS credit facility.
• The Company's debt facilities will mature in March 2015, creating a current-account deficit on the balance sheet at June 30, 2014. The Company continues in discussion with its principal shareholders regarding the possible refinancing or extension of the debt before its maturity.

Summary of Financial and Operating Results

In the three months ended June 30, 2014, the Company reported revenue of $21.5 million, total cash production costs of $12.3 million and a net loss of $0.9 million.

The Company reported revenue of $38.3 million, total cash production costs of $25.1 million and a net loss of $10.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014.

Under the Company's gross-metal-value ("GMV") ore-processing agreement with Glencore Canada Corporation (the "GMV Agreement"), the Company is paid for accountable gross metal value, which is based on the contained metal, multiplied by a specified percentage that is determined based on the average nickel grade of the ore delivered. There are no specifically-identified processing costs under the GMV Agreement given that the specified GMV percentage results in revenues that are paid and recorded net of processing costs. The GMV Agreement was adopted effective July 1, 2013, and the predecessor agreement (the "Original Agreement") required different accounting for revenues and cost of sales, which affects the comparability of certain financial statement elements between the current period and the comparative period of 2013.

¹ For additional information, see Non-IFRS Financial Measures section.

Under the GMV Agreement, ore-treatment costs are not included in the cost of goods sold, but are netted against nickel and by-product revenues. All things being equal, the accounting in the current period under the GMV Agreement would result in lower revenue, lower cost of goods sold and lower by-product revenue than prior-period accounting under the Original Agreement.

The following table presents the unaudited statements of comprehensive loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014:

Lockerby Mine Operating Results

Safety, Health & Environment

The Company's directors, management, employees and contractors continue to place the highest priority on safety, health, and the environment. The Lockerby Mine had three lost-time incidents, including the May 6^th accident, and six medical-aid incidents during the six months ended June 30, 2014.

On May 6, 2014, an accident occurred at the Lockerby Mine involving a fall of material and the deaths of two contract production drillers. The Company responded to the accident by following established protocols and emphasizing transparent communication within the bounds of those protocols, as well as counselling and supporting the families of the deceased, employees and the local community. The Ontario Ministry of Labour ("MOL") suspended Lockerby underground operations immediately following the accident and, after its initial investigation, on May 8, 2014 released the suspension for all areas except for the level on which the accident had occurred, which was an under-fill heading on the 65-2 level of the mine.

The Company actively cooperated with the MOL to determine a method to safely allow workers to re-enter the 65-2 level. Although not ordered to do so by the MOL, the Company suspended its under-fill operations in all areas of the mine after the accident, until it could be satisfied that workers would not be put at risk. After consulting with outside engineers, the Company has developed a plan to resume work on the 65-2 level and other under-fill headings in a way that ensures the safety of all workers. On July 17, 2014, the MOL released the accident scene to the Company and, on July 18, 2014, the MOL released the 65-2 level for mining.

Production

Monthly production is based on the quantity of crushed ore delivered to Glencore and the average grade of nickel and other contained metals, which is established by an agreed-upon third-party laboratory.

In the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, the Lockerby Mine produced 3.1 million pounds and 5.8 million pounds of contained nickel and 1.7 million pounds and 3.3 million pounds of contained copper, respectively. Contained nickel production in the second quarter of 2014 is above the second quarter of 2013 by 24%, mainly reflecting a 17% increase in average nickel head grades mined during the respective periods, combined with a 5% increase in ore tonnes produced.

Production of 3.1 million contained nickel pounds during the three months ended June 30, 2014 represents a 13% increase in nickel production over the first quarter of the year, reflecting higher tonnes produced (by 5%) combined with higher average nickel grades (by 7%). Despite this upward trend during the first two quarters of 2014, as a result of the suspension of mining activities on the 65-2 Level following the May 6, 2014 accident, approximately 12,800 tonnes of ore production from the 65 Level were removed from second-quarter production, including approximately 8,000 tonnes postponed to future quarters and the permanent removal from the production plan of 4,800 tonnes in stope 65-1W. This impact reduced second-quarter production by approximately 0.3 million contained nickel pounds and 0.2 million contained copper pounds. Nickel production in the second quarter was also affected by higher ore dilution experienced in stopes 68-1W and 65-3E, and by lower grades than projected by the block model in stope 68-1W.

On July 18, 2014, the MOL released the 65-2 level for underground mining operations. Nickel production in the second half of 2014 is expected to be higher than the first half of the year based on the resumption of access to the 65-2 Level and the expected recovery of part of the postponed production from the second quarter. As a result, production of nickel in 2014 is expected to be at the lower end of the guidance range for 2014 (see the "Outlook for 2014" section).

In the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, 58,880 tonnes and 114,922 tonnes of ore were mined at Lockerby, producing approximately 1.6 million pounds and 3.2 million pounds of GMV-net payable nickel, at an average head grade of 2.37% and 2.30%, respectively, and approximately 0.9 million pounds and 1.8 million pounds of GMV-net payable copper at an average head grade of 1.32% and 1.30%, respectively.

Revenue

The Company recorded total revenue of $21.5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2014, compared with total revenue of $15.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2013. Revenues in the second quarter of 2014 show a significant increase over the prior-year period, partly reflecting higher nickel production, with contained nickel pounds produced approximately 24% above the prior-year period, combined with higher average realized nickel prices in the second quarter of 2014 (higher by approximately 17%). In the current year, foreign-currency translation gains, related to weaker average Canadian-US dollar exchange rates, contributed to higher values for revenues presented in Canadian dollars. Revenues of $38.3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2014 are below the $41.8 million comparative figure reported in the first half of 2013, reflecting slightly lower tonnes processed and lower average nickel and copper grades in the current year. Comparisons of current-year revenues for the second quarter and first half of 2014 to the prior-year periods are affected by accounting changes under the GMV Agreement, which affect the comparability to prior-period revenues and results in lower current-year values for revenue recorded under the GMV Agreement compared to lower gross revenues recorded under the Original Agreement in the prior-year period.

The amendment to the Glencore ore-processing agreement and adoption of a GMV Agreement in the second half of 2013 resulted in revenues that were recorded net of the deduction of processing costs and other GMV deductions (as described in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2013). Revenues under the Original Agreement in the prior-year comparable period were recorded gross of processing costs. Revenues recorded under the Original Agreement in the prior year were also affected by volume adjustments, following milling by Glencore. Estimated grade was determined by the Lockerby geology department and, in the event that the Glencore milling results returned a different grade than the Company's' estimated grade, a quantity adjustment was made to revenue in the statement of comprehensive loss in the period in which the new information became available.

The Company may from time to time enter into forward sales agreements to mitigate provisional pricing exposure to changing nickel and copper prices. For additional information, see the "Forward sales agreements" heading in this section.

¹ For the purposes of this press release, year-to-date revenue includes pre-production capitalized revenue.

Total cash production costs³

Cash production costs are a non-IFRS measure that is based on the cost of goods sold less by-product revenues. Cash production costs in the three and six months ended June 30, 2014 were $12.3 million and $25.1 million respectively, which is below the respective prior-year amounts by $0.5 million and $2.6 million, mainly reflecting the exclusion of treatment costs from underlying current-year cost of sales, as described above, partially offset by lower by-product revenue, by $1.6 million and $4.1 million, respectively. The economic impact of by-product credits in the second quarter of 2014 is based chiefly on the production of 1.7 million contained copper pounds, which is 19% higher than the 1.4 million contained copper pounds produced during the prior-year comparative period. The increase in copper by-product production is partially offset by the 6% drop in realized copper prices from the second quarter of 2013 (average realized price of $3.24 per pound) to the second quarter of 2014 (average of $3.06 per pound realized). Despite the 19% increase in contained copper pounds, partially offset by a 6% reduction in average realized price, by-product revenues recorded in the second quarter of 2014 are below the prior-year period by 26%, which demonstrates the revenue impact of accounting changes related to the GMV Agreement, whereby the reporting of by-product revenues is net of GMV deductions (as described in the "Revenue" heading above).

On a unit basis, cash production costs per GMV-net pound were $7.55 in the second quarter and $7.94 in the first half of 2014, which is significantly above the Company's full-year guidance range, partly reflecting the volume impact of lower GMV-net nickel production in the quarter and half-year periods, which results in a smaller denominator in the calculation of per- pound costs, together with the impact of higher cash production costs during the second quarter and first six months of 2014, as discussed above. Cash production costs in the second half of 2014 are expected to be lower than the first half. However, higher energy costs during the first quarter, combined with the May 6^th accident and the volume impact of resultant postponed production contribute to an expectation that cash production costs per pound for the full year will exceed the Company's current guidance (see the "Outlook for 2014" section).

³ For additional information, see Non-IFRS Financial Measures section.

As disclosed in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2013, the change in accounting treatment generated by the GMV Agreement also resulted in a change to the Company's performance metrics, in order to ensure that the Company's performance is comparable to prior periods. Prior to the third quarter of 2013, the Company's performance metrics included payable nickel and copper, total cash production costs, and cash production costs per pound of payable nickel produced. Under the GMV Agreement, the Company's performance metrics will include contained nickel and copper, net-GMV nickel and copper payable pounds, total cash production costs, and cash production costs per net-GMV pound of nickel produced. See the "Outlook for 2014" section for details about operational metrics, and the manner in which the economic performance of the Lockerby Mine under the GMV Agreement may be compared to prior periods. Given the change to the Glencore processing agreement in mid-2013, comparisons to second-quarter 2013 cash production costs and cash production cost per pound do not yield meaningful analysis.

Exploration

The Company's exploration strategy is focused on base metals and guided by the objectives of increasing resources and reserves in conjunction with the development and/or acquisition of quality projects, resulting in multiple mining operations. Due to the downturn in nickel prices seen through 2013, the Company has not incurred any significant exploration expenditures on its exploration properties since December 31, 2012.

OUTLOOK FOR 2014

The Company's outlook for 2014 is updated as detailed in the table below. Based on the impact of stope sequencing considerations and postponed production resulting from impacts of the May 6, 2014 accident, the Company expects production of nickel and copper to be in the lower ends of the respective ranges for 2014, and mine site operating costs are expected to be at the upper end of the respective range for 2014.

While remaining within their respective original guidance ranges, higher mine site operating costs and lower GMV-net nickel production have the combined impact of increasing cash production costs per GMV-net pound of nickel produced, which are now projected to be within a range of $5.90 to $6.40 per pound for 2014 (increased from the prior guidance range of $5.22 to $5.74).

Guidance for total capital expenditures in 2014 is unchanged, at approximately $7.2 million, although the portion relating to underground development is slightly higher, at approximately $4.0 million (previous guidance was approximately $3.5 million), and this increase is offset by an equal reduction in the portion relating to other capital.

¹ For additional information, see Non-IFRS Financial Measures section Assumptions: Cu per lb US$3.25, CAD/USD 1:1

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses for 2014 are projected to be approximately $4.4 million, not including share-based compensation. Financing costs and exploration expenditures are projected to be approximately $1.8 million and $0.4 million, respectively, in 2014.

Qualified Person

The foregoing scientific and technical information has been prepared or reviewed by Paul C. Davis, P.Geo., Vice-President Exploration of the Company. Mr. Davis is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

The Company follows rigorous quality control practices and procedures in full compliance with National Instrument 43-101, and these are described on the Company's website and in all technical news releases.

About FNI

FNI is a Canadian mining and exploration Company. The Company's mission is to be the most dynamic North American emerging base metal mining Company in which to work and invest and to be respected in the communities in which it operates. FNI owns and operates the Lockerby Mine in the Sudbury Basin in northern Ontario, which reached full production during 2013 and is expected to produce approximately 14 million pounds of contained nickel and approximately 7 million pounds of contained copper in 2014, providing a foundation from which to grow the Company. More than half of FNI's common shares are held by institutional investors. FNI's shares are traded on the TSX under the symbol FNI.

To learn more about the Company please visit www.fnimining.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @FNI_Mining.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release may contain forward-looking information about FNI. Forward-looking information can often be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "budget", "forecast", "estimate", "schedule", "expect", "goal", "intend", "target", "potential", "objective", "may", "plan" or "will" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to: the continued operation of the Lockerby Mine; expectations of obtaining financing in the near term; future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects; the future price of metals; the long term supply and demand for nickel; continuation of exploration activities; mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; the realization of mineral resource estimates; costs of production and key supplies; capital, operating and exploration expenditures; forecasts of sales and production; costs and timing of the development of new and existing deposits; costs and timing of future exploration; the requirements for additional capital; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks, reclamation expenses and/or title disputes or claims.

By its nature, forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, realization of mineral resources, performance or achievements of the Company, financial position or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Accordingly, actual events may differ materially from those implied by any forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date the statements were made and readers are also advised to consider such forward-looking information while considering the risk factors set forth in the management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2013 under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" and under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2013. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures The cash cost per pound of nickel produced, cash cost per net-GMV pound of nickel produced and total production costs are non-IFRS financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and, as a result, may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management uses these statistics to monitor operating costs and profitability, and believes that certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow in addition to conventional IFRS measures. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. On a GMV basis, total cash production costs include mining costs, surface ore-handling and trucking costs, equipment operating lease costs, mine site general and administration costs, environmental costs and Vale royalties, less net-GMV by-product revenue, including forward sales gains and losses, and price adjustments from sales of copper, cobalt and PGE's.