Alba Mineral Resrcs. - GROC Update: Amitsoq Graphite Project Update
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
RNS Number : 2665H
Alba Mineral Resources PLC
23 November 2022
Alba Mineral Resources plc
("Alba" or the "Company")
GROC Update
Amitsoq Graphite Project Update
Including Appointment of Leading Graphite Adviser
Alba Mineral Resources plc (AIM: ALBA) is pleased to note the announcement today by its portfolio
company, GreenRoc Mining Plc ("GreenRoc") (AIM: GROC). Alba holds a 54% majority interest in
GreenRoc. The announcement is set out below without material changes.
GreenRoc Mining plc
("GreenRoc" or the "Company")
Amitsoq Graphite Project Update
Including Appointment of Leading Graphite Adviser
GreenRoc Mining Plc (AIM: GROC), a company focused on the development of critical minerals
projects in Greenland, is pleased to announce a number of key developments at its Amitsoq
Graphite Project in South Greenland ('Amitsoq' or the 'Project') as it focuses on fast-tracking the
development of the Project.
Amitsoq is one of the highest grade graphite deposits globally, with a JORC resource of 8.28Mt ore
at an average grade of 19.75% graphite. It is anticipated that this will be significantly upgraded in
the coming weeks, following the highly successful Summer 2022 drilling campaign.
Overview
·
Leading graphite expert ProGraphite GmbH ('ProGraphite') has been appointed to act as
adviser to GreenRoc on the technical and commercial aspects of graphite processing, sales
and marketing.
·
Process engineering specialist UVR-FIA GmbH ('UVR-FIA') in Germany is to be appointed to
complete test work on a c.700kg bulk sample of graphite ore collected from the Amitsoq
graphite mine.
o Results are expected to help refine the best processing techniques and develop and
characterise saleable products for the Electric Vehicle ('EV') battery market.
·
A set of drill core samples from the 2021 drilling campaign has been sent to the Geological
Survey of Denmark and Greenland ('GEUS') for detailed mineralogical and petrographical
studies.
o Results expected to support processing plant design and feed into the testwork
carried out by UVR-FIA on the bulk sample.
·
These test results and studies will feed into a planned Scoping Study, which along with the
Environmental and Social Impact Assessments ('EIA' and 'SIA') will form major parts of the
2023 work programme.
·
GreenRoc management is engaged in active discussions to support future development at
Amitsoq, and has concluded an initial round of meetings with potential industry partners.
GreenRoc's CEO, Stefan Bernstein, commented:
"Amitsoq is shaping up to be a world-class graphite project. We are absolutely focused on fasttracking the development of the asset to create a new, sustainable source of high quality graphite that
can support the rapidly growing EV battery market, where there is critical supply demand. With this
in mind, I am delighted to announce that we have agreed with leading industry experts ProGraphite,
who have previously provided laboratory test work and analytical services to us, to expand their remit
to cover advice on the commercial aspects relating to the processing, sale and marketing of graphite.
Their extensive industry experience and network should prove invaluable as we look to refine our
processing techniques and identify commercial partners.
"We are also pleased to be progressing the detailed analytical and processing programme for our
Amitsoq graphite ore. The Board's decision to appoint UVR-FIA for bulk sample processing and GEUS
for mineralogical work means that these important technical elements, which will feed directly into
the upcoming Scoping Study, will be placed in the hands of leading experts in their respective fields.
The Scoping Study, EIA and SIA will be the focus of our 2023 work programme and keep us on track to
production.
"Earlier this month I had the pleasure of visiting the Maastricht operations of Asbury Graphite and
Carbons NL, a top-ranking graphite supply company with its headquarters in the US. The meeting
was both inspiring and useful and provided a lot of insight into the downstream graphite market. In
recent weeks, we have held a number of initial exploratory meetings with potential customers,
including with representatives of European car manufacturers and gigafactories.
I expect these
meetings to continue and intensify in the coming months as we seek the best commercial partners for
Amitsoq."
Details
Appointment of Leading Graphite Adviser
GreenRoc has signed an agreement with ProGraphite, Germany, to advise the Company on the
technical and commercial aspects of graphite processing, sales and marketing, with a particular
focus on battery grade graphite products for the EV sector.
ProGraphite has more than 20 years of experience in the graphite industry and, through its
founder and CEO Christoph Frey (Dipl.-Ing. M.Sc.), is a leading expert in the graphite sector,
providing a range of analytical, material research and consulting services to the industry.
Decision on Bulk Sample Processing
As previously announced, the 2022 field campaign at Amitsoq included the collection of a ca
700kg bulk sample from the underground workings of the historic Amitsoq mine, which was in
operation between 1914 to 1922. The GreenRoc Board has now decided to award the contract for
the processing of the bulk sample to process engineering specialists UVR-FIA in Freiberg,
Germany. The aims of the processing exercise will be two-fold: firstly, to further constrain the
parameters for the optimal processing of Amitsoq graphite ore, which will be important for the
upcoming Scoping Study, and secondly, to supply graphite concentrate in sufficient quantities to
enable GreenRoc to conduct further advanced testwork for the production of spherical graphite the material used in the manufacturing of anodes for EV batteries - and to provide samples of that
graphite concentrate to potential customers and commercial partners. The results from the
processing exercise are expected to be available by Q2, 2023
Mineralogical Studies for Processing Plant Design
A set of drill core samples from the 2021 drilling campaign has been sent to GEUS in Copenhagen,
Denmark, for detailed mineralogical and petrographical studies. These results will in turn provide
important information to support the design of the processing plant for Amitsoq, an important
aspect of the upcoming Scoping Study, and will also feed into the bulk sample testwork to be
carried out by UVR-FIA.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated
results that are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general
economic, market and business conditions, competition for qualified staff, the regulatory process and actions, technical
issues, new legislation, uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, uncertainties resulting from
working in a new political jurisdiction, uncertainties regarding the results of exploration, uncertainties regarding the timing
and granting of prospecting rights, uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of regulatory and other third party
consents and approvals, uncertainties regarding the Company's or any third party's ability to execute and implement
future plans, and the occurrence of unexpected events.
Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks
and uncertainties and other factors.
**ENDS**
For further information, please visit www.albamineralresources.com or contact:
Alba Mineral Resources plc
George Frangeskides, Executive Chairman
+44 20 3950 0725
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nomad)
Andrew Emmott
+44 20 3368 3555
OvalX (Broker)
Thomas Smith
+44 20 7392 1494
St Brides Partners (Financial PR)
Isabel de Salis / Catherine Leftley alba@stbridespartners.co.uk
Alba's Projects and Investments
Mining Projects Operated by Alba
Location
Ownership
Clogau (gold)
Wales
100%
Dolgellau Gold Exploration (gold)
Wales
100%
Gwynfynydd (gold)
Wales
100%
Limerick (zinc-lead)
Ireland
100%
Investments Held by Alba
Location
Ownership
GreenRoc Mining Plc (mining)
Greenland
54%
Horse Hill (oil)
England
11.765%
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of
this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information
contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services.
For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy
Policy.
END
UPDBRBDBLGDDGDD
Share your feedback
Discover