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18/05/21
11:24
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Originally posted by GD4
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I've got to be honest I am genuinely disappointed about the lapse in time lines and that the project is taking longer than been previously anticipated, however we need to call it for what it is !!!!
I had an invitation to go to the AVZ roadshow in Sydney on the 4th of May and was looking forward to going and essentially seeing what's next for our company.
Unfortunately this meeting was postponed until the 25th of May and why was it postponed, because there were a small number of cases of Covid in WA. Some state government's closed the borders at only a hand full of cases and I am not saying that this is right or wrong. Some of these cases could have been caused by something as simple as someone not washing there hands or not social distancing.
What I will say is that the roadshow was delayed by 3 weeks and I cannot see any reason as to why this was AVZ's fault. A month's delay in a country which is effectively an "island" and has less Covid risk than a number of other countries. We have less than 200 active cases in Australia at the moment and the DRC has 3000 plus, think of how much harder it must be to move around a country like the DRC in order to get these things done let alone moving from country to country.
Further to this Felix has formed a new government which has only been in power a short time. Nothing could be done about SEZ until the new government was formed, and pretty much as soon as it was formed an announcement was made on the draft decree.
SEZ and mining licence are essential for finance and this was or will be delayed not because of AVZ and management team, but because the new government had to be formed in order for us to get the best possible outcome for the SEZ. This is completely out of AVZ management's control.
I have absolute faith in AVZ management in particular Nigel. I would hate to be in his position, imagine having an offtake almost signed for PLS and someone else comes along and says we want to be a JV partner "if that were to happen".
Just look at how fast the Lithium market is moving, we have been ragged by the down rampers over an over again about the assumed price of Lithium of around $675 at production in our DFS and how it was an unrealistic and that we wouldn't get to this price. You know what they were a little bit correct it won't be $675 it will be well north of that figure by the time the shortfall hits. If the market is moving this quickly then we have to adapt and the timelines must change along with possibly some strategies. I believe that Nigel has the best interests of shareholders at heart and would be making decisions and extending timelines only through necessity and in the best interests of the company.
No one has signed more Lithium offtakes the size that AVZ and the team have done in the last 5 months, not even close.
Imagine if you went back say 50 years and there was a site that contained 50 % of the world's oil in one relatively small place, this is why I hold. If Lithium is the new oil then this project will be big and I think that it must be an enormous task to manage this company but I have faith that AVZ management will keep ticking boxes and get this done.
I have no issue with you or anyone else complaining about management and timelines as long as you have considered all the facts.
I think people just need to be patient and expect delays more due to what's going on in the world than blaming a management team that's done a pretty fair job of getting boxes ticked.
By all of the announcements that I have read and interviews that I have watched I feel that this will be a very different company by the end of August.
I hope we all benefit from a significant re rate in the very near future.
GLTAH
AIMO
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There’s also been a proposed onsite hydroxide plant. Offtakes would then be hydroxide not sulphate. Wouldn’t want to sign up the wrong product. Just a thought