Special Report: Advanced battery materials play Talga Resources has enhanced Vittangi project development options after defining a maiden high-grade resource at the Niska deposit.
Sweden-based Talga is a near term, vertically integrated battery anode producer looking to service the emerging EU lithium-ion battery markets.
This vertical integration means that project economics are incredible. Talga estimates revenue of $US4.14 billion over an initial 22 years of steady state commercial production, for one thing.
The company isn’t just an aspiring graphite miner, but underpinning its high quality, low cost battery anode product is the world-class Vittangi graphite mining operations.
The project already boasts the world’s highest-grade graphite deposit at Nunasvaara — 12.3 million tonnes at 25.5 per cent carbon for 3.1 million tonnes of graphite.
>> Learn more about Talga Resources
There’s no comparison:
Today, Talga unveiled a maiden resource at the Niska North and South deposits – 4.6mt grading 25.8 per cent graphite – about 1km from Nunasvaara.
“Not only is it more than double the size of the Nunasvaara ore reserve that underlies the PFS we published in May, it is higher in grade and opens up a range of potential options for development that we will scope out separately at this stage,” Talga managing director Mark Thompson says.
The Niska North and South deposits could also get a lot bigger as they remain ‘open’ at depth and along strike.
Significantly, the maiden resource is entirely within the higher confidence ‘indicated’ category, enough to support early stage mine planning and evaluation of its economic viability.
Metallurgical test work is currently underway on Niska ore, but similarities with the Nunasvaara deposit indicates “reasonable prospects for economic extraction”, Talga says.
This is based on very successful metallurgical test work from trial mining at Nunasvaara South, the 2016 drilling at Nunasvaara North, and the results of the 2019 Nunasvaara South pre-feasibility study.
Even without Niska, Talga has enough premium quality graphite to build a very substantial advanced EU-facing battery anode materials and graphene additives business.
Still – “this conversion of Niska from discovery to resources adds further strength to Talga’s plans to build a large, long term European source of anode products for the lithium-ion battery industry,” Thompson says.
Talga will kick off preliminary economic studies and permitting at Niska deposits in November to explore development options.
Read more: Talga leading the charge with European anode product trials
>> Now watch: 90 Seconds With… Mark Thompson, Talga Resources.
This story was developed in collaboration with Talga Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This story does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.