Renascor has secured the key Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) approval from the South Australian state government for its Siviour battery anode material project.

The approval, which is the second step in the state’s two-stage assessment process, allows the company to process up to 1.65 million tonnes of material per annum, which allows for the production of up to 150,000t of graphite concentrate each year.

It allows Renascor Resources (ASX:RNU) to move forward with the development of the upstream graphite mine and concentrator portion of the vertically integrated Siviour project.

The approval follows a process of extensive stakeholder engagement, independent expert audits and comprehensive studies undertaken to incorporate designs and management plans to comply with conditions outlined in the Siviour Mineral Lease granted in 2019.

Additionally, the conditions for the approved PEPR are in line with the company’s expectations after a period of consultation with the Department of Energy and Mining.

PEPR approval

“Obtaining PEPR approval brings Renascor another key step closer to becoming a producer of 100% Australian-made purified spherical graphite,” managing director David Christensen said.

“This approval is the culmination of extensive technical, environmental and social investigation over the last 6 years, and satisfies a fundamental condition precedent of the Australian Government’s A$185 million loan facility to fund Renascor’s integrated Siviour Battery Anode Material Project.

“The timing of the PEPR approval is especially opportune for the Siviour Project, as there is growing potential for substantial upstream bottlenecks in the graphite-anode-battery supply chain due in large part to the lengthier approval process associated with new graphite mining operations relative to rapidly growing anode capacity.

He added that the company is now well poised to rapidly advance through the final development stages, into construction and operation of an important new supply line for the lithium-ion battery industry.

Next steps

Renascor is currently undertaking an updated, optimised battery anode materials (BAM) study building on previous detailed feasibility work for the planned vertically integrated BAM project.

This study is assessing an increase to the previously planned purified spherical graphite (PSG) production capacity of 28,000tpa, as well as a staged expansion to meet projected increasing demand for PSG.

Resource expansion drilling is also underway within the Siviour project area with a current focus on areas outside of the proposed mining plan for the production stages being considered in the optimised BAM study.

Drilling in these areas is expected to support future capacity expansions beyond those considered in the optimised BAM Study.

Negotiations are also underway with existing offtake partners to secure binding offtake agreements.

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Renascor Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Read MoreBattery Metals

Featured Companies

You might be interested in