Critical Metals to Shine at New World
THE CONFERENCE CALLER: We have written before, numerous times, about critical metals and the import role they are now playing in our modern lifestyles.
The Australian Government currently lists 26 resource commodities as critical minerals, a list determined by a selection process that involved assessment of Australia’s geological endowment and potential while also taking into account global technology needs with eyes on partner countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India, South Korea and Canada.
According to Geoscience Australia,” A critical mineral is a metallic or non-metallic element that is essential for modern technologies, economies or national security, and has a supply chain at risk of disruption.”
At a business breakfast in Perth this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of how these metals will be part of the “Government’s vision is for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower and an advanced manufacturing powerhouse”.
In doing so, Albanese highlighted the expected input by the mining state of Western Australia as the country makes the move to net zero, embracing clean energy and renewable technology and contesting the global race to make green hydrogen work.
“For example, 50 per cent of the world’s lithium extraction occurs in Western Australia,” Albanese said.
“And I know businesses in this room are already building new connections with economies that need these resources, nations seeking to industrialise and decarbonise at the same time.
“Our government has been focused on building a framework to support these efforts.
“Forming new critical minerals and green hydrogen partnerships with India.
“And new clean energy partnerships with the United States and Japan.
“But while it is genuinely inspiring to point to technology changing the world and say that the lithium or the nickel or the rare earths it depends on, come from Australia.
“In the years ahead, I want us to build on that. I want us to go beyond it.
“I want us to be able to say that the next generation of batteries and charging technology and the innovations that will maximise their power and speed and capacity and efficiency, come from Australia.”
Last week we looked at the lithium focused companies presenting at the upcoming New Word Metals Investment Series.
This week we look at the other commodities, the critical metals, that will be on show at the conference.
Global Metals & Mining (ASX: GBE)
Global Metals & Mining’s Kanyika niobium project is located in central Malawi, approximately 55km northeast of the regional centre of Kasangu and is secured by Large-Scale Mining Licence No. LML0216/21 which grants the company security of tenure and the right to mine niobium, tantalum, and deleterious uranium.
The company recently received a letter from the Department of Mines of the Malawi Government endorsing its ongoing efforts to acquire and mobilise resources for the Kanyika project and assuring the continued security of tenure for the associated mining license.
“This is a key milestone in satisfying one of the conditions of the MDA within our previously stated timelines,” Globe Metals & Mining CEO Grant Hudson said.
Godolphin Resources (ASX: GRL)
Godolphin Resources increased the tonnage, grade and resource category of the company’s Narraburra REE project in New South Wales earlier this year.
The company announced a maiden JORC 2012 resource at the project of: 94.9 million tonnes at 739ppm total rare earth oxide (TREO) with a higher-grade component of 20 million tonnes at 1,079ppm TREO.
The upgraded resource included a 126 per cent increase in TREO grade and a 30 per cent uplift in total tonnage from the project’s historical JORC 2004 resource.
“Importantly, the resource remains open in multiple directions, providing future exploration and development opportunities and the potential to unlock more value for shareholdersinto the future,” Godolphin Resources managing director Ms Jeneta Owens said.
“We are looking forward to moving Narraburra through the next stage of development quickly.
“The results of this MRE, combined with the positive results of the metallurgical leach test work that achieved up to 92 per cent recovery of key magnet REEs (Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy) in testing completed by ANSTO and the mineralogical work yet to come, will increase our understanding of the project’s potential size, grade, mineralogy of the target near surface layers.”
Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX)
Blackstone Minerals has had its Ta Khoa project included in the Vietnamese National Mineral Master Plan which was recently approved by the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, Tran Hong Ha.
The National Mineral Master Plan details Vietnam’s mineral development strategy up until 2030 with a vision to 2050.
Blackstone Minerals recently completed the Ta Khoa Nickel (TKN) plant pilot program along with progress toward completion of a variability testwork program at the existing mine site.
The completion of the TKN pilot program is in addition to Blackstone completing the Ta Khoa Refinery (TKR) pilot program.
Blackstone said the work it has carried out to date has confirmed the baseline flowsheet to treat ore through to concentrate from the nickel mine.
Both pilot and variability testwork programs achieved or exceeded pre-feasibility study (PFS) testwork assumptions.
The company highlighted these as important milestones for the site metallurgy and project team as they should enable consolidation of data and learnings to progress the TKN mine and concentrator definitive feasibility study (DFS).
Altech Batteries (ASX: ATC)
Altech Chemicals was an early convert to recognising the potential of the grid storage battery market and aspires to be a main contributor to this growth and development through the introduction of its Sodium Chloride Solid State (CERENERGY®) battery products.
The CERENERGY technology has been developed by Altech’s Joint Venture partner Fraunhofer IKTS over the last eight years, during which time it has revolutionised previous technology, achieving higher energy capacity and lower production costs.
Another string to Altech’s futuristic battery bow is the development of the company’s patented Silumina Anodes technology incorporating high-capacity silicon into lithium-ion batteries.
Altech has licenced the technology to its 75 per cent-owned subsidiary Altech Industries Germany GmbH (AIG), which has commenced a definitive feasibility study for the development of a 10,000tpa silicon/graphite alumina coating plant in the state of Saxony, Germany focused on supplying Silumina Anodes product to the burgeoning European electric vehicle market.
International Graphite (ASX: IG6)
International Graphite Limited (ASX: IG6) has received works approval from the WA government to install new graphite micronising equipment at the company’s downstream research and development facility in Collie.
The company considers the custom-built ‘qualification-scale’ plant major advancement on its pilot processing plant, the first of its kind in Australia, which was commissioned in September 2022.
The new qualification plant is designed to process graphite concentrates to produce a commercial micronised graphite product for quality and performance evaluation by potential customers.
Capable of producing 100 tonnes per annum to 200tpa of micronised graphite, the plant will also be used to develop graphite operating and materials handling expertise within the company.
Richmond Vanadium (ASXL RVT)
Richmond Vanadium is advancing its 100 per cent-owned Richmond vanadium project in North Queensland.
The company claims the Richmond vanadium project to be one of the largest undeveloped oxide vanadium resources in the world with a Mineral Resource of 1.8 billion tonnes at 0.36 per cent for 6.7 million tonnes vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and Ore Reserve of 459 million tonnes at 0.49 per cent for 2.25 million tonnes V2O5.
Project Status was approved by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines in August 2017 allowing project-based work programs, relinquishments, and expenditure.
Group 6 Metals (ASX: G6M)
Group 6 Metals is focused on the producing high-grade tungsten concentrate from its 100 per cent-owned Dolphin mine located on King Island, Tasmania.
In July the company moved its first shipment of approximately thirteen tonnes of tungsten concentrate, with an average grade of 69 per cent WO3.
Tungsten is a critical mineral used in a variety of applications, including steelmaking, mining, construction, electronics and defence.
The global demand for tungsten is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, driven primarily by demand from the construction, mining, defence sectors and new applications in the battery and technology sectors.
