Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM, GR:A2DUU8)
("
Giyani" or the "
Company"),
developer of the K.Hill Battery-Grade Manganese Project in Botswana
("
K.Hill" or “
the Project”), is
pleased to announce that High Purity Manganese Oxide
(“
HPMO”) has been produced at the Demonstration
Plant (“
Demo Plant”) in Johannesburg.
Highlights:
-
A key milestone was achieved during February with the production of
HPMO, a precursor for the production of High Purity Manganese
Sulphate Monohydrate (“HPMSM”), and also a
precursor for certain electric vehicle (“EV”) and
energy storage system (“ESS”) batteries. HPMO
samples are expected to be shipped in March to prospective offtake
partners.
-
HPMO is becoming the preferred precursor for the rapidly growing
market for Lithium-Manganese-Iron-Phosphate
(“LMFP”) and Lithium-Manganese-Nickel-Oxide
(“LMNO”) EV and ESS batteries. Whilst HPMSM is the
preferred precursor for Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt
(“NMC”) EV and ESS batteries, HPMO and HPMSM can
both be used to produce LMFP and LMNO batteries.
-
Giyani has received indications of demand for HPMO from OEM groups,
and intends to produce both HPMO and HPMSM in order to give the
Company technological and product optionality, enabling it to
maintain pace with the rapidly developing battery market, and be
able to serve the majority of potential future battery types.
-
The Demo Plant remains on track to produce HPMSM during Q1 2025.
Samples of HPMSM will then be provided to potential offtakers to
begin qualification trials as part of the offtake process, which
will form an integral component of Project Financing.
-
The Demo Plant’s secondary objective is to significantly derisk the
Commercial Plant (to be constructed in Botswana) design in parallel
with the Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”)
which is underway and expected to be completed in 2025.
-
The Giyani team is attending the PDAC conference in Toronto this
week, with a full schedule of offtaker, investor, and strategic
meetings.
Charles FitzRoy, President and CEO of
the Company, commented:
“Production of HPMO from the Demo Plant is a
huge milestone. It proves the flowsheet at this precommercial
scale, confirms Giyani’s technological optionality to be able to
serve the rapidly evolving battery industry, and diversifies
Giyani’s product risk. A fantastic achievement from all the team
and now onto the next step of producing HPMSM which is anticipated
in Q1 2025.
The commercial advantages of producing multiple
battery-grade manganese products cannot be overstated. The battery
market is moving exponentially quickly, and the dual capability of
being able to produce both HPMO and HPMSM allows Giyani to position
itself as a preferred supplier in this fast paced industry. LMFP
battery demand is increasing and will likely take a large market
share from LFP batteries, and in-turn will increase demand for
battery-grade manganese in both HPMSM and HPMO form.”
Demo Plant Commissioning and Production
Update
The construction of the Demo Plant, which
consists of nine Process Modules (each a self-contained process
system within a fixed frame), is complete. The Production ramp-up
(C5 Commissioning) phase has advanced, and the team continues to
work determinedly towards first production of HPMSM. The Demo Plant
materially advanced Hot Commissioning (C4 Commissioning) during
February 2025. C4 and C5 commissioning naturally progress in
parallel in the final stages of commissioning.
Commissioning challenges have included power
outages, water supply disruptions, engineering and technical
challenges, the majority of which were expected and mitigated
during February 2025.
The Demo Plant also enables final optimization
of the engineering design and flowsheet to reduce operating costs
and carbon profile, in parallel with the DFS which is underway and
expected to be completed in 2025. The Demo Plant laboratory,
independently installed and operated by Quality Lab Services (QLS,
a Minopex company), continues to operate as planned with full
analytical surveys completed during the ordinary course of
operations.
Figure 1: Demo Plant Render
Stages of commissioning:
-
C1 – Full mechanical completion (individual Process Modules)
-
C2 – Dry testing, direction testing, loop testing (individual
Process Modules)
-
C3 – Cold/Water Commissioning, software testing (individual Process
Modules)
-
C4 – Hot Commissioning with reagents and steam (typically full
Process)
-
C5 – Production Ramp-up (full Process)
In addition to progress at the Demo Plant,
concurrent metallurgical test-work is underway to further optimize
the flowsheet. Giyani is focused on further reducing reagent use
and improving both the operating cost and carbon profiles for the
Commercial Plant, planned for construction adjacent to Giyani’s
extensive 100% owned manganese oxide ore sources in Southern
Botswana.
The Demo Plant is designed at a scale factor of
approximately 1:10 to the planned Commercial Plant. This provides
robust and reliable scale-up from the Demo Plant data when the
Commercial Plant is implemented. To illustrate, the leach tanks
have a 60cm diameter in the Demo Plant and this is expected to be
8-10x larger at approximately 5m in the Commercial Plant.
Alongside the engineering, commercial and
research benefits of the Demo Plant, the availability of mature
Standard Operating Procedures (“SOPs”) will
facilitate a smooth transition to full-scale commercial
production.
The laboratory, and all the procedures and
methods associated with it, can be transferred directly to the
Commercial Plant, enabling a tried and tested laboratory set-up
available on Day 1 of Commercial Plant commissioning.
Botswana Developments
Giyani announced in January (see NR dated
January 23, 2025) the receipt of its Special Economic Zone
(“SEZ”) licence for its Commercial Plant. The SEZ
licence will positively impact the Company, as it provides fiscal
and non-fiscal benefits. Important to note is that the Company will
benefit from 5% corporate tax rate for the first 10 years of
production from its Commercial Plant, increasing to 10% thereafter,
a considerable benefit which was not included in the 2023 PEA.
During February, Giyani launched its first
tender for site preparation works, exclusively reserved for 100%
Botswanan citizen-owned companies. The tender for perimeter fencing
and beacon installation is targeting contractors from Kanye,
ensuring the local community directly benefits from Giyani’s
project.
About Giyani
Giyani is focused on becoming a dominant
western-world producer of sustainable, low carbon high purity
battery grade manganese for the EV and ESS industry. The Company
has developed a proprietary hydrometallurgical process to produce
battery-grade manganese (HPMSM and HPMO), a lithium-ion battery
cathode precursor material critical for EVs and ESS.
Additional information and corporate documents
may be found on www.sedarplus.ca and on Giyani Metals Corp. website
at https://giyanimetals.com/.
Qualified Persons / NI 43-101
Disclosures
A National Instrument 43-101 (“NI
43-101”) technical report including results of the PEA and
the MRE can be found on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and made
available on the Company's website at
https://giyanimetals.com/.
Jeffrey Peter Stevens BSc (Chem Eng) Pr. Eng is
a Qualified Person, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Stevens is
assisting the Company for DFS compliance with NI 43-101 and has
reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content
contained in this news release and is independent of the issuer for
the purposes of NI 43-101.
On behalf of Giyani Metals Corp.
Charles FitzRoy, President and CEO
Contact:
|
Giyani Metals Corp.Charles FitzRoy, President
& CEO |
cfitzroy@giyanimetals.comTel: +1289-291-7632 |
|
|
Tavistock, Corporate CommunicationsTara
Vivian-Neal / Josephine Clerkin |
giyani@tavistock.co.ukTel: +44 20 7920 3150 |
|
|
|
|
|
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV")
nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in
the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this news release.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking
information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities
legislation. All statements in this news release, other than
statements of historical fact, that address events or developments
that Giyani expects to occur, are "forward-looking statements".
Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical
facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words
"expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not
anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects",
"potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar
expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may",
"could", "should" or "might" occur.
Such statements include without limitation: the
Company the ongoing construction, commissioning and operation of
the Demo Plant, the completion of hot commissioning, the production
of HPMSM and HPMO, the delivery of product, and entering into
offtake agreements and timing thereof.
All such forward-looking statements are based on
the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the
date such statements are made and are subject to certain
assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of
which are beyond Giyani's ability to control or predict.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and
assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results,
level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially
different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include anticipated
operations in future periods, planned construction and development
of its properties and facilities, and plans related to its business
and other matters that may occur in the future. This information
relates to analyses and other information that is based on
expectations of future performance and planned work programs.
Forward-looking information is subject to a
variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which could cause actual events or results to differ from those
expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including,
without limitation: inherent exploration hazards and risks; risks
related to exploration and development of natural resource
properties; uncertainty in Giyani's ability to obtain funding;
commodity price fluctuations; recent market events and conditions;
risks related to governmental regulations; risks related to
obtaining necessary licences and permits; risks related to Giyani's
business being subject to environmental laws and regulations; risks
related to the Company's mineral properties being subject to prior
unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in
title; risks relating to competition from larger companies with
greater financial and technical resources; risks relating to the
inability to meet financial obligations under agreements to which
they are a party; ability to recruit and retain qualified
personnel; and risks related to the Company's directors and
officers becoming associated with other natural resource companies
which may give rise to conflicts of interests. This list is not
exhaustive of the factors that may affect Giyani's forward-looking
information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties
materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results may vary materially from those described in the
forward-looking information or statements.
Giyani's forward-looking information is based on
the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of the Company's
respective management on the date the statements are made, and
Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking
information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations
or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set
forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect
to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and
forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyani's continuous
disclosure documents which are filed on SEDAR+ at
www.sedarplus.ca.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6813d1e-4277-411e-8d64-e85748e4ead4
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