Overview
With Chile’s current resolution to nationalise its lithium industry, the necessity for a secure home lithium provide in North America has by no means been extra dire. Chile is at present the second largest global producer of the battery steel answerable for greater than 21 p.c of the world’s provide. Along with high producer Australia, these two nations signify greater than 70 p.c of the world’s lithium provide.
In gentle of the truth that demand for lithium is still on track to significantly outstrip supply by 2030, many countries have begun the method of building different provides of lithium and different crucial minerals.
The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, as an illustration, establishes a complete framework for the event of sustainable, responsibly sourced home supplies. Past that, its objectives embody supporting financial development, selling local weather motion, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and communities, fostering office inclusivity and enhancing international partnerships. The US Inflation Reduction Act has an analogous goal, with provisions reminiscent of sustainability tax credit and decreased renewable vitality prices.
The present market and regulatory panorama create a big alternative to be concerned in lithium mining and exploration. By its extremely potential Apollo Lithium Undertaking in James Bay, Quebec, Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) is well-positioned to leverage the mounting demand for the battery steel. Quebec is quickly rising as a serious vacation spot for lithium manufacturing, setting the stage for Lithium Universe to doubtlessly develop into a big producer not simply within the North American market, however globally.
A vertically built-in exploration and improvement firm, Lithium Universe is led by the famend Iggy Tan. Extensively considered a trailblazer in Australia’s lithium business, Tan spearheaded Galaxy Sources Restricted (ASX:GXY), establishing it as one of many nation’s main lithium mining firms. Working with a extremely skilled staff, Tan now goals to duplicate that success with Lithium Universe.
Tan is joined by plenty of esteemed mining professionals, together with main technical skilled Dr. Jingyuan Liu. Liu was answerable for overseeing the development and commissioning of Galaxy Sources’ Mt Cattlin Spodumene mission together with the world-renowned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant.
The staff additionally consists of: Patrick Scallan, a seasoned veteran with 25 years of administration expertise on the largest lithium arduous rock mine on the earth; Alex Hanly, who brings greater than a decade of expertise in capital supply and operational administration for mining, oil & gasoline, and manufacturing; Huy Nguyen, who helped design and assemble Mt Cattlin’s Spodumene plant; and Roger Pover, former plant supervisor at Mt Cattlin.
Lithium Universe’s technique for Apollo is straightforward: shortly establish a useful resource and set up a producing mine to facilitate the corporate’s vertically built-in mine-to-refinery imaginative and prescient. The corporate can also be assessing the opportunity of establishing a lithium processing hub within the area to help operations at Apollo.
Spanning over 240 sq. kilometres, the extremely potential Apollo Lithium Undertaking contains 466 claims and is related to a big geological dataset. Positioned within the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James Municipality in northwest Quebec, the property is in the identical greenstone belt as Patriot Battery Metals’ (ASX:PMT, TSXV:PMET, OTCQX:PMETF) Corvette Lithium Undertaking, which has a maiden useful resource of 109.2 million tons at 1.42 p.c lithium oxide. Apollo’s tenement bundle encompasses 17 identified pegmatite outcrops. Lithium Universe plans to begin drilling to establish targets within the very close to future.
Undertaking Highlights:
- Undertaking Geology: Apollo shows mineralisation typical of greenstone belts within the La Grande sub-province, with spodumene pegmatites hosted by mafic metavolcanic rocks and pegmatitic granite Vieux Comptoir. Property geology consists primarily of Mesoarchean and Neoarchean intrusions.
- Robust Mineral Potential: Apollo is positioned 29 kilometres southeast of the Corvette Lithium Undertaking and 28 kilometres East of Winsome Sources’ (ASX:WR1, FSE:4XJM, OTCQB:WRSLF) Adina Undertaking. It shows comparable mineralisation, magnetism and geology to the 2 tasks, each of which not too long ago returned extremely promising outcomes:
- Corvette Lithium: 156 metres at 2.12 p.c lithium oxide at CV5
- Adina: 107 metres at 1.34 p.c lithium oxide from 2.3 metres
Administration Staff
Iggy Tan — Non-executive Chair
Iggy Tan, a trailblazer of the fashionable lithium business, was one of many first Australian mining executives to establish the numerous alternative inside the rising lithium-ion battery sector when he spearheaded Galaxy Sources Restricted. Tan is trying to replicate that success with Lithium Universe, having constructed Galaxy’s Mt Cattlin Spodumene Undertaking and the downstream Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate mission. He additionally acquired the James Bay Spodumene Undertaking in Canada and the Sal de Vida Brine Undertaking in Argentina for Galaxy.
When Tan began at Galaxy, the corporate’s market capitalization was lower than AU$10 million. It rose to AU$2.5 billion when the corporate merged with Orocobre Restricted in August 2021. Tan’s earlier expertise working with lithium dates again to the early Nineties when he briefly managed the Greenbushes Lithium Mine and commissioned the primary lithium carbonate plant for Gwalia Consolidated.
Tan has over 30 years of chemical and mining expertise and has served as government director for plenty of ASX-listed firms. He holds a Grasp of Enterprise Administration from the College of Southern Cross, a Bachelor of Science from the College of Western Australia and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Firm Administrators. He’s at present CEO and managing director of Altech Batteries Restricted.
Alex Hanly — Chief Govt Officer
Alex Hanly has over 10 years of expertise in capital supply and operational administration for publicly listed firms inside the mining, oil & gasoline, and manufacturing industries in Australia and Africa. Over the past three years, Hanly held the position of chief government officer of ASX-listed gold firm Polymetals Sources (ASX:POL). He was answerable for the profitable IPO of the corporate, the operational administration and the environment friendly execution of the fast-track exploration technique.
Hanly has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Grasp of Enterprise Administration specialising in international mission administration.
Gernot Abl — Govt Director
Gernot Abl was beforehand a strategic managing director with huge expertise in enterprise administration, operations and funding for among the quickest rising industries on the earth. After gaining over 15 years of company expertise, he led the one pure esports play listed on the ASX, Esports Mogul Restricted. Abl has a confirmed background in enterprise administration and business instinct, initially from working as a administration advisor for each Deloitte Consulting and Deloitte Company Finance in Perth and Melbourne.
Abl additionally led the restructure and turnaround of a financially distressed ASX-listed media firm and at present holds directorships for a variety of start-up firms, providing company advisory, mission administration and business negotiation recommendation to a number of companies. He has a level in legislation and commerce with honours in finance and accounting from the College of Western Australia.
Ross Cotton — Non-executive Director
Ross Cotton has over 17 years of expertise within the funding banking and pure useful resource sectors. He brings important expertise in each the financing and administration of useful resource firms globally, having labored throughout a variety of commodities in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Australia. Cotton spent six years in stockbroking with a well-respected agency in Western Australia and an additional eight years in company advisory roles specializing in the junior to mid-cap markets in Australia, the UK and Canada. He combines in-depth information of fairness capital markets and technique with hands-on expertise in senior degree firm administration.
At present, Cotton serves as managing director of Balkan Mining and Minerals (ASX:BMM) a lithium explorer and developer centered on tasks in Canada and Central Europe and is a Non-executive Director of White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN).
Fadi Diab — Non-executive Director
Fadi Diab was the previous head of world payroll at Commonwealth Financial institution of Australia. There, he managed the worldwide payroll staff, who’s answerable for 55,000 staff throughout 15 nations. Diab is an completed senior government recognised for leveraging sturdy staff management and improvement to drive ahead progress.
He has a background in human assets, having held the position of government human useful resource supervisor on the Commonwealth Financial institution, and at present runs an investor relations firm.
Diab has Bachelor of Enterprise, Human Useful resource Administration, and Industrial Relations from the College of Western Sydney and a Grasp of Enterprise Administration from College of Expertise Sydney.
Patrick Scallan — Board Advisor
Patrick Scallan’s in depth expertise within the lithium business is a useful addition to the LGX Board. With over 25 years of administration expertise on the world-class Greenbushes Mine, he’s a seasoned veteran. Greenbushes is the biggest lithium arduous rock mine globally and in addition hosts the highest-grade ore physique on the earth. This makes Greenbushes a novel anomaly, as no different lithium deposit worldwide compares to it.
Scallon oversaw the mine’s many expansions, rising annual output from 200,000 in 1997 to 1,400,000 tpa as we speak, and navigated quite a few possession modifications throughout his tenure. He’s a specialist in arduous rock mining and spodumene concentrating, with downstream relationships with main spodumene converters worldwide.
Scallon can also be extremely expert in managing area people relationships, having acted as shire councillor for practically 20 years throughout his time at Greenbushes receiving his Order of Australia Medal for his group and native authorities contribution. His earlier roles embody administration positions at Capel and Eneabba Mineral Sands in Western Australia and Western Deep Ranges Gold Mine in South Africa.
Dr. Jingyuan Liu — Non-executive director
Dr Jingyuan Liu is extensively considered a number one technical skilled within the lithium business. He beforehand held the place of basic supervisor of improvement and applied sciences at Galaxy Sources, the place he was answerable for overseeing the development and commissioning of the Mt Cattlin Spodumene Undertaking and the world-renowned Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate plant. Liu additionally performed a key position in designing the circulation sheet for the Sal de Vida brine mission.
Following his work with Galaxy, he has acted as a particular adviser to numerous lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide tasks globally, together with the Lithium Hydroxide Plant operated by Tianqi in Kwinana, Western Australia.
Liu has over 30 years’ expertise in mission administration, course of and tools design for minerals processing and within the chemical substances, non-ferrous metals, iron & metal and vitality industries, each in Australian and internationally. He was awarded a PhD in chemical engineering from the College of Newcastle, Australia and has labored in senior chemical engineering roles with main firms reminiscent of Hatch Engineering and Metso Minerals in Australia and Malaysia.
He’s at present chief expertise officer for Altech Batteries (ASX:ATC), growing excessive capability silicon anode lithium-ion batteries.
Vincent John Fayad — Joint CFO/Secretary
Vincent John Fayad is a chartered accountant with over 40 years of expertise in company finance, worldwide M&A, accounting and advisory-related providers primarily undertaken by mid-tier accounting agency PKF. In 2016, he established his personal agency, Vince Fayad & Associates, to offer accounting and advisory providers inside Australia and abroad.
Over the past 25 years, Fayad has spent a big period of time advising on varied transactions, predominantly associated to the mining and exploration industries and offering accounting and company secretarial expertise to mining exploration firms.
Fayad is at present an government director and joint firm secretary of Astute Metals NL (ASX:ASE) and joint firm secretary of Greenvale Vitality (ASX:GRV). He’s additionally a non-executive director of Nexon Asia Pacific, a telecommunications firm, managed by personal fairness group EQT.
Kurt Laney — Joint CFO/Secretary
Kurt Laney is an skilled chartered accountant specialising within the provision of advisory, consultancy, taxation and company secretarial providers. Laney is at present an affiliate director of Vince Fayad and Associates, the place he offers accounting and taxation providers to high-net-worth people, household places of work, giant family-owned companies and multinational entities.
Laney can also be the joint firm secretary and CFO of Greenvale Vitality Ltd (ASX:GRV) and Astute Metals NL (ASX:ASE), together with a number of unlisted public firms primarily centered inside the tech and mining industries. He has beforehand served as the corporate secretary of Polymetals Sources (ASX:POL).
Justin Rivers — Head of Geology
Justin Rivers possesses larger than 20 years senior government, technical and business expertise in Africa, Australia, Asia, Arctic, Center East, North America and South America within the main and junior area, with a selected give attention to Iron Ore and Gold. He has a well-tenured strategic and tactical method to the mining business with intimate business, enterprise improvement and M&A expertise in Tier-1, publicly listed and personal fairness environments.
Previous to becoming a member of Lithium Universe Restricted, Rivers held the place of government director and CEO of Mauritian domiciled personal fairness firm Convertible Sources, driving strategic improvement of its gold tasks within the Siguiri area of northeast Guinea. He has a Bachelor of Science (top quality honours) majoring in geology and environmental science from the College of Tasmania.
Terry Stark — Mining Advisor
Terry Stark was beforehand managing director – assets division for Galaxy Sources (ASX:GXY), the place he was answerable for all of Galaxy’s mineral assets property reminiscent of exploration and mine operations. Stark oversaw the Mt Cattlin building and subsequent profitable start-up. He additionally managed the Galaxy James Bay mission and had a superb relationship with the native Cree Nation.
A veteran mining engineer, Stark holds a Bachelor of Utilized Science specialising in mining engineering.
Huy Nguyen — Engineering Advisor
Huy Nguyen has been seconded from Mintrex to behave as Lithium Universe Restricted’s engineering consumer consultant. Mintrex was the lead engineering firm that designed and constructed (along with DRA World) the Mt Cattlin Spodumene Plant.
Nguyen was a part of the development supervision when Mt Cattlin was constructed, so he’s skilled with not solely the design but additionally the development course of that delivered a mission on time and on finances.
Nguyen has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Curtin College, Grasp of Enterprise Administration and a member of Engineer Australia.
Roger Pover — Processing Advisor
Roger Pover was beforehand the Mt Cattlin plant supervisor for Galaxy Sources (ASX:GXY). He was a part of the commissioning and begin up staff and operated the plant for a few years. Pover additionally directed all optimisation modifications made at Mt Cattlin.
Pover is a veteran within the lithium business, having commenced his profession at Greenbushes Lithium mine within the early 90s. He has a 45-year profession within the mining and chemical processing industries involving mineral sands, alumina refining, lithium, iron ore, tantalum minerals and tin manufacturing.
Victoria Vargas – Director, Lithium Universe Holdings (Canada)
Victoria Vargas brings to Lithium Universe (Holdings) greater than 25 years of expertise within the North American capital markets, with a big give attention to the Canadian mineral sector. She started her profession at Kinross Gold Company and joined Alamos Gold in 2004. Throughout her tenure, she performed a pivotal position in enhancing investor publicity and facilitating the corporate’s transition from the TSX Enterprise to the TSX. Earlier than becoming a member of Alamos Gold, Vargas labored for H2O Innovation, a Quebec-based firm centered on offering best-in-class applied sciences and providers for the water and wastewater remedy business.