Just wanted to thrash out this downstream chemical processing idea in more detail.
From what has been bandied around. We are apparently buying a 40% stake in a downstream Chinese converter plant 25,000tpa LCE for $50-60m capex. (whether this is on the money is yet to be seen...)
From the AGM meeting audio (thanks Thesi!), the Chinese converters are sitting idle due to the poor price environment and high costs associated with running the plant.
The benefits of going downstream may include:
- Share of the profits? Apparently there are bigger margins in chemical processing than in mining so give that a big tick.
- We remove bottlenecks. When we have times like now when the Chinese converters decide to shut down, we can keep processing ours. Our competitors won't have such a luxury.
- We get back into downstream chemical processing. We already have experience running chemical processing plant so this will help keep our skills current and we can leverage these learnings when we build one for James Bay one day.
All in all, I am happy with the idea. It seems like the right time to be doing it. The converter market is apparently depressed. From the AGM: small to medium sized converter are struggling to get the funding / access to capital to get things underway. So hopefully this gives us the edge of any negotiations and we can secure an attractive deal. Last of all, it helps broaden GXY's scope and de-risks the entire operations further.
GXY Price at posting:
$1.57 Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
