There has been some recent excellent lively debate on the TMT...

There has been some recent excellent lively debate on the TMT and TNG threads thanks mainly due to @Digity1 (and TheRookie), subsequently highlighting the blinders some SH's wear as they doggedly and sometimes naively barrack for their stock. As a believer in Vanadium I like to hear the honest, educated views of the more tuned-in posters. A good example would be @Scarpa over on the VR8 threads when he just happened to mention their mass recovery of 32%. Well, nobody there believed him or even understood what it meant, even when it was there in black and white in their announcements for all to see. FYI AVL/TMT mass recovery is much higher.
Hypothetical example only...

Here we mostly seem to attract the low calibre TMT holders, like the guy who tried to erroneously imply that TMT's recoveries were somehow incredibly superior to AVL. Their constant 'my resource is better' highlights this inherent ignorance. It's the same resource folks. Have a look at the map...

TMT have two geographically isolated resources. They deemed their main northern Ga-banintha deposit uneconomical, perhaps due to the heavy weathering/oxidation profile. They then focussed on their smaller southern satellite deposit (the one completely surrounded by AVL) where there is less weathering. Now they seem to want to include both deposits in their studies?

Ga-banintha is a highly weathered, highly dipping (high strip ratio) ore-body. Oxidised ore is usually treated as overburden and thrown away. Transitional and fresh ores have higher recoveries. As it's a very high grade V deposit AVL have taken a long time to ensure they can process it all - patents pending.

But grade it not always king in V, take TNG for example, they have only 0.3% in a flat lying (very low strip ratio) deposit but can achieve excellent magnetic separation V recoveries comparable to AVL&TMT. Of course they need to use their patented TIVAN process to extract all three metals (V, Ti, Fe) to make it (very) viable.

There are many V deposits in Oz, which will be needed to fill expected supply gaps, but only those with lower OpEx/environmental footprints should be considered as serious contenders eg. AVL, TNG, TMT. The elephant in the room for TMT is they need to build a 160km gas pipeline spur for their processing plant. I'd be nervous for them but it was pleasing to see movements in that area recently. This is why AVL plans to build their processing plant on private land near Mullewa, specifically to be close to gas mains, strategically de-risking the project. However without a rail line this means trucking the concentrate and inflating the OpEx. With V prices holding at current levels (and expecting to appreciate with rising demand and no new meaningful near-term supply) this cost can be absorbed (just). AVL's resource (only partly JORC'd) is so huge it's literally multi-generational. A future rail line could be envisaged. At the very least (and as hinted by Vince in one of his interviews) there will be plans to electrify the trucking fleet and run on renewable energy, eliminating high diesel costs.

So who will be the next Oz V mine - AVL, TMT, TNG, NMT's Barrambie, Atlantic's Windimurra? Will a major buy out AVL/TMT and consolidate the globally significant Ga-banintha resource? Will TMT tragics ever stop naively claiming their deposit is different and better? One thing's for sure, what's good for Vanadium is good for all, what's good for AVL is good for TMT and visa-versa.

I believe this thread was originally created to discuss the various Vanadium contenders. All SH posts/opinions (even negative) are welcomed (as long as not blatant lies). It would be great to hear from those more knowledgeable posters I mentioned above, specifically about differences in deposits, effects of oxidation, mass recoveries and concentrate grades etc...

ps. As we all know the EPA is currently deciding whether or not to assess AVL's Tenindewa processing plant. These decisions are released on Mondays. IMO even if they decide to assess it's still within the project's timelines, no biggie.
https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/proposals/tenindewa-vanadium-processing-facility
The five stages if assessed...
https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/step-step-through-proposal-assessment-process
There's plenty to keep us busy, especially with VSUN's VRFBs and electrolyte plant construction.

pps. @jskf the AVL threads have seemed barren since you sold out at the peak (kudos btw). The current risk/reward MC/SP must be making your trigger finger itchy? lol
GLTAH...