TLG - Media, page-5098

Gero

Great find. The interview is pretty much what Mark Thompson has been saying all these years. The big difference is that Northern Graphite are a mining company without the extensive tech side that TLG offers. I have looked up what kind of deposit Northern Graphite have and it is a flake deposit that will require the extensive process that TLG is able to avoid, rather than an amorphous crystalline graphite deposit, which is what TLG have. Furthermore the Northern Graphite feedstock is 2% grade as opposed to 25% for TLG, you therefore need to mine a significant multiple of material. Northern Graphite talk about the proximity of natural gas infrastructure suggesting a process involving greater Co2 energy input than TLG. The chart on their website shows their Bissett Creek deposit at the very top of the mining margin and all the Scandinavian deposits, including TLG at the very bottom. I think this last point is somewhat disingenuous when you factor the amount of additional material you need to mine for the same outcome.

It is true that some may argue that Northern Graphite are ahead with the requisite permitting in place. TLG permitting is in the system and will be considered on its merits, rather than the politics associated with any change of government as has been suggested elsewhere. The Swedish authorities will consider and weigh up the benefits of all the competing claims. TLG has demonstrated considerable flexibility by offering to run their only open pit at Nunasvaara South in the summer only as I have already discussed on another thread to fit in with the important reindeer herding that takes place in the winter months. The other three deposits at Nunasvaara North, Niska South and Niska North are all proposed to be underground from the start reducing the footprint even further. Naturally, we will not know until later this year whether approval to proceed will be given to TLG, but so far so good with no deal breaking issues in what has been submitted for review by the Swedish authorities.