"Suggest that if NOT offers to move the chromite mining commencement sooner than 5 yrs the FNs would be more than receptive."

I doubt it. I think that timing is not the issue with natives. Fore most they are after a piece of the chromite pie. Nickel too, but that is smaller and shorter in time so little is said about it.

Chromite can not proceed forward at nearly the same time frame as Noront's nickel ore because the necessary infrastructures are much further delayed in time and money. Also by natives focusing more on chromite and wanting appeasement are in fact delaying it further. So it is no accident, nor just a Noront decision, to pursue chromite as much as five years later. Circumstances dictate that, and five years is already fairly optimistic from today's perspective of events.

KWG and Noront partnership is with respect to chromite and the nickel play is a side issue not involving KWG. What little involvment KWG has with Noront's nickel is only that they will likely share underground access to their ores.
So until the chromite issues are resolved in some manner there is very little possibility for a merge between Noront and KWG ( though I think it will happen some day).

I happen to think that there is already enough interest in progressing on Nickel ore mine, it is just a matter of time as to when basic infrastructure is in place to make it a go. That infrastructure is mostly the east-west road. Once that road is announced, or at the latest partly completed, funds for the nickel mine will surface very quickly ( ex. Bao for commitment to forward sell nickel).
By that time also some means of electrical power generation locally, or delivery, will also come into being.

What worries me now with the chromite asset sale being settled is, will the natives protest consolidation by other means, such as blockades. No I do not expect Webequie to be on that side but those who are possibly by-passed with respect to the north-south corridor and resource sharing. I think many of you have a good idea as to which communities are likely to protest, question is how, when and excuse.

So we step out of the fire and back into the frying pan. It never ends. Good luck to all and patience. Cheers, Ed.