Scandium, Cobalt, and Water Purification: Clean Teq Holdings,Volume 2, 20182017 was a year of tremendous accomplishment for Clean Teq Holdings in every respect.
We saw remarkable achievements in mine construction, in finance, and in market development, with landmark contracts in every business segment;
We saw a complex business appear as if by magic, including business offices on four continents, and the launch of business website in the water division;
We were informed of superb existing and newly-formed strategic partnerships,
with the likes of Airbus, Peng-Xin Mining, Chinese state and power entities, Chinalco, and Multotec;
We were witness to a major off-take agreement with a leading battery manufacture;
We learned of an astute acquisition of a controlling interest in a VRB business by Mr. Friedland;
We learned of deep and valuable research and development support at prestigious universities and manufacturers;
and we became sure of unseen low-cost manufacturing contacts and alliances.
And oh-by-the-way, we got a listing on the TSX.
The company inspires confidence and optimism. Robert Friedland has a deep long-term strategy, and he knows what he is doing.
I am not sure what is more impressive: His strategic vision, or his managerial talent in executing it.
Clean Teq is a company that is worth following. It is by far my largest position.
There are a lot of companies with good concepts. But Clean Teq has a deep and brilliant strategic concept which is at the heart of major world trends; a revolutionary technology; and a management that executes flawlessly.
**
GOING FORWARD: SUITABLE TOPICS FOR THIS THREAD
1. CLEAN TEQ HOLDINGS, CLEAN TEQ WATER, and their interests, or related companies.
2. Miners and producers of COBALT, VANADIUM, SCANDIUM; also nickel, zinc, graphite, lithium, rare earths, silica, and manganese.
3. WATER PURIFICATION, especially when tied into mineral extraction therefrom.
4. “TECHNO MINERS” and other innovators in mining and material extraction
See notes below on thread and topic overlaps, which are unavoidable.
**
One year ago this week, I wrote an article on Clean Teq Holdings. It was a speculative company, but
one with a visionary and proven leader, dramatic potential in specific, attractive commodities,
innovative methods and IP for mineral extraction, and big ambitions in water purification.
Clean Teq Holdings defied easy categorization, and continues to do so.
One year later, Clean Teq has not disappointed. Clean Teq has exceeded all reasonable expectations.
**
If you need background on Clean Teq, I refer you to the predecessor of this thread: “Scandium, Cobalt,
and Water Purification: Clean Teq Holdings”, where you will also find the guidelines and rules for this
thread; and to the Clean Teq and Clean Teq Water websites, which warrant close examination.
OUR BIAS AND BASIC VIEW
This thread is for those who believe in the coming EV wave, light weighting of transport, and most importantly,
in the importance of energy storage and batteries of all scales;
and also, it is for those who believe that the disruptions caused thereby will be rapid.
Because of this opinion, it follows that the existing viable battery technologies and the materials needed
for them are important. We anticipate rapid change; we subscribe to the Tony Seba “Disruption Scenario”,
that suggests disruptiv changes are occuring faster.
If you disagree with the Disruption Scenario, or the eventual proliferation of EVs,
that is fine; but please do not debate it on this thread. The thread is for those who believe in the future of battery power,
and in the immediate opporunities in commodities related to batteries and energy storage.
We will be able to see in shortly whether we are right or wrong in this belief.
If it takes longer than we think, we will complain about ”being early.”
My perspective is for the next five years. That is “long term”. This is not a trading thread.
Occasionally short-term opportunities are appropriate to call out,
but short-term trading is not the emphasis here.
On the other hand should restrain ourselves from too much attention
to developments and materials for technologies that are likely to take longer than five years to have an impact.
We are looking for investable ideas, not 10 year forecasts on the Future of Civilization.
So let’s keep it down on hydrogen fuel cells and molten salt batteries for a couple of months.
**
NOTES ON THREAD AND TOPIC OVERLAPS
Our assumption is that Li-NCM, VRB’s, and zinc batteries are going to be the main battery formats purchased,
installed or contracted for in the near-term, hence the commodities needed for them are of interest.
New battery technologies are better discussed on the #batteries thread ,
unless they involve a vertical commodity/battery producer.
We are interested in what is going to have an impact in five years.
For example, if you are convinced that Google is about to conquer the world with a molten salt battery,
then come on over here and recommend Morton Salt as a buy-out candidate.
But debate whether molten salt batteries have a future, and when, on the #batteries thread.
News that shows increasing penetration on solar are relevant,
as they confirm the importance of large-scale energy storage.
But we would like to know who is getting the contracts and what type of battery they are using.
There is going to be some unavoidable overlap. Nickel and manganese sources are swing metals,
sometimes they may be better discussed on the Hard Asset thread as base metals.
If you make a post on the wrong thread, don’t worry too much, there are
no fines or jail time. I do it myself all the time and I understand it can be confusing.
You can also use Travis’ new cross-reference gizmo.
Long $CTEQF $CLQ Clean Teq Holdings
This is a discussion topic or guest posting submitted by a Stock Gumshoe reader. The content has not been edited or reviewed by Stock Gumshoe, and any opinions expressed are those of the author alone.
$FYI – Earth’s dismal water future, mapped
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-shifting-water-sources-20180610-story.html
This article may take a couple of reads to get an understanding of the full extent of what the author is trying to convey. Just to say that blue areas are getting wetter and the read areas are getting dryer doesn’t give me a very good picture of what is happening. I’ve heard that in the southern California central valley there are areas where the land has dropped as much a foot due to the aquafir depletion for water during the drought. California is not the only place this occurring. Clean Teq will certainly have a place.
$MGXMF…when this was first brought to my attention, I did like it; but I was in the frame of mind to look for opportunities with close and clearly defined near-term catalysts. So I took a position but not a really aggressive one.
In recent days a revisit of MGX has impressed on the issue of speed of execution. The mining projects will have a slow and ponderous path to follow, like most mining projects. But the implementation of the lithium brine, oil and gas wastewater, and zinc-air battery opportunities have occurred quickly, as one can see in the recent news releases.
The company has moved very fast on the ZincNyx flow battery acquisition, and promptly turned around to spin it off; they announced a flow battery install in NYC; they speak of deployments (plural) in progress; they released news that they expect to book their INCOME this October.
So the company appears to act fast on matters of execution, where it is physically possible. In considering their battery and lithium business, speed to execution appears not only possible but likely, compared to mining timetables we are used to, which are measured in years.
LITHIUM AND LITHIUM BRINE…the “ore” is already available in the wastewaters, oil and gas production waste, fouled ground waters, and other sources. Testing and proving of the mineral content will be faster than drilling conventional hard rock deposits, and production time will be faster than salt flat evaporation. So they may be new kids on the block, but they will have faster deployment of installations on hard rock lithium sources, and faster production than lithium salt flat operators,
who must wait for evaporation.
ZINC-AIR batteries: the technology is ready to go. The longest lead time item is probably the negotiation and contract process with the clients. I do not believe
construction and install take very long compared to what we are used to in mining.
These battery installs go fast, it is not like building a mine.
Speaking of speed. The ZincNyx stock spin-off is to holders of record as of June 29.
Looking to increase my position before then.
**
We do not have much information on the nature of the financial deals, nor of the costs and margins in the battery or the petrolithium business. These are important to know, so that the real long-term viability of the company model can be evaluated.
I would really like more information on these factors. However I am willing to
jump a little early, for these reasons:
–In the lithium brine sector, the sources of supply are very plentiful world-wide, so that it is nearly certain that rights to the “ore” will have very low costs. In some cases, negative capex is conceivable, since MGX is cleaning up waste ad producing
processed water.
–In the zinc-air batteries, sector demand is positively explosive; and the cost of zinc is considerably less than the materials needed in other battery chemistries, even the dominant ones…such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, vanadium.
There will be some pressure to build up volume, which will drive costs down. They have to buy business to build up market share and acceptance. But Zinc-air is already in a boss position with respect to the commodity prices used. Zinc and air are pretty inexpensive.
TECK and MGX…checking into it, Teck developed everything including patents and divested itself of the while package to create MGX. However Teck took 3.7 million restricted shares in MGX as the principal payment so it is safe to assume they still have a major interest in MGX and would co-operate in meaningful ways.
Teck sees major opportunity in MGX and I have a lot of respect for their management. I would look for evidence of close co-operation, which will greatly advantage MGX since Teck is Canada’s largest diversified resource company; a good ally to have for a microcap.
There is also a simple but clear line to China on the Teck BOD…a deputy minister of the People’s Republic of China sits on the board of Teck.
$TCK reposted on other thread
RF’s conceptual target organizer…Firedland has been praised
by so many people already it may seem like gilding the lily, but I have to say that he keeps making moves that astonish me in terms of their foresight and strategic planning.
There always seems to be an additional twist that comes into view after the lines in the press releases are scrutinized.
As we go along, the plan is revealed a little at a time; hints here and there, and the outline is drawn lightly but distinctly,
for those who are looking for it.
I am laughing now about the news release on the autoclaves from last summer, which was on the surface a notice that they spent a couple of million dollars on equipment. It was odd.
What it really was, was notice that they are going to build Sunrise as fast as they can, even though there was no final feasibility study or official investment decision.
Many of the other announcement contain similarly oblique
notices…like the notice of Mod 6, which is about bunk beds in the Port-a-Camp, or the November release on the Mandatory Lead Arrangers, which notified us that financing was in the bag a year before the Final Investment Decision.
Anyway. What I am calling out here is a deeper strategy
that has emerged on account of Platreefs, and my familiarization with Friedland’s non-public companies, and recent minor changes to the Clean Teq website.
Those strategies are primarily:
1. The development of technology to make revolutionary and disruptive changes in the extraction and mining business
2. Applying the extraction methods to simultaneously acquire valuable minerals and remediate environmental problems. Because of this many targets will have negative capex to acquire.
3. A unified body of applications and technologies that are adaptable to sources and targets.
4. Vertical integration from research and development to the production of target materials.
5. Water. Water is a problem.
6. But most of all: ENERGY. Energy from metals.
Friedland has gone into the future in his thinking, and has plotted the next generations of energy sources, and has prioritized his targets accordingly.
Copper. Nickel. Cobalt…all needed NOW for the electric revolution.
Vanadium & zinc…next up, VRB and zinc-air.
Scandium…light-weighting for transport; but also, solid state scandium batteries.
Platinum and palladium…exhaust remediation…and hydrogen fuel cells
**
What is truly amazing is that Friedland has not only gone after these targets, but will have the largest and most profitable, ot at the least a world top five asset, in every single one of these targets !
Following Robert Friedland is not hero worship. He is giving us a blueprint for the future of mining and energy. We just have to learn how to read it.
This relates to scandium, so posting here.
Metalysis is pleased to welcome a new partner. Australian Mines [ASX: AUZ]
http://www.metalysis.com/metalysis-provides-aluminium-scandium-alloy-rd-programme-update/
Metalysis provides aluminium-scandium alloy R&D programme update
By Nuala Gallagher11th June 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
12 month R&D overview of activities successfully addressing cost and supply challenges historically limiting scandium use;
New partner, Australian Mines, to provide scandium oxide for qualification in H2, 2018; and
High value AlSc alloy continues to pose excellent launch product potential for Metalysis’ Generation 4 industrial plant.
Metalysis (or “the Company”), the UK technology company with a solid-state process to produce valuable metal alloy powders, today provides an update on its high value aluminium-scandium (“AlSc”) alloy research and development (“R&D”) programme.
The R&D programme has affirmed the view that Metalysis’ process could address challenges that have historically restricted the industrial use of scandium despite its excellent properties.
Scandium has strength and light-weighting characteristics that make it ideal for alloys of great interest to advanced manufacturing applications including in the aerospace and automotive industries. Although there are primary production scenarios under development, it is largely mined as a by-product with little surety of supply. As an alloy addition, scandium can as much as triple manufacturing costs at current pricing. Cost and supply constraints are two challenges Metalysis has focused on.
As announced on 17 May 2017, Metalysis is using its modular, electrochemical technology to produce a scandium-rich feedstock addition, supporting master alloy production. The process can produce a wide range of powder alloys at lower costs and environmental footprints than traditional melting processes.
In H2 2017, Phase I proof-of-principle activities using Metalysis’ ‘Generation 1’ technology successfully produced the AlSc alloy feedstock addition. It is more than 15X higher in scandium content than the commonly available 2wt% scandium master alloy and was produced at materially lower comparable costs.
In H1 2018, during Phase II, the Company began qualifying scandium oxide to produce the high value AlSc alloy feedstock from new sources. This is part of efforts to address global production and supply concerns.
To continue to do this in H2 2018, Metalysis is pleased to welcome a new partner. Australian Mines [ASX: AUZ] is focused on production and supply of battery and technology metals to global markets and developing cobalt-scandium-nickel projects in Australia. Scandium oxide from Australian Mines’ Sconi project, in northern Queensland, will be evaluated and used for further AlSc alloy production.
The R&D programme has now benefitted from global partners leading scandium oxide technology, trading, supply and mine development/production. It is underway at Metalysis’ Materials Discovery Centre in South Yorkshire, UK, where the Company conducts commercial projects with corporate partners and academia to produce advanced materials of growing demand among automotive, advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing applications.
The R&D programme is also destined to benefit Metalysis’ Materials Manufacturing Centre in South Yorkshire, UK, which houses its ‘Generation 4’ industrial scale production facility. Being modular, Gen4 builds on Generations 1-3 of Metalysis’ technology and is capable of producing hundreds of tonnes of speciality powder alloys. A high value AlSc alloy continues to prove compelling as a potential launch product when Gen4 commercial production commences later in 2018.
Very interesting, as I recall AUZ did not lock up scandium in their off-take with SKI; so their scandium potential is there to be realized.
No question in my mind that AUZ has upside at current prices. Flemington is wide open. You just wonder why with the SKI deal in place, the stock has gone backwards.
No reason to be shy about posting news about AUZ, even though they aren’t everybody’s favorite. There aren’t many Aussie ni-co-sc projects around and AUZ has good deposits and 100% take-off at Sconi…. if they can get the mine financed and built on time.
Who else have SK got mou’s with? They wouldn’t be solely relying on Auz.
They have stated that they intend to get all the needs for their new European plant from AUZ. Where their current supplies come from, I have no idea.
This lines up with the idea that ethical cobalt might get segregated by vendor and plant, so that clean ethical cobalt is not mixed up with dirty cobalt.
It also holds open the possibility of a two-tiered cobalt market.
The West gets screwed with high prices and those that don’t care make tons of profit on cheaper unvetted cobalt.
No one, also hardly a mou, are you serious?
SKi are 100% AUZ, driven from the Mercedes end with all parties working together, especially BB sharing the Kimchi over there.
Ok so SK are putting all their eggs in one basket? lol
Seems that way, but then what do I really know?
Eggs might get broken, but sure seems all parties concerned going for a make it happen situation and of course only time will tell.
what is an mou?
Memorandum of understanding
You might think that memoranda of understanding sound suspiciously similar to contracts, but there are actually significant differences between the two. A contract is a written, private agreement between two parties that is legally binding and can be enforced by a judge.
Contracts spell out the nitty-gritty obligations of each party which, if breached, can spell dire consequences for the entity that breaks it. Contracts are necessary when there is any sort of exchange of money because they help to protect the interests of both parties and ensure trust.
MOUs are less formal than contracts, and typically include fewer details and complexities, but they are more formal than handshake agreements, sometimes called gentlemen’s agreements. All sorts of entities use MOUs to create guidelines for each party as they contribute their efforts and resources toward important projects. But ultimately, the reason that parties opt for MOUs is because they are simpler and more flexible than contracts.
That is a copy and paste. Myself MOUs mean little as they can very well go no where.
MOU’s announce the intent to proceed to a contract.
It means that the basic overall outlines are agreed to.
But it is short of a binding contract.
All the eggs for the new Hungarian plant. I know nothing about other plants or supply sources. They are relying on somebody else for now and the next several years; we don’t know who.
$CTEQF – The Broken Hill District May Grow To Become Australia’s Premiere Cobalt Mining Center v – Includes: AMSLF, BHP, CBBHF, CTEQF, AUZ, COB,,,
by Matt Bohlsen @sa
Summary
The Broken Hill surrounding district is showing signs of becoming a world class cobalt sulphide mining region.
Cobalt Blue continues to be a huge success in Broken Hill – Now several nearby juniors are trying to replicate their success.
A look at the juniors that surround Cobalt Blue’s Thackaringa tenements.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4180697-broken-hill-district-may-grow-become-australias-premiere-cobalt-mining-center?isDirectRoadblock=true
$CTEQF long
I believe Thakaringa is COB, with some minor tenements held by AUZ.
$CLQ $CTEQF…it is not my habit to make short-term price observations, but from a technical side on the daily charts CLQ made a strong bull candle pattern today,
a bullish engulfing pattern.
CTEQF Long. HN, do you have short and long term price targets for CLQ?
v/r
jdd
Denton…I do not have “price targets”.
Short-term I have expectations: I expect the stock price to reach $2.00 USD by year-end, I will be surprised if it does not reach that.
Long-term, what I intend to do is to stay in my position until Sunrise is actually in production for a year. At that point I can see what has developed in water, in vanadium, in nickel and cobalt prices, in scandium, and in other potential areas of development.
At that point, one can evaluate how much of the potential is likely to be realized, and start to think about what to do about the position.
Let us just say that I expect the price to be multiples of what it is now, provided Sunrise meets half of its stated goals.
I think the danger is to sell out too early. Why not really go for it ?
What if the scandium and vanadium work out ?
Who knows if nickel will hit $10, or $15 ?
Who knows how much income is possible in water from India and China ?
I expect that when Clean Teq moves from being a developer with hopes for its process, to an actual producer with contracts and income, a different set of valuation metrics will kick in.
A different, bigger universe of investors will come in, with conventional ideas of valuation metrics.
Does anyone really know how such a company will be valued, in terms of
stock price to earnings, or stock price to sales, or what premium will be paid for a company with a growth rate that is virtually unlimited in the near term ?
I do not know the answer to any of these questions.
Why should one sell out, before seeing at least some of the answers ?
***
One other thing. I sold off a lot of positions in companies that I like, to build up my position in Clean Teq. I liked those other positions.
But in my opinion, they did not have as much potential, in as short a time frame, and with as high a degree of probability, as did Clean Teq.
So the question also becomes: if I sell or reduce my position in Clean Teq,
do I have an investment that I think is better ? Or safer ? or more likely to generate returns ? Right now, the answer to that question is NO.
My first price target is US$2. That was my original first target, and I haven’t touched my shares since I loaded up at US62 cents a year and a half ago. At $2 I’ll sell 30% of my shares to get back my original investment, and what will be left will be almost 2.5 times what I put up. Then my next big target is US$4, at which point I will cash out a bundle, and have a bundle left over to keep. That’s how I see it, and thats how I’m playing it. Up 30% after a year and a half, not crying, but time to get this train rolling. Big $$$ involved.
HN, our though processes seem identical – scary! Your approach to CLQ exactly mirrors mine to Varsarien, which has now six-bagged £50k for me and a few U.K. followers (with further blue sky prospects to come inshallah).
Very many thanks for your information on CLQ and now MGX which are becoming core holdings in my little portfolio.
Hey, didn’t I get out of VRB in the knickers of time? Suspended this morning on all that PEA nonsense. What a bunch of amateurs!
Scandium alloy….AUZ
Hn: This should interest you
Australian Mines Limited (“Australian Mines” or “the Company”) (Australia ASX: AUZ; USA OTCQB: AMSLF; Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MJH) remains committed to maximising revenue and shareholder value from the Company’s Sconi Project in Queensland, Australia through the commercialisation of the high-purity scandium oxide which is scheduled to be produced alongside the Project’s cobalt sulphate and nickel sulphate output.
Australian Mines is, therefore, pleased to announce that it has entered into a partnership with United Kingdom-based technology company Metalysis, to support their continued research and development program around a solid-state process to produce a low-cost yet superior aluminium – scandium alloy for potential use by the automotive and aerospace industries.
The innovative solid-state process, originally invented by the University of Cambridge (UK) before being commercialised by Metalysis, has already demonstrated an ability to produce an aluminium – scandium master alloy containing 15 times the amount of scandium compared to conventional industry processes.”
The remainder is on the AUZ website
We’re excited to announce our international research partnership to develop scandium alloy with @MetalysisLtd http://bit.ly/AUZ22 #AUZ #scandium $AUZ
https://twitter.com/AusMines/status/1006461768447619072 #Best
We live in interesting times !
IVN does a $750m deal with the Chinese. But on this Friday the DRC will sign their windfall tax etc into law saying rollocks to you miners. Should I buy or sell?
Well I think Ill buy …..the whole country ! I woke up this a m to find my IB account had gained 600 million $ overnight!!!
Do you think its possible theres been a software glitch?
Sell 1mm and no one will notice…
Hedy1234 – I’m replying here since I’m no longer an Irregular and can’t reply on the biotech discussion:
I also cannot get onto the Biopubkss site. I’ve tried emailing, different browsers, “contact us”. All to no avail. Any help bringing this to their attention would be appreciated. My contact info:
stephencmyers (on biopubkss site)
Ok got it. Intend to send one list at end of day.
Remember, the site is being built as a ‘love job’ by someone who already has a full time job. Software issues are always gonna be a problem especially when you have an ambitious and mercurial CEO.
Don’t do it Sarah…..let it go.
Stephenc, Hedy, Lulu: Im loathe to go off topic on this great thread and I wont do it again….apologies to all others, but Im trying to help. Doc and I kissed and made up some while ago (Im starting to like being a gal 🙂 ) I told him about your troubles and he gave me permission to pass this on fyi:
”There is an issue many wordpress-based sites are having right now….one that has to do with relative incompatibility between the current version of Chrome browser and an aging wordpress plug-in that is about to be replaced by wordpress. It causes Chrome to have a website phobia til about the third try, when Chrome finally encrypts the SSL and all becomes good. Despite warning messages and clunkiness, people need to ignore those messages and press on.
In fact, people who do their homework know that getting malware via Chrome is very very difficult because of the small size of the Chrome sandbox anteroom by which it communicates with prospective sites before going to them.
Generally use of Mac Safari or Mozilla on PC’s obviates the problem.
If they will just be pushy, keep trying, at some point their browser WILL encrypt the site’s SSL. Believe me, it even did this with me for the first week. One just asserts oneself and muscles through. And again, one should look askance at warning messages that come via Chrome….Chrome will NOT ALLOW malware in, physically impossible. ‘
Hope that helps. NP Bio
Sarah – my problem is not getting into the site. My problem is that I CANNOT get an email verification. Does not matter which browser I use – Chrome, Firefox, Edge. I can get in from them all. I keep trying to resend the email to do a verification from BIOPUBKSS. Never get one. I’ve even tried changing my email. Nothing works. So, as I see it, SOMEONE needs to reset something in my profile or simply just mark my account as verified. Otherwise, I am stuck. I’ve tried to communicate this multiple times via email, “Contact Us” on the website. The email accounts I am using I use for everything (even for stock gumshoe). I’ve turned off all / any kind of blocking. So, don’t know what else to do.
I’ve DM’d on twitter Gene @jcoolbi0 who is trying to help others.
Gene tells me the change in webmasters affected web email. They are on it.
hedy, I appreciate all of your help (and all who are working to resolve this logon issue).
deanbob
My contact wrote and stated the following:
Tell deanbob he should try and log in. The webmaster just uninstalled our login plugin and updated it.
If that does not work the problem may be in the hosting servers cacheing.
hedy, I no longer get around the “cookies” error. So, I think that issue (for me) is resolved. However, none of my ‘password’ attempts was successful; so, I am waiting for a ‘reset email. Thank you very much for you intervention and help.t curious. Did the webmaster say my/our emails requesting help had been received?
deanbob – there appears to still be an email problem. I’m waiting on ability to get an email verification. I’ve even tried changing my email address in my profile on the site.
Deanbob
I need your email address so that new password can be sent.
Send it to hedy4321@hotmail.com
hedy, I successfully logged on this after noon. Thank you for your hel to make that happen.
Nice
Yes. thanks hedy!
The situation is pretty crazy. CITIC just put $560 million into Ivan, while a lot of people will not touch anything related to DRC with a ten foot pole.
Also. Checked the GDP for DRC. 78 million people, GDP of $35 billion.
Market cap of CITIC: $900 billion.
Well they can probably afford to buy a few politicians for that……and a lot of mercenaries to guard the mine 🙂 . While Im sure the news is already priced in, Im equally sure there will be a knee jerk reaction to the law being inked. Maybe Ill sell a few today hoping to buy back more lower on Monday?
My grit-my-teeth-and-buy-more price was $2.00. That was a price which is fair for Platreefs alone.
The Chinese just paid $560 mil for about 20%. that puts an insider value of $2.8 billion in Ivan.. Cap is now $2.0 mil.
RF mentioned ITOCHU.
Itochu paid $300 mil for 10% of Platreefs a while back. That is an imputed value of $3 bil for Platreefs alone.
Correction: Ivan cap “Cap is now $2.0 billion”,
not 2 million. This is a fair price for Platreefs.
So the market is discounting KKKW and Big Zinc to ZERO. No cap value for a world top 5 copper mine, and the world’s richest zinc mine by a factor of 2x.
Zip. Nada.Nil. Zilch.
At zero, I can stand to take an aggressive position.
CLQ/CITIC…most of the web articles just sum up the info in the press release.
However one of them gave an additional crumb of a hint:
” “Following extensive discussions, Ivanhoe and CITIC established a strategic alliance to … pursue a number of selected common interests in metals production and related technologies,” [Friedland] added. ”
“…common interests in metals production and related technologies.”
That says Clean Teq to me.
That says CITIC will provide armed security for Ivanho’s mining operations to me.
If you are correct about all of Friedland’s operations and goings on, he now has insurance and a partner as well.
Hadn’t occurred to me but it makes sense. They have a couple of billion dollars invested there.
$SME Sama Resources
Govind Friedland and Eric Finlayson becoming directors.
https://ceo.ca/@nasdaq/sama-resources-announces-appointment-of-new-directors
$LNZCF Sama Resources…long
Very good. Govind is RF’s son; and Finlayson is a real heavy hitter, he is one of RF’s top guns. Finlayson being given responsibility at Sama is a very important indicator that the project is going forward and is important.
Govind is the chief exec at Goviex, a uranium developer. Besides the family relationship, one can easily imagine that RF seeing the timeframe as being more urgent in battery materials than uranium. Battery materials are urgent, but a long term project in uranium might take years before anything critical arises, in terms of a development of finance decision.
[Maybe Govind could use some action and learn from Finalyson on how to move a project to completion fast. I speak here as a father, but also as former executive with responsibility in training and developing key personnel; and I say it without prejudice to Govind’s abilities or qualifications, or to the nepotism inherent in the appointment.]
Finlayson is something else altogether. Finlayson is a geologist and had major exploration responsibiliuty at Rio Tinto. Finlayson was made CEO of Pu Neng to look for vanadium deposits, and is a director at CLQ. If it is important enough to stick Finlyson in there, to me it means RF means business.
It indicates that they are at the point where RF wants a real geologist to give him the straight dope on what is going on with the deposits.Money decision time.
This IMO is a very strong signal for Sama and for CLQ.
It also signals to me that the decisions on vanadium sources for Pu Neng are made, because if there were still questions about them, RF would not have Finlayson distracted by a nickel project in West Africa. Friedland has over $100 million invested in Pu Neng and Pu Neng needs vanadium.
Long LNZCF
Long CLQ
No Position Goviex
CTEQF The DFS itself is less of a worry for me than the market reaction to the DFS. How the market reacts in the days after the DFS release, will probably give us indication of what kind of 2nd half of the year we can expect.
We will probably hear a lot of whining about the capex.
Meanwhile the friggin’ mine will be halfway built by Christmas.
renby et al: When the BFS Comes
I think the CLQ announcement is going to be pretty complex, there will be at least
four or five subheadlines…Capex, IRR, years payback, production targets, financing commitments, construction schedule, EPC and contract awards, etc. etc.
There are numerous other related topics that could be announced, but may not be:
JV on batteries, JV consortiums on off-take, take-off agreements, what-have-you.
Because of the complexity of the potential announcements I would think a Friday announcement would be best, people need time to read the stupid thing.
Of course the basic assumptions and gross capex have to be examined.
But all of the profit and production numbers are very theoretical, the costs are somewhat “iffy” because the process is unproven at this scale, and as we all know the future commodity prices are really unknowns. So we are really just evaluating how reasonable the assumptions are.
**
Outside the headline BFS numbers, what I think is most important will be
(1) the expected time to production, construction update & “groundbreaking”
If they state a target by year-end 2019, I will jump for joy. If they say early 2020,
I will still jump for joy, just not as high.
(2) news on take-off, possibly for all three main targets. Nickel and cobalt with at least LOM to Easpring, plus other users; and possibly, maybe, a take-off on scandium; I do not expect this, though it is possible.
A modest scandium take-off with Airbus or Chinalco would be an enormous boost to the project economics and send the numbers on the BFS into orbit. We may have to wait til a future date; but we can dream.
(3) JV news, and further indication of closer relationships with major financiers, both European and Chinese.
Hope everyone has a great weekend…this week-end, or next !
I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment with the production time frames. But we’ve talked about that before. My expectations are for something in 2021, but earlier would be awesome. 2019 seems not even possible, but I’m no final say on this. I think once the FS is out, the other things you talk about will develop rapidly. But not expecting those announcements to be part of the FS. I’m expecting the basic numbers, and the details on the process, not off takes or financing.
We’ll see. I admit I have a vivid imagination.
On the financing, they stated that the target is to have the MLA term sheets done prior to the BFS.
On take-off, the Easpring negotiation is “still ongoing” for the LOM take-off and the cathode plant. So I don’t think it is unrealistic to see that concluded.
LOL. We have different styles, I manage disappointment, and you dream super big. Some of the answers are coming soon.
renby…everybody is different. We might have different styles, methods, objectives and risk tolerances…but we wound up long the same stocks in cobalt.
Best wishes
Actually the methods, objectives, and risk tolerances are quite similar, which is why we are in many of the same stocks. I’d say our differences are mostly my emphasis on entry points [over just finding a company that fits the criteria or peaks my interest], and my discipline of non partisanship. I save my passion for my women, and when it comes to investing, I’m a cold hearted killer.
FLC:ASX
Fluence awarded €3.9M contract for innovative wastewater-to-energy system in Belgium
-System to be designed and built for ArcelorMittal, the world’s leader in steel production
-Advanced system will produce biogas from steel mill byproducts
-First wastewater-to-energy project in steel industry for Fluence
MELBOURNE, Australia & NEW YORK– Fluence Corporation Limited (ASX:FLC), announced today that it has received a €3.9M contract for a wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy system for its customer ArcelorMittal. Fluence will design and build these systems for ArcelorMittal’s steel mill in Ghent, Belgium, using innovative anaerobic digestion technology to produce biogas from off-gas fermentation byproducts. The Fluence system is expected to be delivered, installed and operational onsite within 18 months. ArcelorMittal is the world’s largest crude steel producer, accounting for 90 million tons of steel per year.
This will be Fluence’s first wastewater and waste-to-energy system designed specifically for use in the steel industry. Steel mill byproducts are notoriously difficult to treat to a grade that meets government effluent requirements. Fluence’s team was able to achieve the client’s desired effluent using advanced anaerobic digestion technology. By adding waste-to-energy treatment to the system, the biogas produced will be used to power the steel mill’s operations, which will in turn lower the overall operating costs.
(Was not posted on their web sight as of yet.)
MGX Minerals Announces Successful Demonstration of Rapid Lithium Extraction System
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA / June 14, 2018 / MGX Minerals Inc. (“MGX” or the “Company”) (CSE: XMG / OTCQB: MGXMF / FSE: 1MG) and engineering partner PurLucid Treatment Solutions Inc. (“PurLucid”) are pleased to report a successful demonstration event of the NFLi-5 commercial-scale rapid lithium extraction system, which is now ready for deployment. The demonstration occurred at PurLucid’s laboratories in Calgary, Alberta and was attended by oil and gas companies, industrial customers, lithium brine owners and local and international media. Calgary’s CTV News also featured a segment on the technology, which was broadcast on their nightly news program (click here to watch).
I expect this has been posted before, but it gives a good summary dated 28 April of MGX’s current activities. The flotation if ZincNyx and the dividend distribution to ‘shareholders of record’ applies to those on the register on 29 June. I’m accumulating MGX in anticipation.
http://www.miningweekly.com/article/mgx-looking-forward-to-booking-first-revenue-by-oct-as-commercial-petrolithium-plants-deploy-2018-04-28
got guy in California and western states for other projectsfor geothermal . visionary co. better get on board to go to the stars. ha ha GOD BLESS
I suspect the world’s best cell manufacturer knows more. #cobalt
https://twitter.com/KumovaTolga/status/1007472498156306432
#TGIF 😉
Devils advocate on Clean Teq – CLQ
CLQ is a big position of mine, and have been for some time.
Could the company soon experience a drop in SP due to construction starting and initial production? During this time CLQ will focus on construction activities, that could drive short-term share prices lower. Sell now, after BFS or hold?
Any views?
$CLQ
Personal opinion is that there will be a rise after upcoming (hopefully) BFS, a loss of half the rise, and then held steady until next year IF there are no changes in CLQ’s lineup of businesses.
But things change so dang much,
Not that anything matters in today’s market.
It could, anything could happen.
But my feeling is that there will be a string of powerful announcements in the next six months that will overpower investor boredom and bring CLQ forward in the minds of many investors. But anything could happen.
Chriz…speaking of VRB. One of the announcements I expect in the coming months is a deal for vanadium sourcing inside China. I believe CLQ will be involved with lock-down off-take from Pu Neng.
Pu Neng needs vanadium, CLQ can extract it, and RF’s right-hand man
Eric Finlayson, a geologist,a director of CLQ, is working on vanadium sources inside China for Pu Neng. They said so.
Crossing my fingers! 😉
This seems to fit here as part of Frielands’ bailiwick.
$FYI – Long time coming – 6/15/2018
https://www.vanadiumprice.com/long-time-coming/
This article was in this morns “Long time coming” from VanadiumPrice.com : Newsletter.
IMO this article is not that well written and confusing. What prompted me to post was th is “Already awarded is a contract for Rongke Power, which has a well-known subsidiary in the US, UniEnergy Technologies (UET), to install a 200MW/800MWh flow battery system in Dalian Province, with the company itself having emerged from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics originally.”. First it appears that UET is working with Pu Neng on the Dalian Project. UET is a small private company in the state of Washington that has been work9ing with VRBs for many years. They have also collaborative work with PNNL so I would say the UET is on the leading edge of VRB technology.
$CTEQF long
Hi Griffin, Rongke is a powerhouse, this may be the mega-project I saw associated with them when I was first looking into grid storage.
I do not know what their battery specialties are in terms of chemistry nor do I know about any collaboration with Pu neng or VRB Energy; maybe one exists.
Griffin…great link, this is what I get from it.
Rongke and Pu Neng are leaders in vanadium redox in China. I know from my own research that Rongke is already pretty powerful, but I am not sure they have a great advantage in vanadium flow technology (although they might). From the article I did not pick up that Pu Neng and Rongke are working in concert, they seem to be competitors.
The article confirms that both Pu Neng and Rongke are very well positioned in China…to my way of thinking, it is OK that Pu Neng be an underdog because the Chinese market will be big enough for both.
The article also indicates that both Rongke and Pu Neng are on parallel tracks to get foreign business. Rongke has a US subsidiary Primus Power, and as detected a few weeks ago Pu Neng has rebranded itself as VRB Energy for business outside China.
My guess is that the parent Chinese will retain the manufacturing capability and technologies; the foreign business will be consumption and provide profits to the Chinese home company.
On chemistries, the article tends to confirm our diagnosis…the “Li” battery formustions, meaning Li-Nickel-cobalt-aluminum/manganese, still have legs, but vanadium redox and zinc bromine look like emerging and viable chemistries.
The article also mentions ferro iron, which we identified as being quasi-proprietary to BYD…economical, but not likely to gain a lot of traction outside BYD.
Thanks, very glad to have the link. It tends to confirm my previous perceptions.
There has always been a thought as to how advanced the technology was that was being used in China. That no longer exist with UET involved China has the best the USA can offer that was developed by Pacific Northwest National Labs – PNNL. PNNL developed an electrolyte that has 70% more capacity and UET has license to it.
In that issue there was also an article about sonnen and SunPoweer. SunPower makes an inverter to control battery storage and sounds like a nice one. The Sunpower inverters can be connected to form microgrids. Sonnen makes batteries but there is no mention of the type of battery they make. Went to web site and still could find any mention of their battery type. I sent them an email to find out. Both of these companies are suppose to top of the line.
Griffin, thanks for a very useful link.
My take-away is that VFRBs will clearly be the’next Big thing’ after Li-ion for energy storage, but the relative lack of availability of Vanadium outside China, difficulty of transportation in bulk (I had not realised that it is classified is dangerous to transport) and rising demand outside China will mean that cheaper technologies such as zinc-air flow batteries may eclipse VFRB sooner than we think.
Thus, for the short term I’m long Largo, for the longer term I’m accumulating MGX and hopefully its subsidiary ZincNyx which is to be spun off from 29 June with the participation of existing shareholders of record on that date.
And of course, long CLQ and Ivan, but not principally for reasons of Vanadium.
Great thread HN and all contributors. Greetings from sunny Wales and keep the great posts coming!
Mike
Thanks Mike, I wasn’t aware that Vanadium was listed as hazardous. I checked on the problem and it doesn’t appear that difficult. The real problem is with vandium dust or fumes both can be handled with packaging. The would be if there is an acident.
There are at least 2 locations for Vanadium in North America, Canada and Nevada. In Nv Clayton Valley has 2 developers $STNUF and TSX:PCY/PRPCF. In Canada there are several explorers, Vandium One TSX:VONE, and Permint Resources TSX:SRJ/SPMTF(?). VONE has a known vanadium project that they started drilling las Dec.. I have a position but it is very risky SP .05
Hi Shavian,
I could be mistaken as CLQ might be outside of the supply chain
from Chinese dirt to vanadium redox batteries at Pu Neng/VRB Energy; but I am sure that RF interests will be involved in a blockbuster vanadium sourcing deal this year on Chinese soil.
There is no doubt at all that such deals are in the crosshairs of RF and Pu Neng; the only question is whether or not CLQ will be a major player in the deal.
I believe the likely scenario is that CLQ will JV with the mineral source owner. Like I say, CLQ could be cut out of such a deal; but I think the
odds favor CLQ’s involvement, even though CLQ has not declared publicly that vanadium is on the front burner as a project.
Here are the reasons I believe this:
1. Friedland has over 100 million invested in Pu Neng and Pu Neng needs vanadium and CLQ can extract it.
2. Eric Finlayson, a director at CLQ, was installed as CEO of Pu Neng, and after a permanent replacement was found it was stated that Mr. Finlayson was going to “continue efforts” to economically source vanadium for Pu Neng.
3. RF has stated that “many more deals are coming” from the JV partner
established for the Hubei VRB deal.
4. I can understand RF cutting out as many people as possible for a Pu Neng vanadium deal. You or I might be miffed if CLQ was cut out.
But CLQ’s Chinese partners would be irate if CLQ was excluded from a major metal target on Chinese soil. The Chinese interests must be allowed for, and I do not see how RF could face JZB and Pengxin and explain why CLQ was not included in a fat vanadium project coming from Chinese deposits. It is the Chinese profit interests that motivate full support of RF’s enterprises in China.
So in the end I believe that CLQ will have VANADIUM on its growing list of strategic metals. Their may even be more than one deposit locked up.
But one source will likely be in Hubei or Shaanxi province.
Also, re: likelihood of CLQ deal on vanadium:
Another reader inquired of CLQ investor relations and inquired about vanadium. The answer was (paraphrasing):
“Well, no, we don’t have anything specific yet; but yes, we can extract it, and it so happens we have done quite a bit of research on vanadium.”
Elon Musk sent out a tweet about getting away from cobalt.
No chemistry, no timetable, no nothing.
We listen to doubts about CLQ extraction technology, when they have pilot plants, demo plants, contracts, partnerships, 20 years experience, patents, and distributors selling the technology to clients, and a billion dollar plant under construction, with off-takes.
Am I supposed to panic because Elon Musk sends out a tweet, with no sample, no announced solution, no prototype, no timetable, and not even a chemistry specified ?
**
Anyway all the major alternate possibilities are well-covered by RF: Nickel, cobalt, copper vanadium, zinc, scandium…even platinum for hydrogen fuel cells, and graphene supercapacitors from Ionic.
We see now the results of deep and long-term strategy to position CLQ as a source for energy metals and extraction technology related to them.
There is going to be a lot a lot of extreme verbage on the Cobalt shortage. Panasonic has said they are reduce cobalt in their batteries to near zero. All the experts I’ve read say it ain’t gonna happen. BioSolar $BSRC is an off shoot of a university in southern califor4nia their sole endeavor is a Polymer replacement for the Li-ion battery. I’ve been watching for a couple years and it ain’t happened yet (I don’t think). EVs have a knife in the back of battery metals and are slowly twisting it. 🙂
At some point (3-5 years) battery metals will push the price of Li-ion batteries up so that the only ones that afford to use battery metals will be automobiles.. The Li-ion battery that is being installed now will have to be replaced end of life cycle. I don’t think they will be replaced with Lithium. The flow battery whether its vanadium, zinc, or bromide will be the choice. There are other alternatives for batteries out there but they won’t change the cobalt problem.
That’s a coincidence, another company privately held, Ionic Materials has a polymer replacement that I posted on the battery thread. Look at the video, the battery still works after being cut.
https://www.stockgumshoe.com/2016/07/microblog-storage-of-electricity-batteries-big-image/comment-page-11/#comment-4983737
And Bill Joy co-founder of Sun Microsystems is an investor
https://www.stockgumshoe.com/2016/07/microblog-storage-of-electricity-batteries-big-image/comment-page-11/#comment-4983739
Anyone following American Manganese (TSX-V:AMY)? Into the recycling of EV batteries as well as developing IOCG and Manganese properties in BC and Arizona. They have just joined the Responsible Cobalt Initiative (RCI) as the 33rd member. I was not aware of this organisation, which includes the big cobalt customers like Apple, LG, Volvo etc. Read all about it here:
https://americanmanganeseinc.com/american-manganese-joins-the-responsible-cobalt-initiative/