There were always additional PP runs planned however these were delayed due to the issues with the gas regulators. They were also initially planned as 2 weeks followed by a short break followed by another 2 weeks which would have seen these completed by the middle of November. The delay from the gas regulator in addition to the change on how the PP runs would occur probably delayed the FID by 3 months.
The term sheet outlines three phases for the development of the project:
AoA will contribute an initial $5 million, over 2021-2022, to stage one project development activities that will include additional production trials, as well as the detailed design of an estimated 1,000 mtpy demonstration facility.
In stage two, a demonstration facility would be constructed, and detailed engineering undertaken for a full-scale HPA plant that would produce 8,000 mtpy.
Stage three would include the start of construction for the full-scale plant.
From an Alcoa communication perspective, there hasn't actually been any change in dates (yet). It's FYI who IMO had misleading communications (on purpose?) and as a result, lost all trust from most shareholders.
There's solid support at these SP levels which is reassuring. The project still has lots of potential. I just won't rely on FYI updates anymore and instead will only use Alcoa's updates to make my investment decisions. The next update should be 14th/15th April when Aloca's quarterly results are released.
(20min delay)