Overview
The worldwide neighborhood is within the midst of a battery revolution. Shares of electrical automobile maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) surged 695 p.c in 2020, making it one of the crucial worthwhile corporations on this planet and showcasing the promising development narrative of the electrical automobile growth.
The revolution for electrical powered vehicles isn’t solely being led by Tesla however many different automotive corporations together with (NYSE:NIO), which is predicted to extend manufacturing capability from round 60,000 automobiles a yr to 150,000 by the tip of this yr. Volkswagen (OTC Pink:VWAGY), Normal Motors (NYSE:GM), Nissan (OTC Pink:NSANY), Hyundai (OTC Pink:HYMTF) and BMW are additionally investing closely into the growth.
With the rising motion in direction of a sustainable and electric-powered world, the lithium that might be wanted to help this speedy transition has the potential to turn out to be one of the crucial worthwhile assets on this planet.
On the forefront of this speedy development is Argentina, the world’s third-largest lithium producer.
Situated within the well-known Lithium Triangle, this under-explored nation is turning into a serious host for investor-friendly tasks prepared for probably excessive yielding lithium to energy the way forward for vitality.
This consists of Alpha Lithium (TSXV:ALLI, OTC:APHLF, Frankfurt:2P62), which could possibly be one of many final and large lithium greenfield mission alternatives on this world-famous and extremely productive area.
Alpha Lithium is a growth firm that’s centered on extremely potential lithium manufacturing of its Tolillar Salar mission in Salta province, Argentina.
The corporate has been in a position to leverage its one hundred pc possession and work in direction of mimicking the successes of its extremely established lithium producing neighbor. There may be promising potential for Alpha Lithium to thrive as the corporate is surrounded by notable gamers.
Alpha Lithium’s flagship Tolillar Photo voltaic mission is situated within the northwest area of Argentina close to the center of the Lithium Triangle. Its extremely accessible infrastructure connects the mission web site to Salta and San Antonio de Los Cobres by paved highway networks, pure gasoline assets and an area expert workforce.
In two geophysical surveying campaigns, the corporate found structural tendencies that mimicked the Salar del Hombre Muerto horizon. This basin hosts one of many longest working lithium brine producers on this planet with over 25 years of energetic extraction.
“We think about the geological similarities between the Tolillar Salar and different close by salars like Hombre Muerto to be very encouraging,” mentioned Brad Nichol, President and CEO of Alpha Lithium.
Moreover, the mission’s discovery and exploration plans are particularly thrilling for Alpha Lithium as a result of excessive producing mining corporations located close to Tolillar Salar.
Native operations embody Livent Company (NYSE:LTHM) with a market cap of roughly US$3.2 billion and POSCO (NYSE:PKX) with an approximate market cap of A$23.2 billion.
Alpha Lithium presents a singular entry alternative for buyers as an rising participant within the lithium manufacturing house.
World demand for lithium is predicted to rise from an estimated 47,300 tonnes in 2020 to 117,400 tonnes in 2024, based on a GlobalData report.
Vinneth Bajaj, a senior mining analyst for GlobalData, mentioned lithium demand might be pushed by a surge in EV gross sales, with annual manufacturing anticipated to go from 3.4 million automobiles in 2020 to 12.7 million in 2024.
Lithium-ion battery manufacturing can be forecast to rise from 95.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2020 to 410.5 GWh over the identical interval.
Alpha Lithium has just lately acquired promising VES geophysical survey outcomes at its Tolillar lithium mission and is getting ready allow functions for exploration.
These achievements put Alpha Lithium on monitor for mission enlargement and execution of the corporate’s well-engineered six-phase strategy for creating its main rising lithium asset.
Timeline – A Six Phased Strategy
Alpha Lithium’s Firm Highlights
- Alpha Lithium is an rising lithium growth firm centered on exploring its extremely potential under-developed lithium belongings in Salta province, Argentina.
- The corporate presently owns one hundred pc of its salar with over US$10 million in funding.
- The flagship Tolillar Salar mission is situated close to the center of the Lithium Triangle and is surrounded by multi-billion greenback lithium producers with many years of energetic lithium manufacturing.
- The mission web site’s infrastructure strategically positions the mission close by accessible electrical energy strains, paved highway networks, pure gasoline assets and an area expert workforce.
- Two geophysical surveys have supported theories that the Tolillar Salar property mimicked structural tendencies of the Salar del Hombres Muerto, one of many world’s longest producing lithium brine basins.
- Alpha Lithium is primed for mission enlargement and allow acquisition as drilling campaigns are presently underway.
Alpha Lithium’s Key Tasks
The Tolillar Salar Challenge
The Tolillar Salar property covers 27,500 hectares and consists of 10 exploration concessions registered within the Salar de Tolillar basin in Argentina’s Salta province. With a restricted exploration historical past and a strategic location close by a number of lithium producing heavyweights, the Tolillar Salar mission places Alpha Lithium in a singular first-mover place for important mining success.
The Tolillar Salar occupies an internally drained basin with a lot of the property’s rock formation courting again to the Ordovician interval. This geological make-up has created a sediment profile that features youthful continental sediments, salt crusts and evaporite deposits. Because of the property’s shut proximity to the Hombre de Muerto Salar, a premier lithium brine basin, the mission web site is predicted to yield high-grade lithium discoveries with low impurities.
Early stage investigations have already revealed lithium concentrations as much as 504 mg/L in a sampling marketing campaign from 2015. With drilling licenses accredited, Alpha Lithium is able to begin a sophisticated drill program.
As of 2020, the corporate has performed two substantial geophysics surveying packages and completed growth objectives underneath finances and forward of schedule. This pattern in lithium exploration reveals promise for the way forward for the mission.
Location
Alpha Lithium is situated lower than 10 miles away from Livent, which has a market cap of over $3 billion and over 20 years of manufacturing from the close by property. The corporate is strategically situated about 10 kilometers from Livent’s high-quality/low impurity Fenix Challenge.
Instantly adjoining to Livent is South Korean firm Posco, with a staggering market cap of round $20 billion. Posco has been very busy within the space, increasing on their lithium mission that they purchased from Australian lithium miner Galaxy Sources for $280 million in 2018.
Galaxy Sources is close by as effectively, and its Sal de Vida mission is without doubt one of the world’s largest and highest high quality undeveloped lithium brine deposits with important enlargement potential.
The Tolillar mission space has by no means been extensively explored but is uniquely situated near a focus of main gamers representing among the largest producers of lithium who collectively service a big proportion of the rising international demand.
The world goes to wish extra lithium mines as there’s an unprecedented lithium-ion battery demand to gas electrical automobiles and energy-hungry units.
With a mission situated within the treasure of the Lithium Triangle in South America, Alpha Lithium could possibly be sitting on what may probably be a really huge lithium discovery.
The administration staff at Alpha Lithium includes trade professionals and skilled stakeholders with years of experience in mining, exploration and capital markets. This well-connected staff employs a de-risked confirmed strategy to international lithium mining that primes the corporate for important development.
Alpha Lithium’s Administration Group
Brad Nichol, P. Eng., MBA — President & CEO
Brad Nichol is a world entrepreneur who has served and suggested firms on technique and finance for over 25 years. He has served as each senior govt and director of a number of private and non-private enterprises throughout the finance and useful resource sectors all through his profession. By a number of rounds of personal and public mission financing, he has led successive organizations, initiated and executed twin listings, and established key worldwide and home monetary relations. Nichols additionally has important expertise in numerous enterprise capabilities together with monetary, operational, HR, investor relations and authorized and regulatory processes.
Beforehand, Nichol labored at Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil and gasoline providers agency, in numerous technical, managerial, advertising and gross sales roles in North America, South America and Europe. Nichol left Schlumberger to pursue his MBA at one of many world’s top-ranked enterprise colleges, the London Enterprise College within the UK, and he graduated with honors in 2003. Nichol additionally holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Alberta and has been a registered Skilled Engineer since 1994.
David Guerrero — Nation Supervisor
David Guerrero brings nearly 20 years of worldwide expertise within the mining trade, 10 of that are particularly associated to lithium as a specialty product. He has held numerous roles with mining main Rio Tinto in addition to senior administration positions with Canadian Lithium 1 and with Australia-based Galaxy Sources, at which he undertook a essential practical position in a latest US$280 million M&A transaction with large Korean steelmaker POSCO for mineral assets on the Salar del Hombre Muerto, the highest quality brine producing district in Argentina. He was additionally the previous president of the Salta Mining Suppliers Chamber and the AUSCHAM Argentina chapter’s vp. Guerrero brings indispensable native information and communal management in Argentina’s Northern Area.
Nathan Steinke— CFO
Nathan Steinke is a extremely revered monetary skilled with over 15 years of expertise for private and non-private corporations within the worldwide useful resource sector. Since 2003, Steinke’s tasks have included all monetary elements of the businesses, together with debt and fairness financing, company construction design and administration, money circulation administration and forecasting, authorized and regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement and reporting, twin itemizing execution and administration, and threat administration.
Foster Wilson — Director
Foster Wilson has over 30 years of expertise in exploration and growth, together with reserve drilling and estimation, feasibility research, mine allowing and growth. He has labored in numerous capacities for Placer Dome, Echo Bay, American Bonanza Gold and totally different junior exploration corporations. Foster additionally presently serves as President of Mesa Exploration.
Sean Charland — Director & Company Secretary
Sean Charland is a seasoned communications skilled with expertise in elevating capital and advertising useful resource exploration corporations. His community of contacts throughout the monetary neighborhood extends throughout North America and Europe. Charland additionally serves as a Director of Maple Gold Mines Ltd., Arctic Star Exploration Corp., Eyecarrot Improvements Corp. and Voltaic Minerals Corp.
Andrew Hallett — Director
Andrew Hallett is a commodity transaction specialist with over 10 years of cross-commodity funding expertise inside funding banking, buying and selling, and asset administration. Hallett is presently a Associate inside Rice Capital Companions, an funding advisor specialised in different investments, specializing in upstream metals and mining investments in essential uncooked supplies. Hallett acquired a BA in Economics from the Augustana School of the College of Alberta and an MSc in Finance from the London College of Economics. He was beforehand a director throughout the Commodities Investments group at BTG Pactual Commodities, chargeable for all principal investments and structured finance transactions in metals and mining and vitality. His prior expertise consists of commodity funding roles inside World Markets at Deutsche Financial institution as a senior structured originator and as a director at Natsource Asset Administration.
Chris Cooper — Director
Chris Cooper has over 20 years of administration and finance expertise within the oil and gasoline, mining and expertise industries. Cooper acquired his B.A. from Hofstra College and his M.B.A. from Dowling Faculty, each in New York State. He has been concerned within the creation and funding of a number of oil and gasoline issuers, together with Selection Sources Corp., an intermediate oil and gasoline producer, earlier than it was taken over in August 2007 by Buffalo Sources Corp. Cooper additionally sits on the board of different junior public corporations, together with Counterpath Company, Westridge Sources Inc, Bullion Gold Sources Corp. and Planet Mining Exploration Inc. He has sat on the audit committee of many public corporations in a number of totally different trade sectors and has a broad, complete information of economic stories.
Darryl Jones — Director
Darryl Jones has over 15 years of capital market expertise and an established monetary community. Jones was an funding advisor with PI Monetary Corp Canada and Raymond James Ltd Canada. He was chargeable for elevating important threat capital for development corporations in all sectors, specializing in pure assets.
Pedro Mauricio Torres — Technical Advisor
Pedro Mauricio Torres is a metallurgical Engineer with 17 years of expertise in Operation, Course of and Tasks of Chemical Vegetation. He has 10 years of expertise in SQM SALAR, the place he participated in creating the brand new Lithium Hydroxide Plant, Growth of Lithium Carbonate Plant to 70,000 tonnes per yr. Lately, Torres has additionally labored as Course of Advisor for Galaxy Lithium, Tianqi Lithium and Eramet Chilean Lithium Salars.
Adrian Sergio Arias — Technical Advisor
Adrian Sergio Arias has over 22 years of expertise within the operation of assorted chemical crops. Arias has devoted the final seven years to creating applied sciences and course of enhancements for the processing of lithium brines. He has additionally labored in EXAR with the Canadian Lithium American Firm to develop the mission of Lithium Cauchari and just lately took on the place of course of supervisor of Galaxy Lithium SA within the Sal de Vida Challenge within the Salar del Hombre Muerto.
Dr. Ron Molnar — Advisor, Challenge Chief – South America
Dr. Molnar has additionally been chosen because the mission chief and certified particular person (“QP”) to supervise the event of a proposed lithium processing program as a part of the Firm’s strategic commercialization plans for its rising South American belongings. He has been a valued member of the technical staff creating and commissioning a first-of-a-kind industrial-scale direct lithium extraction demonstration plant in North America.
Dr. Molnar’s profession as an expert metallurgical engineer (Ontario P.E.# 100111288) specializing in solvent-extraction and ion-exchange processes has spanned over 35 years’ expertise in hydrometallurgical bench and pilot plant testing. He has constructed and operated greater than 60 pilot plant circuits extracting a variety of metallic parts and has additionally designed and constructed over 20 customized solvent extraction pilot plant circuits to be used in particular tasks and normal testing. His efforts embody take a look at program design, administration and supervision, pilot plant design, administration, and operation (together with operator coaching), in addition to information evaluation for bench-scale and pilot plant packages.
