Ann: NAIF to provide $50m Finance for Butcherbird Expansion, page-34

Element 25 Ltd managing director Justin Brown talked with Proactive about the company’s latest milestone — securing up to $50 million in senior debt finance from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. The funding will support the expansion of the Butcherbird Manganese Project in Western Australia.Brown explained that the project will triple production capacity, scaling up to 1.1 million tonnes per annum of high-quality manganese concentrate. This marks a critical phase for the company’s growth into both traditional steel and emerging battery material markets. “This expansion is now the next step up in scale,” Brown said.He discussed Element 25’s ambitions to supply the electric vehicle industry, with plans to refine manganese into high-purity manganese sulphate at a proposed facility in Louisiana, USA. The product will be delivered to offtake partners including General Motors and Stellantis. Future developments are planned in Japan and Europe.Beyond Butcherbird, Brown highlighted continued momentum in Louisiana, supported by a $166 million grant from the US Department of Energy and corporate commitments from strategic partners. He also referenced plans for a Tokyo Bay plant with Nissin Chemical.