【Ferro-alloys.com】Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM, GR:A2DUU8) (“Giyani” or the “Company“), developer of the K.Hill battery grade manganese project in Botswana (“K.Hill Battery Manganese Project” or “K.Hill”), is pleased to provide an update on its demonstration plant (“Demo Plant”).

Highlights

Option exercised to order second crystallizer and evaporator that will allow the Demo Plant to operate as a continuous production process once construction is completed.
The combined crystallizer units of the Demo Plant will be able to produce up to 600kg per day of dry high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (“HPMSM”) crystals with first deliveries to potential battery materials customers to 2023.
Further to the order of a first crystallizer unit, announced on March 30, 2022, the Company secured an option to order a second crystallizer and evaporator for the Demo Plant (“Second Unit”). Following detailed engineering discussions with its specialist hydrometallurgical consultants, the Company has exercised its option and secured the order for the Second Unit.

The Second Unit will allow the Demo Plant to operate as a continuous production process using various feed conditions. The combined crystallization units will give the Demo Plant a capacity of up to 600 kg per day of dry HPMSM crystals, depending on the manganese grade of the ore feed, which can be sent to potential offtakers for product qualification.

Since the order of the first crystallizer, engineering has started and remains on track and key long lead items have been procured. Signing of the construction contract for the Demo Plant is currently anticipated in the coming weeks, with first samples of HPMSM shipped to potential offtakers in 2023.

Robin Birchall, CEO of the Company, commented:

“Crystallization units are critical components of many battery grade metals refining operations and, with ongoing global supply chain issues, to secure two crystallizers for our Demo Plant puts Giyani in an enviable position. Since placing our first order in March, we have seen the lead time on new orders for crystallization units extend to as long as 18 months as demand from the battery metals sector ramps up to feed demand from the electric vehicle market. It is a tribute to our technical team that we have not only sourced one, but two crystallizers during such a period of high demand. Importantly, the addition of the second crystallizer will allow the Demo Plant to operate continuously and in doing so will facilitate a reduction in time to produce the required volumes of product samples for potential offtakers, as well as meet the objective of de-risking and optimising the commercial processing plant.

We continue the work to cement our position as a premium supplier of a critical battery material with the ongoing feasibility study work currently on track for completion in Q3 2022.”

About Giyani

Giyani is a mineral resource company focused on becoming one of Africa’s first low-carbon producers of high-purity manganese sulphate precursor materials directly from manganese oxide ore, used by battery manufacturers for the expanding EV market, through the advancement of its manganese assets in the Kanye Basin in south-eastern Botswana, (the “Kanye Basin Prospects”) through its wholly-owned Botswana subsidiary Menzi Battery Metals (Pty) Limited. The Company’s Kanye Basin Prospects consist of 10 prospecting licences and include the past producing Kgwakgwe Hill mine and project, referred to as the K.Hill Battery Manganese Project, the Otse manganese prospect and the Lobatse manganese prospect, both of which have seen historical mining activities.

The Company is currently undertaking a feasibility study on the K.Hill Battery Manganese Project, following an updated preliminary assessment report announced on April 12, 2021, with a post-tax NPV of USD332 million and post-tax IRR of 80%, based on a development plan to produce around 891,000 tonnes of HPMSM over a 10 year project life. An updated 43-101 technical report on the K.Hill Battery Manganese Project is available on www.sedar.com and on the Company’s website atgiyanimetals.com.

• [Editor:zhaozihao]