Like you
@Naughtpatjoe, I have assumed that logically P2 would follow well on the heels of P1, until a couple of days ago. On page 5 of our last quarterly, under the caption
Phase 2 Plant Scoping Study, management informed us that
during the quarter their main focus was identifying strategic locations for "a" Phase 2 plant in the US, not "the Phase 2" plant. The next paragraph proceeds to tell us:
"Walvis Bay in Namibia and Abu Dhabi will continue to be evaluated as prospective locations
for aPhase 2 plant along with a possible location in Europe."
Not to be pedantic, but knowing how careful management are with their words, if they were only intending to build one initially, they would be calling it "the" Phase 2 plant. Also, the use of the words "along with" makes me wonder if perhaps we will have 3 or 4 Phase 2 plants in the near term?
Clearly they are serious about the US, so that's 1. If we're building our own sulphuric acid plant in Abu Dhabi, that would suggest we will have a Phase 2 in the UAE. Namibia of course would make sense as that is where our resource is. Mentioning Europe is interesting, as I've been wondering why, even though our website is continually updated, "Portugal" remains on the first page? Especially given that our last Alvarroes announcement was nearly 2 and 1/2 years ago, in April 2019.
Our DFS, more than a year later, mentions Alvarroes on page 5 as being, along with Karibib, "the only Code compliant estimatesfor caesium, lithium and rubidium." Intriguingly, page 3 explains we engaged London based Lion's Head Global Partners as Project finance advisor, "which has offices in New York, Nairobi, Lagos,and Dubai." Lagos is in southern Portugal. Interesting that NY is mentioned first, indicating that perhaps the US has been a possibility for a Phase 2 for well over a year.
Could Alvarroes possibly be supplying a Phase 2 in Europe? Or in the US? Management's repeated mention of having a US patent for "lithium recovery from phosphate minerals, which include amblygonite" makes me wonder if a particular location involving a particular resource is a factor in scouting US locations?
Lastly, because we've had radio silence on the subject of Cornish Lithium, I wonder if their pilot plant will be up and running (and proving our tech) well before our Phase 1 plant in Abu Dhabi? Given that the 7 December 2020 ASX announcement provided no timelines at all, but repeatedly referred to "fast tracking" the plant, it's possible it will be producing before our UAE target of 2023. I also wondered about the allusion on page 6 of our last 4C to "All staff in Canada andthe UK are now fully immunised." Staff in the UK to assist with setting up Cornish Lithium's plant?
@mechanic you wondered in the Toyota thread you started a few days ago "if LPD has a more competitive time and cost base to initial manufacturing perhaps even a rapid transition to stage 2." You made a strong argument for anyone who hasn't seen it- the first post of 21 August. As you put out there too
@mechanic, I am happy to hear others' thoughts on this.
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