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Element 25 Limited (E25 or Company) (ASX: E25; OTCQX: ELMTF) is pleased to provide an update in relation to it’s planned construction of a high-purity manganese sulphate (HPMSM) refinery in Louisiana USA to supply domestic HPMSM to the US electric vehicle battery industry.
Element 25 Managing Director Justin Brown said: “E25 aims to be a leading source of high quality, vertically integrated, traceable and ESG and IRA-compliant battery material to the global electric vehicle industry. Construction of our HPMSM facility in the USA – the first of its kind there – is a key pillar to the strategic plan which aims to position E25 as the industry leading provider of high quality ethically sourced battery-grade manganese to support global electrification efforts.
Engineering Development
Basic engineering packages for specific sections of the plant are being generated by equipment vendors. Design development of the balance of the processing facility is progressing. The project engineers have developed an initial project execution plan, procurement plan and other foundational elements, which are being reviewed. Project controls are being developed to manage cost and schedule.
Figure 1. 3D engineering model development for Louisiana HPMSM refinery.
Schedule
The project schedule has been developed, incorporating all facets of the project, including engineering, permitting, project financing and construction. Commencement of construction and commissioning are under review pending the execution of binding terms on the project site, in addition to the conclusion of project financing activities and a Final Investment Decision by E25’s Board of Directors to commence construction (FID).
The current schedule development provides for approximately 80 weeks of project build time based on the current critical path, however is being reviewed with the aim of compressing construction timelines.
The current timeline assumes no material interruptions to project development once construction commences due to procurement, procurement delays or weather-related disruptions.
Project Site Selection
Discussions continue with the owners of the preferred project site with the intention of combining land, sulphuric acid and ancillary services into the commercial terms. The principal reagent required by the Element 25 HPMSM process is sulphuric acid, and securing reliable supply at competitive commercial terms is an important aspect of the site selection process. Other considerations include inbound and outbound logistics and site permitting requirements. Site-specific engineering activities are currently paused pending finalisation of these commercial agreements.
Permitting
Air Permit
The air permit is a key requirement to commence facility construction. Any source, including a temporary source, which emits or has the potential to emit any air contaminant (defined as particulate matter, dust, fumes, gas, mist, smoke, or vapour, or any combination thereof produced by the process(es) other than natural) requires an air permit. As part of the permitting process, Element 25 has completed a detailed assessment of expected emissions from the HPMSM refinery and provided this information along with supporting documentation to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ).
A draft permit has been issued, and comments have been provided to the regulator. The final stage of the permitting process is a public meeting, currently scheduled to be held on 18 April 2024 to be held in the local community centre close to the proposed project site.
The LDEQ Office of Environmental Services will conduct a public hearing in order to receive comments on the proposed Initial Part 70 Air Operating Permit and the associated Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS) for Element 25 (Louisiana) LLC, being the operator of the site. It is anticipated that the final permit will be issued during May 2024 at the conclusion of this process.
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This article includes content from Element 25 Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
E25:AU
Infill Drilling Completed at Butcherbird Targeting Reserve Extension to Support Expansion
Current reserves are based around mineral resources within granted mining lease M52/1074, of which less than half has been drilled to a sufficient density to meet the requirements for measured and indicated classifications. The balance is classified as inferred. The additional drilling will provide infill data to better define and potentially convert these areas to indicated or measured categories to support the re-estimation of mine reserves. The increase in the “reserve tail” will support project financing activities with NAIF and other potential financiers who are currently undertaking project expansion due diligence2.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 207 percussion drill holes have been completed for 6,202m targeting infill of existing inferred resources.
- All samples have been dispatched to Bureau Veritas for assay with results pending.
Figure 1: Aerial photograph of the resource infill drilling rig with support vehicles and personnel.
The Project hosts a global resource of over 260Mt of manganese ore3 however the current reserves are limited to the areas which have been drilled out to measured and indicated classifications which are required as the basis for a statement of reserves. The current drilling programme was designed to infill existing inferred resources to a sufficient data density, based on variographic analysis, to convert the inferred resources within granted mining lease M52/1074 to indicated and/or measured.
The additional drilling information, combined with historical data, will be used to recalculate the resource base to support a recalculation of the proved and probable reserves to support project financing activities for the Butcherbird Expansion Project by increasing the “reserve tail”. Samples have been submitted for assay with results pending.
Figure 2: Drillhole collar location plan summarising existing and proposed drillhole collar locations.
Element 25 Managing Director Justin Brown said:
“This drilling programme will allow the global resource at Butcherbird to be recalculated with a higher degree of certainty which is expected to result in a signification conversion of inferred resources to measured and indicated classifications to increase the reserve tail in support of the planned ramp up to 1.1Mt production rates.”
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This article includes content from Element 25 Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Element 25 Extends Share Purchase Plan
- Extension of Element 25 Share Purchase Plan with revised closing date, Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 5:00pm AWST.
- Funds raised from the Share Purchase Plan will enable the Company to progress its current prime projects at the Butcherbird mine site (located in the southern Pilbara region of Western Australia), as part of the Butcherbird Stage 2 Expansion Project, as well as continuing to support the high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) project to be built in Louisiana, USA in partnership with General Motors LLC and Stellantis NV.
- Shareholders can request an electronic copy of their personalised Share Purchase Plan form via Element 25’s share registry, Automic Group.
Element 25 has been made aware by shareholders that postal deliveries relating to the SPP have taken longer than anticipated. The extension of the SPP will allow eligible shareholders additional time to consider their position and provide sufficient time to submit their applications and payment.
Under the SPP, the Company will offer eligible shareholders, who were registered shareholders as at 5:00pm (AWST) on Monday, 20 May 2024 (Record Date) the opportunity to apply for up to $30,000 of new fully paid ordinary shares (New Shares). New Shares will be issued at $0.27 per share, equivalent to a 14% discount to the volume weighted average price (VWAP) of Element 25 shares over the last five trading days prior to the announcement of the SPP1.
A revised indicative timetable with the new closing date for the SPP is as follows:
REVISED SPP TIMETABLE
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This article includes content from Element 25 Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
E25 Investigates Butcherbird Restart Options Amid Record High Manganese Ore Prices
HIGHLIGHTS
- Manganese ore prices rise to four-year highs to U$8.30/dmtu for 44% cif Tianjin, China1.
- E25 operations team and Board investigating opportunities to process ROM and low-grade stockpiles at Butcherbird.
- If operationally feasible, ore production at current prices presents an opportunity to generate short-term cash flow.
GEMCO’s Groote Eylandt Mine typically produces more than 6M tonnes of high-grade manganese ore a year, and damage to the mine’s haul road and ship loading facilities from Tropical Cyclone Megan in March 2024 has resulted in a forecast supply disruption of up to twelve months. GEMCO is currently targeting a production restart in Q3 2025.2
Figure 1: Manganese ore index – Yuan/dmtu Tianjin Port1. Butcherbird Expansion Feasibility Study parameters also shown3.
The loss of GEMCO supply coupled with political instability in South Africa has resulted in a significant and rapid increase in manganese ore prices due to increased competition for available supply. This presents an opportunity to potentially sell stockpiles that are of a lower grade, preventing their previous sale at lower prices but which may be profitable to ship now.
Additionally, ROM stockpiles that have been mined but not yet processed are available at site. The cost structure of a restart is not currently defined, however E25’s Board recognises the potential opportunity of selling existing product stockpiles and/or recommencing the processing of ROM stockpiles at Butcherbird to produce material for sale at current elevated prices. If viable, these activities will occur in parallel with and will not impact the expansion plans for the Butcherbird Project. E25 suspended Butcherbird production in early 2024 during a period of depressed ore prices while readying for an upgrade of facilities to achieve a nominal 1.1Mpta manganese concentrate production, as outlined in a Feasibility Study completed on January 20243.
The expansion of Butcherbird production aligns with E25’s strategy to produce high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) at a facility planned to be built in Louisiana, USA, in partnership with global automakers General Motors LLC and Stellantis NV4.
Element 25 Managing Director Justin Brown said:
“A potential restart of Butcherbird’s processing operations at these increased manganese ore prices on a de-risked basis may be an ideal opportunity to monetise existing stockpiles and generate short-term cashflow. E25 looks forward to updating the market further as these investigations are completed and we will continue to monitor ore markets in the meantime to optimise any potential opportunities that may arise.”
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This article includes content from Element 25 Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
