SCONI's Nickel Sulphate and Cobalt Sulphate mine will take a few years to build and commission from Today. SCONI also has an approx 6 year payback period. So this is an approximate 8 year timeline for SCONI to break even with their current sulphate project.
I believe TESLA BD has driven an AXE right through SCONI's current feasibility study and sulphate plant design.
This is disastrous for other global mining companies who have already invested the capitol and are currently building Sulphate battery metal plants. I will explain why below.
TESLA PATENTS are open source. Tesla want's all their competitors to use their patents. TESLA want's help from all competitors to globally transition into a green energy future. TESLA believes they can not do it alone. Not many companies around the world do this if any. TESLA is a unicorn in this regard.
Because of this.... I believe that Battery Manufacturers will adopt TESLA's new patents and processes in the near future. They must, otherwise they will not be able to compete with TESLA. Elon Musk even addressed the idea of supplying the EV competitors with TESLA's new batteries. He said they would prefer not to, as this would be mammoth volume. He will do what ever can be done in this issue, but TESLA literally wants the competitors to have access to their patents and to follow their lead during the revolution/global transitions away from fossil fuels. TESLA's new and improved production line is not going to be ready until the end of 2021. So competitors will lag behind 2021 in the new technology If they choose to follow TESLA and move away from the Sulphate process and cobalt.
I am not 100% educated on TESLA's new RAW ORE to Cathode/Anode process. From what i understand it is a green technology, its efficient, fast and cheaper. This will destroy the battery metal sulphate industry IMO.
I believe Lithium explorers have also been dealt a blow today. TESLA also unveiled a new ANODE mining process. Lithium Ore Table Salt extraction. Elon explained the Lithium table salt removed Ore is then deposited back into the ground and you would not even notice the earth had been mined for Lithium. From what i understand it is also agreen technology, its efficient, fast and cheaper. This will also disrupt current lithium sulphate producers.
There will obviously be a continuing demand for NCM and NCA sulphates over the next 4-5 years or more by existing battery manufactures who have not updated their process and technology. This will IMO be supplied by the existing NCM,NCA sulphate producers and the unfortunate mining companies who are currently building (now out-dated) sulphate plants.
We must also factor in that in 4-5 years or 6-8 years from now... Battery Technology could possibly change substantially again.
SCONI sulphate plant is over IMO. AUZ recently surprised everyone when they said Manganese was also in the ground and not apart of the current JORC or mining plans. AUZ has IMO no option but to abort the Sulphate plant. AUZ must update their JORC to include Manganese now. I believe AUZ will only be able to mine and supply raw ore, Nickel and Manganese and for what unfortunately appears to be a limited life in supplying Cobalt Ore as well.
The only positive I can see from today is there will be a HUGE global demand for Nickel and Manganese Raw Ore and AUZ has Nickel and Manganese Raw Ore.
In 10 years from now TESLA plans to be a first party metals recycle business as well. I think due to the mammoth volume of metals needed, this will not impact miners.
My questions are? Is AUZ economically feasible as a RAW ORE producer only? Or was the sulphate plant key to making SCONI economically feasible?
Over the next 4-5 years the Global Battery Metals GOAL POSTS have moved. AUZ's current plant appears to now be out-dated and unfeasible IMO. Can AUZ become a Raw Ore Producer only? I would need to see an entire new Project Feasibility Study completed. I have not been privileged to know who AUZ has been negotiating with in 2020. But after TESLA presentation I believe things have just been tipped upside down on the negotiating table.... I think a new feasibility study is required.
So all of this IMO is a project stopped. I sold my entire AUZ holdings at 1.6c. I am no longer certain about AUZ's fundamentals. I hope AUZ pulls a rabbit out of the hat for everyone. I may be back in the future. GLTAH.
AUZ Price at posting:
1.7¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
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