canadian focus behind vxl

An interesting recent article on Focus/graphite showing it is well behind VXL.

"TMR: What's the next step? Financing?

DB: Definitely. We're in the middle of the feasibility study right now. We are also working through the permitting, especially the mine closure plan. I want to continue the process toward production. That means going directly into detail engineering, the full engineering, procurement and construction management process to build a mine. To do that we need to finance our project. We're in a due diligence phase on the financing end of things. Because graphite projects are not that common, we're not going straight to the markets but instead working with people who are interested in graphite.

TMR: What is the timeframe for the feasibility study and goal to get financing secured?

DB: We're hoping to secure financing in the second quarter of this year. The feasibility study results should be published by late spring/early summer. We're moving fast to get the project shovel ready by the end of this year. That is contingent upon many things including permitting approval and financing. We will look to overlap some of these timeframes if we can. For example, if the mill design is ready to go before we announce the feasibility study, and we've got money in the bank, then we'll proceed right into detailed engineering on the plant.
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http://www.mining.com/web/focus-graphite-inc-well-positioned-for-the-next-big-thing-in-graphite/