Ann: High-Grade Manganese in Core Scans, page-22

I would've thought that BYH would get more interest for the manganese especially  since it has a much higher grade than E25.
Most likely need "the first mineral resource estimate for manganese is due to be published by the end of June"  as bene449 stated.

China Hones Control Over Manganese, a Rising Star

Chinese firms join a cartel-like group to tighten output in key products, spurring prices and rival projects world-wide



A manganese mine in Ivory Coast in 2013 that was operated by China National Geological & Mining Corp. While manganese ore is relatively abundant around the world, it is almost solely refined in China.
Chuin-Wei Yap
May 21, 2021 8:30 am ET


China is tightening its grip on the global supply of processed manganese, rattling a range of companies world-wide that depend on the versatile metal—including the planet’s biggest electric-vehicle makers.
China produces more than 90% of the world’s manganese products, ranging from steel-strengthening additives to battery-grade compounds. Since October, dozens of Chinese manganese processors accounting for most of global capacity have joined a state-backed campaign to establish a “manganese innovation alliance,” setting out in planning documents goals and moves that others in the industry say are akin to a production cartel. They include centralizing control over supply of key products, coordinating prices, stockpiling and networks for mutual financial assistance.
The squeeze sent prices soaring in metal markets world-wide, snagging steelmakers and sharpening concern among car makers. China’s metal industries already dominate the global processing of most raw materials for rechargeable batteries, including cobalt and nickel. Three-quarters of the world’s lithium-ion batteries and half of its electric vehicles are made in China.
High-purity forms of manganese have increasingly become crucial for battery-powered automobiles, touted by Volkswagen AG and Tesla Inc. in recent months as a viable replacement for other, more-expensive battery ingredients.


Beijing’s heightened dominance is spurring the development of battery-grade manganese projects from Botswana to Australia, as it is with other battery metals.
“It’s taken them years and huge amounts of investment, but China is by far the leader in many battery metals,” said Scott Yarham, metals director for researcher S&P Global Platts. “If you want manganese sulfate, you’re knocking on China’s door. It’s exactly why there is so much interest in projects that would remove pure reliance on China.”
Manganese ManiaManganese product prices soared this year amid a China-driven shortage. Manganese metal prices in EuropeSource: Wind InfoNote: Per metric ton; as delivered to Rotterdam.
May. 2021 $3,500
While manganese ore is relatively abundant around the world, it is almost solely refined in China.
The manganese alliance notched a success this year in throttling the supply of key products, mainly steel-strengthening additives, sending their prices soaring more than 50% in three months. Miners and buyers say the squeeze didn’t target battery-grade sulfates critical for EV cathodes, which account for just 2% of manganese production—though sulfate prices also edged higher, commodity pricing databases show.
“We pursue a multiple-supplier strategy whenever possible to avoid one-sided dependencies,” a Volkswagen spokesman said in an email. Europe’s largest electric-auto maker said it is monitoring capacity and demand to safeguard raw-material supply.
Nissan Motor Co., which makes the bestselling Leaf, is “working to diversify risks,” including increasing its stock of raw materials and establishing supplies from multiple origins, a spokeswoman said in response to queries on China’s manganese dominance. Tesla didn’t respond to requests for comment.
China’s alliance includes companies that make battery-grade manganese, though the group is so far focused on steel-additive manganese products. It didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Battery-grade manganese is traded mostly privately, and pricing can be opaque. Miners say a metric ton of the purified metal could cost up to $4,000—barely a 10th of the cost of cobalt, a widely used battery metal. By replacing cobalt, manganese could help auto makers produce 30% more cars with the same amount of nickel, analysts say.