There is a video on YouTube of an interview with Justin Brown, MD of E25.
I can't seem to post it here but someone else out there may have the skills to do so?
It's 38 minutes long but worth watching if you are a shareholder.
(google youtube, crux investor, element 25 and you should find it)
It's made me buy more shares in the last week as I think we are only weeks away from a PFS that sounds like it will exceptional.
And I think there will be some off-takes announced.
He specifically mentions the two largest steel manufacturers in both Japan and South Korea as being interested in non-Chinese supply.
Interview with Justin Brown, Managing Director of manganese developer, Element 25 (ASX: E25)
Element 25 is an ASX-listed manganese junior focussed on the development of the 100% owned Butcherbird Manganese Project in the southern Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Element 25 has the intention to produce high purity Electrolytic Manganese Metal (EMM) for steel markets and Manganese Sulphate (HPMSM) for lithium-ion batteries. Manganese is often regarded as a forgotten battery metal.
It is far from a rare element, but Element 25 believes it can offer investors access to the projected growth of manganese demand driven by the EV revolution.
Element 25 has a royalty stream agreement with Silverstream Mining (subject to listing on the TSX later this year) for A$500,000.
The company has around A$1.5M in the bank today, in addition to a A$2M facility with Acuity Capital, announced as of the 18th March. Based on the current burn rate, these financial metrics would see Element 25 through until the New Year, but with the promise of a PFS in June/July, which will take the company into a pilot phase, Element 25 will need to raise another A$5-10M.
So, what sort of scale are we looking at? 260Mt says Brown.
56Mt of that has recently been drilled out and brought to measured/indicated status.
Brown claims the resource is enormous, but how will Element 25 monetise it?
Brown claims ore body is extremely amenable to hydrometallurgical leaching, which means that Element 25 could complete a coherent green narrative with less mining pollution.
In addition, this method of extraction could keep Element 25 towards the lower end of the cost curve. The company's team used to be experienced in exploration, but it has recently been bolstered to include more mining engineering and project development knowledge, as Element 25 tries to move away from its exploration roots.
Element 25 seems to have very little traction in the market, and not many investors are talking about it.
Is this a case of flawed marketing, COVID-19 sentiment or something else?
Brown gives his take, stating the transition from explorer to developer has gone under the radar and has happened too slowly for investors to stay interested.
Brown then moves into the manganese market in its entirety, before providing further details about potential financing and future studies to be completed this year.
Some more concrete offtake agreements would do wonders for Element 25's reputation, as the management team could show that the manganese supply chain is taking the company seriously.
2:42 - Company Overview 3:38 - Business Plan: What did They Set Out to Build? 7:57 - Team Experience 9:28 - Nobody in the Market Cares for Element 25: What are the Reasons? 12:01 - The Numbers: Financing, Facility Deal, Cash Position and Burn Rate 15:01, 30:11 - Plans Going Forward: Studies to be Done and Knowledge on the Economics of the Project 18:42 - Manganese Market: Big Players, Supply & Demand and the Pathway into Securing Themselves in the Market 25:54 - Keen to Go Green - How are They Approaching it? 29:01 - Offtake Agreement Conversations: Is Anyone Taking Element 25 Seriously? 30:28 - Confusing Messages: Breakthrough Tech and Size-ability Explained 35:56 - 2020 Deliverables and Fund Raises
(20min delay)