Its really sad, I spoke to him three weeks ago and he was as...

Its really sad, I spoke to him three weeks ago and he was as strong and determined as always.

Nigel has received a lot of criticism over the years, but was extremely dedicated to MTB, selling his home at one stage to fund the company when it went through tough times and was always willing to answer questions or take a call. I sensed that MTB was his life, its sad he didnt see the project succeed.

At 80 years old, 40 of which were running the company, I think it was time for some change, some new management with fresh ideas to hopefully end the venture if there is no hope for it or unlock its potential if its a winner as Nigel always claimed it was.

Reading the FT this morning, I see Zijin has expanded into 'streaming' project finance for miners where they advance money for a mining project in return for a share of future production.They are also focusing on African projects and already have interests in Australian projects. Given the politics of the strategic metals held by MTB, this could be a way to unlock the project.

Maybe there are other project finance streaming companies in the US or Europe that may also be interested?