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Blackstone Minerals Limited (“Blackstone” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide an update on drilling at the Company’s flagship Ta Khoa Nickel Project (TKNP) in northern Vietnam.
- Portable XRF records up to 20% Ni at New Massive Sulfide Discovery
- Resource drilling at Ban Chang and King Snake continues to deliver impressive results
New Massive Nickel Sulfide Targets
Blackstone drilling targeting new opportunities within the Ta Khoa district has identified Massive Sulfide Vein (MSV), Semi-Massive Sulfide Vein (SMSV) and Net-textured Sulfide (NTS) mineralisation.
- At the Suoi Phang prospect (refer Figures 2, 3), drill hole SP22-01 has intersected 2.95m of sulfide (including MSV, SMSV and NTS) with Portable XRF readings indicating the presence of up to 20% Ni (refer Table 1, Table 3, Table 4 and Appendix 1)
- At the Suoi Chanh prospect (refer Figure 4), the second drill hole SC22-02 has intersected SMSV consistent with the Blackstone Electromagnetic (EM) targeting.
Resource Drilling
Blackstone has continued to drill its most advanced MSV deposits (Ban Chang & King Snake), primarily focusing on upgrading the current resources (refer ASX announcement 23 December 2021) into a higher confidence category. At King Snake, the most recent drilling indicates potential for the deposit to continue to plunge further west and at depth (refer Image 1, Figure 7, Figure 8 & Table 2).
Highlights from infill drilling at Ban Chang include:
Highlights from infill drilling at King Snake include:
Scott Williamson, Blackstone’s Managing Director, said:
“It is an exciting phase of exploration for the Company as we start to look at massive sulfide opportunities in addition to Blackstone’s established resources at Ban Chang and King Snake. Suoi Chanh is yet another example of our in-house geophysics teams proven track record, with success being achieved from the second drill hole. We look forward to continuing to systematically assess the massive sulfide potential at Ta Khoa.”
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Blackstone Minerals is well-positioned to leverage a projected nickel supply deficit as it strives to become a vertically integrated producer of low-cost, low-carbon, battery-grade nickel. Key to this is Blackstone’s Ta Khoa project in Vietnam, an emerging hub for the electric vehicle market.
Overview
As the world moves closer to a sustainable net-zero future, the need for battery metals continues to mount and nickel may soon be among the metals to see a supply crunch. Though its roots are in the stainless steel sector, it's also a critical component of lithium-ion batteries.
Given that many nations are aiming to replace combustion vehicles with electric cars by 2030, the metal is already experiencing a massive spike in demand. Benchmark Minerals expects the need for battery-grade nickel will increase about 950 percent by 2040.
It's imperative to ramp up global nickel production but the resource sector, for its part, must do so with a much-reduced carbon footprint to influence the sustainability of the entire value chain. Blackstone Minerals (ASX:BSX,OTC:BLSTF,FRA:B9S) recognizes this. As a vertically integrated producer of low-cost, low-carbon nickel, the company aims to become a leading source of low CO2 emission nickel sulphide. Its flagship Ta Khoa project in Vietnam is representative of that goal.
Blackstone Minerals business structure schematic
With over 20 active mines and a burgeoning technology sector, Vietnam is on the road to becoming a hub of electric vehicle production and innovation, with low labor costs and regulated electricity pricing further driving its growth. Steadily increasing foreign direct investment in the region is indicative of this as the country seeks to attract $50 billion in new foreign investment by 2030.
Blackstone is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this, thanks to two factors. US President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which came into force in August 2022, represents the largest investment into climate action in United States history. A similar initiative is rolling out in the European Union (EU), which maintains a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam — something multiple partners of the company have expressed interest in.
Blackstone's Ta Khoa Project consists of two streams, the Ta Khoa Nickel Mine and the Ta Khoa Refinery. Recent milestones point to Blackstone’s commitment to advancing this game-changing project.
These milestones include a memorandum of understanding with Cavico Laos Mining to collaborate in a number of areas associated with CLM’s nickel mine in Lao People's Democratic Republic and supply of nickel products for Blackstone’s Ta Khoa Refinery in Vietnam.
Blackstone also partnered with Arca Climate Technologies to further investigate the carbon capture potential at the Ta Khoa Project through carbon mineralisation, and explore opportunities to utilise Arca’s carbon capture technologies within the project.
In a bid to collaborate on the supply of renewable wind energy to the Ta Khoa Project, Blackstone signed a direct power purchase agreement with Limes Renewables Energy.
Blackstone received AU$2.8 million as an advance from a research & development (R&D) lending fund backed by Asymmetric Innovation Finance and Fiftyone Capital. The advanced payment reflects the significant investment by Blackstone to develop the Ta Khoa Refinery process and Blackstone’s unique strategy to convert nickel concentrate blends into battery products in the form of precursor cathode active material (pCAM).
In December 2023, Blackstone entered into an option agreement with CaNickel Mining to acquire the Wabowden nickel projectlocated in the world-class Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba, Canada.
The Wabowden project will have the potential to fill the Ta Khoa Refinery, removing dependence on third party feed sources.
The company has signed a non-binding MOU with the Development for Resources Environmental Technology joint stock company (DRET) to investigate opportunities to repurpose and trade waste material (or residue) from the Ta Khoa Refinery into construction material products. Moreover, it has also progressed the Ta Khoa Refinery byproduct offtake strategy with Vietnam Chemical Group (VinaChem), PV Chemical and Equipment Corporation (PVChem) and Nam Phong Green Joint Stock Company (Nam Phong) to sell Ta Khoa Refinery byproducts, being manganese sulphate (or epsomite) and sodium sulphate.
As the company plans to build a global nickel business, Blackstone signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Yulho Co. Ltd (Yulho) and EN Plus Co. Ltd (EN Plus) to establish a collaboration across the businesses including EN Plus and Yulho who are in joint venture on the Ntaka Hill nickel sulphide project in Tanzania, and the Dinagat Island nickel laterite project in the Philippines.
Company Highlights
- The global nickel market is currently entering a structural deficit, with demand expected to grow 950 percent by 2040.
- Blackstone Minerals is well-positioned to address this deficit as a vertically integrated producer of low-cost, low-carbon nickel.
- Blackstone's flagship project Ta Khoa is a brownfield project situated in Vietnam, one of the lowest capital cost countries in the world and an emerging hub for the electric vehicle market with vast reserves of nickel.
- Vietnam is an increasingly attractive region for investment with direct foreign investments that grew from $1.3 billion in 2000 to $15.6 billion in 2020.
- The Ta Khoa project also has infrastructure advantages, via the existing Ban Phuc mine, and processing facilities, access to low-cost and underutilized hydroelectricity, a trained labor force and support from the local government.
- Blackstone Minerals’ downstream pre-feasibility study confirms a technically and economically robust hydrometallurgical refining process to upgrade nickel sulphide concentrate to produce battery-grade nickel.
- Blackstone’s key nickel and cobalt feedstocks for the Ta Khoa Refinery Pilot program were delivered to the metallurgical laboratory in Western Australia as of April 2022.
Key Project
Ta Khoa
Blackstone holds a 90 percent interest in the Ta Khoa Nickel-Copper-PGE Project, located 160 kilometers west of Hanoi in the Son La Province of Vietnam. It includes an existing modern nickel mine built to Australian Standards, which is currently under care and maintenance. The Ban Phuc nickel mine successfully operated as a mechanized underground nickel mine from 2013 to 2016.
Blackstone intends to complement the existing mine through the installation of a large concentrator, refinery and precursor facility, supporting integrated on-site production of nickel, cobalt and manganese precursor products for the Asia-Pacific market. One of Blackstone's key Research and Development objectives with Ta Khoa is to develop a flowsheet that will support this production.
To fulfill this goal, Blackstone is focusing on a partnership model, collaborating with groups committed to sustainable mining. It is also working to minimize its carbon footprint and implement a vertically integrated supply chain.
Project Highlights:
- Multiple Massive Sulphide Deposits: The Ta Khoa project features several incredibly promising deposits including King Snake (up to 4.3 percent nickel and 18.2 grams per ton (g/t) PGE), Sui Phong (2.95 meters @ 2.42 percent nickel, 0.52 percent copper, 0.06 percent cobalt and 0.05 g/t PGE), and Ban Chang. The project is also the site of the Ban Phuc nickel mine, which was operated from 2013 to 2016 by Asia Mineral Resources, along with several exploration targets that have yet to be tested.
- Experienced Leadership: Internally, Blackstone’s owners’ team brings over 50 years of experience in leadership roles at major nickel mines and refineries globally. This experience has been complemented by ALS Group, Wood, Future Battery Industries CRC, Curtin University and the Electric Mining Consortium.
- Large Reserve and Mining Inventory: The entirety of Ta Khoa is estimated to contain probable reserves of 48.7 Mt at 0.43 percent nickel for 210 kilotons (kt) of nickel and a mining inventory of 64.5 Mt at 0.41 percent nickel for 265 kt nickel. This excludes Ban Khoa and other developing prospects.
- A Long-lived Project: The Ta Khoa mine is expected to produce a yearly average of 18 kt of annual nickel concentrate over its ten-year lifespan. Blackstone believes the refinery can potentially extend its life past ten years.
- An Established Mining Operation: Existing infrastructure onsite includes a 450 ktpa Mill and mining camp. The mine will also benefit from a highly supportive community and favorable government legislation — Blackstone is committed to collaborating with community stakeholders in the project's development.
- Feed Flexibility: Ta Khoa's refinery will offer multiple feed options, including nickel concentrate, mixed hydroxide precipitate, nickel matte and black mass. This flexibility greatly improves the security and greatly reduces the risk of the project overall.
- Valued Partnerships: Blackstone is collaborating with multiple industry leaders and groups in the development of Ta Khoa
- Compelling Pre-feasibility Study: The financial outcomes of a base case pre-feasibility study on the project are promising. Based on a conservative NCM811 precursor price forecast, Ta Khoa displays an exceptional internal return rate on capital invested.
- Integrated Vertical Strategy: Blackstone is constructing both the Ta Khoa mine and refinery against a highly supportive ESG, macroeconomic and fiscal backdrop. This along with Ta Khoa's low capital intensity gives the company a significant advantage over competitors. Said low intensity is the result of multiple factors, including competitive labor costs, favorable regulations and low-cost renewable hydroelectric power.
- A Leader in Low Emissions: Independent assessments from Digbee, Minviro and Circulor, alongside an audit from the Nickel Institute, have confirmed that Ta Khoa will be the lowest-emitting flowsheet in the industry, at 9.8 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of precursor with opportunities for even further reduction.
- Promising Pilots: With the support of ALS and process engineering partner Wood, Blackstone recently completed a 12-month programme of work that developed a scaled version of its concentrate to sulphate flowsheet. The refinery, which processed more than 9 tonnes of concentrate and MHP, successfully achieved battery-grade nickel sulphate of 99.95 percent, with a nickel recovery rate of 97 percent.
- Current Roadmap: Blackstone's next priority is to complete a series of definitive feasibility studies. Once those are complete, it will focus on fully integrating the mine into the electric vehicle consumer supply chain and finalizing its refining partnership structure.
Management Team
Hamish Halliday - Non-executive Chairman
Hamish Halliday is a geologist with over 20 years of corporate and technical experience. He is also the founder of Adamus Resources Limited, an AU$3 million float that became a multimillion-ounce emerging gold producer.
Scott Williamson - Managing Director
Scott Williamson is a mining engineer with a commerce degree from the West Australian School of Mines and Curtin University. He has over 10 years of experience in technical and corporate roles in the mining and finance sectors.
Dr. Frank Bierlein - Non-executive Director
Dr. Frank Bierlein is a geologist with 30 years of technical and corporate experience, focusing on grassroots to mine-stage mineral exploration, target generation, project management and oversight, due diligence studies, mineral prospectivity analysis, metallogenic framework studies and mineral resources market and investment analysis.
Alison Gaines - Non-executive Director
Alison Gaines has over 20 years of experience as a director in Australia and internationally. She has experience in the roles of board chair and board committee chair, particularly remuneration and nomination and governance committees. She is also the managing director of Gaines Advisory P/L and was recently global CEO of international search and board consulting firm Gerard Daniels, with a significant mining and energy practice.
Gaines has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (hons) from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Australian National University and an honorary doctorate of the University and Master of Arts (Public Policy) from Murdoch University. She is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds the INSEAD certificate in corporate governance. She is currently the governor of the College of Law Ltd, and non-executive director of Tura New Music.
Dan Lougher - Non-executive Director
Daniel Lougher’s career spans more than 40 years involving a range of exploration, feasibility, development, operations and corporate roles with Australian and international mining companies including a period of eighteen years spent in Africa with BHP Billiton, Impala Plats, Anglo American and Genmin. He was the managing director and chief executive officer of the successful Australian nickel miner Western Areas Ltd until its takeover by Independence Group.
Lougher also holds a first class mine manager’s certificate of competency (WA) and is a fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). Lougher is the chair of the company’s technical committee and nomination committee.
Jamie Byrde - CFO and Company Secretary
Jamie Byrde has over 16 year's experience in corporate advisory, public and private company management since commencing his career with big four and mid-tier chartered accounting firms positions. Byrde specializes in financial management, ASX and ASIC compliance and corporate governance of mineral and resource focused public companies. He is also currently company secretary for Venture Minerals Limited.
Tessa Kutscher - Executive
Tessa Kutscher is an executive with more than 20 years of experience in working with C-Level executive teams in the fields of business strategy, business planning/optimisation and change management. After starting her career in Germany, she has worked internationally across different industries, such as mining, finance, tourism and tertiary education.
Kutscher holds a master’s degree in literature, linguistics and political science from the University of Bonn, Germany and a master’s degree in teaching from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Andrew Strickland - Executive
Andrew Strickland is an experienced study and project manager, a fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, University of WA MBA graduate, with undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and extractive metallurgy from Curtin and WASM.
Before joining Blackstone, Strickland was a senior study manager for GR Engineering Services where he was responsible for delivering a series of scoping, PFS and DFS studies for both Australian and international projects. Over his career, he has held a variety of project development roles across both junior to mid-tier developers (including Straits Resources, Perseus Mining and Tiger Resources) and major multi-operation producers (South32).
Graham Rigo - Executive
Graham Rigo is an experienced study manager with over a decade of on-site production experience, holding undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and finance from Curtin University, WA.
Before joining Blackstone, Rigo was a study manager for Ausenco where he was responsible for delivering a series of scoping, PFS and DFS studies for both Australian and international projects over a range of different commodities.
Rigo has over 11 years of site experience in nickel and cobalt hydromet production experience, in supervisory/superintendent level roles as well as process engineer experience.
Lon Taranaki - Executive
Lon Taranaki is an international mining professional with over 25 years of extensive experience in all aspects of resources and mining, feasibility, development and operations. Taranaki is a qualified process engineer from the University of Queensland Australia. He holds a Master of Business Administration, and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Taranaki has established his career in Asia where he has successfully worked (and lived) across multiple jurisdictions and commodities ranging from technical, mine management and executive management roles.
Prior to joining Blackstone in February 2022, Taranaki was the chief executive officer of Minegenco, a renewable-energy-focused independent power producer. Preceding this, he was managing director of his private consultancy, AMG Mining Global, where he was providing services to the mining industry in Singapore, Guyana, Indonesia and Cambodia. Additionally, Taranaki has held various senior positions with Sakari Resources, PTT Asia Pacific Mining, Straits Resources, Sedgmans and BHP Coal.
Grid Battery Metals
Overview
Grid Battery Metals (TSXV:CELL,OTCQB:EVKRF) is a Canada-based exploration company focused on high-value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV) market. The company, formerly called Nickel Rock Resources, changed its name to Grid Battery Metals in April 2023 and started trading on the TSXV under the ticker CELL.
Grid is focused on EV battery metals exploration through its highly prospective lithium and nickel properties in North America. Grid has three lithium properties in Nevada: Texas Springs, Clayton Valley, and Volt Canyon. The Texas Springs property in Elko County covers approximately 2,500 hectares and is adjoining the southern boundary of the Nevada North Lithium Project owned by Surge Battery Metals (TSXV:NILI). Surge recently announced high-grade lithium of up to 8,070 parts per million (ppm) lithium on the Nevada North lithium project, which increases the likelihood of a large-scale high-grade lithium discovery at Texas Spring. Initial soil sampling at Texas Spring by Grid have shown high-grade lithium over 5,600 ppm as announced on February 7, 2024.
The company has completed the first phase of its initial exploration program at Texas Springs, which included a CSAMT geophysical survey and a detailed soil sampling on a 50-meter by 100-meter spacing. Results from these two exploration programs will be key to determining its 2024 exploration plan and possible drilling locations for clay-based lithium targets.
The 2,300-acre Clayton Valley property is immediately north of Albemarle’s (NYSE:ALB) Silver Peak lithium project, the only producing lithium mine in North America. The property has strong potential to host both lithium brine deposits as well as clay-hosted deposits.
Grid has filed the NI 43-101 technical report for the Clayton Valley lithium project, using the results of prior soil samples, geophysical surveys, and drilling on the property, to help identify structure and target areas favorable to lithium accumulation and determine next steps for its overall exploration plan. The company also commenced its 2024 exploration program for the property with Rangefront Geological to perform a detailed soil sampling on a 250 metre x 250 metre spacing, and to oversee an MT geophysical survey performed by KLM Geoscience.
The Volt Canyon lithium property features sediment-hosted lithium clay targets and has excellent accessibility, enabling exploration and exploitation throughout the year. Although limited exploration has been conducted in the immediate area, regional sediment samples in the region taken by the US government returned up to 108 parts per million (ppm) lithium near the property.
Shareholders should benefit from the company’s strategy of divesting its nickel assets into a separate public company. Grid has completed the spin off its British Columbia nickel property into a new company, ACDC Battery Metals, which has commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ACDC.
Grid’s management and geological team has been actively exploring for EV battery metals in Nevada for over a decade. They have been successful in finding and funding new lithium discoveries and had a number of successful exits from companies, the most recent being Surge Battery Metals, where they were responsible for the discovery of the Nevada North Lithium Project. The management’s successful track record of lithium exploration in Nevada provides confidence about the company’s future.
The support from both the US and Canadian governments through subsidies and favorable legislation continues to drive EV adoption. In particular, both countries have committed to supporting the mining industry for key battery metals with legislation like the US Inflation Reduction Act, which provides both financial and functional support to the mining industry. Buoyed by government policy, US electric vehicle sales are projected to surpass 4.6 million units by 2030 (versus the 2023 estimate of 1.3 million).
Automakers cannot produce electric vehicles without access to battery metals such as lithium and nickel. Fear of missing out is pushing automakers to lock supplies of minerals for electric vehicle batteries. As such, we are seeing increasing partnerships between miners and auto OEMs. Automakers, including General Motors, Ford, BMW, Tesla and Stellantis, have committed large investments in direct financing of mines. We see more carmakers following suit as they strive to own the full supply chain from mine to product.
In mid-2024, Grid Battery Metals expanded its exploration land holdings in Northern British Columbia with a copper property of 17 mineral claims comprising 27,525.24 hectares. The region hosts numerous operating mines, and good infrastructure including experienced exploration and supporting services.
Company Highlights
- Grid Battery Metals is a Canada-based exploration company focused on high-value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV) market.
- The company has three highly prospective lithium properties in Nevada, USA: Texas Springs, Clayton Valley and Volt Canyon. In addition, it holds a nickel project under its wholly owned subsidiary, AC/DC Battery Metals called the Grid Nickel Group, based in British Columbia, Canada.
- As Grid focuses on its lithium projects in Nevada, Grid has transferred ownership of its interests in its nickel properties in British Columbia to its wholly owned subsidiary AC/DC Battery Metals (TSXV:ACDC).
- Grid has filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Clayton Valley lithium project, dated March 4, 2024, prepared by Steven McMillin P.G. of Rangefront Geological.
- Grid entered into a purchase and sale agreement with AC/DC Battery Metals to acquire a 100 percent interest in a new copper asset with 17 mineral claims comprising 27,525.24 hectares in North Central British Columbia.
- Grid’s management and exploration team has been actively exploring for EV battery metals in Nevada for over a decade, and has been very successful in finding and funding new lithium discoveries, the most recent being the discovery of the Nevada North lithium project.
- EV sales are booming with projections of 4.6 million units by 2030 in the US. Battery metals such as lithium are critical for EVs. Grid Battery Metals is well positioned to be a pioneering player in the battery metals market with a strong focus on lithium, and promising properties in the US.
Key Projects
Texas Spring Project, Nevada
The Texas Spring lithium project, located in Granite Range, Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project covers approximately 400 hectares (988.4 acres) of area with 34 full lode claims and 30 partial lode claims. It is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Nevada North lithium project, owned by Surge Battery Metals. Surge’s initial drilling efforts have successfully identified lithium-rich clay deposits. A recent discovery in September 2023 showed values of up to 8,070 ppm of lithium. Initial soil sampling at Texas Spring by Grid has shown high-grade lithium over 5,600 ppm as announced on February 7, 2024.
The proximity to Nevada North Lithium certainly increases optimism for the Texas Spring Project. On top of that, the key founders and members of Surge’s geological team are also the founding management team of Grid, which further increases confidence in the project. The project enjoys excellent infrastructure in terms of paved highways and country roads.
The company completed the first phase of its initial exploration program at Texas Springs which included a CSAMT geophysical survey and a detailed soil sampling. Together, they would help predict geological structure and possible drilling locations for lithium targets.
Clayton Valley Project, Nevada
The Clayton Valley lithium project, located in Clayton Valley Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project is spread over approximately 930 hectares (~2,300 acres) with 118 claims. The project is located approximately 344 kilometers (~214 miles) from Reno in the northwest and Las Vegas in the southeast. Moreover, the property is around 315 kilometers (~196 miles) from the Tesla giga-factory and features good infrastructure with excellent road access and a nearby electrical substation.
The project claims are adjacent to the Silver Peak lithium project of Albemarle Corporation, which is the only producing lithium mine in North America. Clayton Valley’s lithium is contained in both underground reservoirs (aquifers) in the form of salty groundwater (brine), and in clay-hosted deposits. Historic exploration work dating back to 2021, which included three reverse circulation holes, has inferred the existence of a graben that may be a sub-basin of the larger Clayton Valley basin and may represent a secondary trap for lithium brines.
Volt Canyon Project, Nevada
The Volt Canyon lithium project, located in Monitor Valley, Nevada, is 100 percent owned by the company. The project covers an area of approximately 635 hectares (~1,569 acres) with 80 claims and is located approximately 122 kilometers northeast of Tonopah, Nevada. It benefits from excellent accessibility that enables exploration throughout the year.
Although limited exploration has been conducted in the immediate area, regional sediment samples in the region taken by the US government returned up to 108 ppm lithium near the property. The deposit’s origin is thought to be similar to Clayton Valley clay deposits, located about 180 kilometers to the south.
The exploration program includes surface sampling, auger or push drill water sampling along with geophysical work to identify drilling sites for an initial drill test on the property. Subsequently, additional surface and subsurface sampling will be executed in the form of drilling.
Grid Copper Project
The Grid Copper project consists of 17 claims comprising of 27,525.24 hectares in the Omineca Mining Division of north-central British Colombia, approximately 150 km north of Ft. St. James. The claims are not subject to any royalty terms, back-in rights, payments or any other agreements and encumbrances.
The property is road and helicopter accessible from Ft. St. James via a network of province-maintained paved roads and forestry-maintained gravel roads. The Canadian National Railway company owns an inactive railway line that passes a short distance from the property.
Management Team
Tim Fernback - President and CEO
Tim Fernback holds a Bachelor of Science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of British Columbia. He also holds a Certified Professional Accounting (CPA, CMA) designation in Canada. He has more than 30 years of experience in finance with both public and private companies in Canada and is currently a director of several publicly traded companies.
Robert Guanzon - CFO
Roberts Guanzon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and has rich experience in finance, accounting and corporate strategy. He serves as the CFO of several junior resource companies listed on the TSXV and holds a certified professional accounting (CPA, CMA) designation in Canada.
Tina Whyte - Corporate Secretary
Tina Whyte has more than 20 years of experience in the corporate and securities industry. She is an expert in several areas including corporate governance, continuous disclosure, financing transactions and regulatory filings and compliance. She also holds corporate secretary positions with other publicly listed companies.
Solange Khan - Director
Solange Khan’s expertise extends to developing and executing targeted social media campaigns and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Her strong communication skills and creative vision are complemented by her ability to stay ahead of industry trends and adapt strategies to meet evolving market demands. She holds a B.A. degree from the University of Toronto and is dedicated to continuing to elevate the company’s digital presence and ensuring that all communications, both internal and external, align with the overall corporate strategy.
Robert Setter - Director
Robert Setter holds a degree in economics and has over two decades of experience in business development, marketing and research. Previously, he has served as the senior financial editor for Report on Mining. He currently sits on the boards of three other listed mining companies.
Ali H. Alizadeh – Director
Ali H. Alizadeh is a senior geologist possessing extensive experience in mineral exploration & project management. He has been responsible for several uranium, gold and base metal projects during his exploration career with various exploration companies. He graduated with a geology degree in 1991, a M.Sc. in petrology in 1995, and an MBA at Queen’s University in 2010. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.
Jeremy Hanson - Geological Advisor
Jeremy Hanson is a professional geoscientist with a decade of experience in mineral exploration in Canada. He is also a founder of Hardline Exploration, a geological consulting firm focused on Western Canada.
Steven McMillin - Geological Advisor
Steven McMillin boasts over 35 years of hands-on experience in mineral exploration within the United States, particularly in Nevada, earning him widespread recognition as a seasoned exploration geologist. Currently serving as the field operations manager at Rangefront Geological, he spearheads the coordination and execution of drill programs. His role includes liaising with vendors and regulatory bodies, ensuring drill safety measures, overseeing drilling and sampling procedures, and managing site reclamation efforts.
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