Elementos is well placed and prepared for tin demand through Oropesa project in southern Spain

“With demand economics in our favour, visible tin stocks are very low and the consensus is that there’s a real supply issue going forward, regardless of the electric vehicles story. Data from the International Tin Association clearly indicates an expected shortfall in the supply of tin. Higher extraction costs and lower grades are expected to lead to continued declines in tin production and a market deficit is anticipated to widen through to 2021, with few new tin mines in the pipeline.” Said Elementos chairman Andy Greig.

“Elementos is well-placed to take advantage of tin’s supply/demand imbalance.”

Elementos Ltd is poised to benefit from rising demand for tin as consumer electronics rebound strongly when global economies recover and new and disruptive technologies continue to drive consumption of the metal. Through its Oropesa Tin Project in southern Spain, one of the largest undeveloped tin resources in the world, Elementos is well-placed to take advantage of tin’s supply/demand imbalance.

Increasing uses for tin

Tin is mainly used as a solder component for consumer electronics which accounts for about half of its global consumption. Demand is expected to remain subdued in the short-term due to the coronavirus pandemic but the long-term outlook remains bright as consumer electronics are expected to rebound strongly as global economies recover.

Further, new and disruptive technologies such as robotics, automation, smart home devices, drones, Internet of Things, 5G, advanced computing, hydrogen-related applications, carbon capture, renewable energy and electric vehicles will be the strongest new use drivers.

Tin additions to lead-acid batteries and solder used for joining solar cells have shown strong increases, plus the use of tin in lithium-ion batteries has shown some of the highest growth over the last decade, accounting for 0.4% of refined tin consumption in 2011 and growing to 3% in 2019. This trend is set to continue, with the degree of vehicle electrification expected to increase substantially over the coming decade. Tin was singled out as the market most favourably impacted by the technology revolution relative to its size in a 2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study commissioned by Rio Tinto. And in 2017, more than 5,000 scientific papers and tin technology patents were published, which demonstrates a strong future for the metal.

Oropesa Tin Project

On December 31, 2019, the company finalised the acquisition of the Oropesa Tin Project in southern Spain – one of the world’s largest undeveloped, open-cut mineable tin deposits. The acquisition represents an excellent opportunity to create value-uplift potential for shareholders. About US$26 million has been spent to date at the Oropesa project, including 261 drill holes for a total of 54,026 metres of drilling.

An economic study completed in May found that at a tin price of US$19,750 per tonne, the mine could potentially generate an annual gross revenue of more than US$48 million against a forecast operating cost of US$28 million per year or cash cost of US$11,534 per tonne of metal. The study valuation also found a base case pre-tax net present value 8% of about US$92 million and post-tax NPV 8% of about US$66 million.

Attractions of the project include:

-Large, well-defined resource with strong opportunities for resource expansion;

– Open-cut mining potential that is amendable to simple drill and blast, truck and shovel open cut mining operations;

– Simple metallurgy – extensive metallurgical testing and process flowsheet designed to produce a 62.4% tin concentrate at a 74.2% metallurgical recovery;

– Near-term production potential – a positive economic study has been completed;

– Permitting process advanced with a revised Environmental Impact Study (EIS) being prepared and a mining licence application has been submitted;

– Located close to development infrastructure, including major highways which link to export ports, water supply and power supply;

– Low sovereign risk – The Andalucia region of Spain is home to some of the country’s most significant mining operations and part of the European Union;

– Large sunk cost – significant investment in drilling, geophysics, metallurgical testing and development studies; and

– Local community support.

Enhancing Cleveland Tin Project

Excellent progress is being made at the Cleveland Tin Project, 80 kilometres southwest of Burnie in the mineral-rich northwest region of Tasmania, Australia, following the release of a new JORC resource estimate. This potentially paves the way to move towards the development of a small-scale open cut and tailings retreatment processing facility.

Further exploration and metallurgical testing is planned to examine opportunities for enhancing the project economics. It is a historic mine boasting excellent power, water and transport infrastructure – linked to Burnie Port by sealed roads and accessible power runs through the Cleveland exploration licence area.

The tin province in northwest Tasmania hosts some of the world’s highest grade and most productive tin mines, including Renison Bell, Mt Bischoff and Cleveland. Total contained tin within the revised 2018 JORC Resource Estimate increased by 15.8% and contained copper increased by 20.0%.

Funding

The company raised A$773,000 from its oversubscribed Share Purchase Plan (SPP) in September 2020. This amount was more than double the original target of A$300,000. It is also in addition to the A$2,552,000 raised in a private placement, which completed in August 2020.

Source: proactiveinvestors.com.au

European Metals, drillings at lithium-tin project in Czech Republic

Drilling had commenced at the lithium-tin project Cinovec in the Czech Republic, said Mineral mining company European Metals. A total of 19 resource drill holes would be completed during this campaign for a total of 5,550 m, with the first hole ‘well advanced,’ the company said.

Drilling was aimed at converting a ‘sufficient portion of the existing Indicated Mineral Resource to the measured resource category and subsequently to a mineral reserve, to cover the first two years of the scheduled mining plan and obtaining a sufficient amount of ore samples for the next phase of metallurgical testing,’ the company said.

‘A further two hydro-geological drill holes and four geotechnical drill holes are planned once resource drilling has been completed. ‘ it added.

Source: sharesmagazine.co.uk

Cinovec lithium and tin project in Czech Republic fully funded

This is believed to be Europe’s largest deposit of the battery metal. European Metals Holdings’ shareholders have approved a major investment in the company’s Cinovec lithium and tin project in Czech Republic. Cinovec is now fully funded up to the decision to construct, EMH said, paving the way for the project to become the first European Union producer of battery-grade lithium from a local mine.

The decision allows Czech utility CEZ, in which the state holds a 70% share, to invest €29.1 million ($32m) for a 51% equity interest in Geomet. The company is EMH’s subsidiary and holder of the project licenses.

The deal could also help CEZ transition towards renewable energy and position itself as a main supplier for Europe’s electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Construction of the project, acquired by EMH in 2012, is expected to take two years.

Cinovec is located in the Krusne Hore Mountains, which divide the Czech Republic from the Saxony State of Germany. The asset is within a historic mining region, with artisanal extraction dating back to the 1300s.

Unlike most other lithium deposits in the world, Cinovec is in an area with built-in, working infrastructure, which includes a railroad. It is also located close to car makers, most of which have launched or are planning to introduce electric vehicles.

Among top producers

The world’s top three lithium producers are Australia, Chile and China. The Czech Republic could potentially take the fifth place, after Argentina, thanks to Cinovec.

The transaction, expected to close on April 27, comes as EV demand continues to rise.

Benedikt Sobotka, chief executive of Eurasian Resources Group and co-chair of the Global Battery Alliance said this week that EV penetration rates are growing across many countries, with the UK reaching a 7% rate in March, Germany setting a new record of 9% and France attaining a plug-in EV penetration rate of 12%.

The same pattern is evident in many other countries, Sobotka said. In Portugal, Tesla’s Model 3 became the second bestselling car in March, just behind the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Italy EV sales are also at record high levels.

Source: mining.com