TLG Discussion 2022

[Diogenese]

However, there are 11 under Nanograf.

Nanograf:

US2023079735A1 ELECTRODE MATERIAL INCLUDING SURFACE MODIFIED SILICON OXIDE PARTICLES 20220829

An active material for a lithium ion secondary battery includes core particles containing SiO or M-SiO materials where M is selected from Al, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Na, Ni, Sn, Ti, Zn, Zr, or any combination thereof, and an amorphous Group 13 or Group 15 material (“G13/G15 material”) comprising at least one element selected from boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), or bismuth (Bi), coated on the core particles.


US12119482B2 Graphene-containing metalized silicon oxide composite materials 20200518

Active material composite particles, an electrode including the composite particles, a lithium ion secondary battery including the electrode, and method of forming the same, in which the composite particles each include a core particle including an alkali metal or an alkali earth metal silicate, and a coating disposed on the surface of the core particle. The coating includes turbostratic carbon having a Raman spectrum having: a D band having a peak intensity (ID) at wave number between 1330 cm−1 and 1360 cm−1; a G band having a peak intensity (IG) at wave number between 1580 cm−1 and 1600 cm−1; and a 2D band having a peak intensity (I2D) at wave number between 2650 cm−1 and 2750 cm−1, wherein a ratio of ID/IG ranges from greater than zero to about 1.1, and a ratio of I2D/IG ranges from about 0.4 to about 2.

 

[curiousmagpie]

Based on the webinar it does not sound like offtakes are as close as everyone was hoping?

Things still meandering down the river rather than up against the dam wall ready to burst out.

 

[JNRB]

Based on the webinar it does not sound like offtakes are as close as everyone was hoping?

Things still meandering down the river rather than up against the dam wall ready to burst out.

Permit only got granted like a week ago. Not even enough time to schedule an update meeting with potential offtakers let alone finalise an agreement. Don't know what people were expecting.

 

[Semmel]

I just watched the webinar. I dont have a time to make a transcript, but it wasnt as bad as folks on the other end of the internet make it out to be. Mark seemed to be his usual self. It did feel like they were not really preparing for the webinar a whole lot and just recyced old material, took out what wasnt relevant any more and mentioned the development of the courts etc. My impression is: Mark wasnt at all concerned about shareholders opinion right now. And rightfully so. He has bigger fish to fry. I did get the impression he is in talks with customers now and tries to find a way to strike a deal that is not crippling talga due to low margins.

 

[ACinEur]

I see NVX just signed a offtake for synthetic graphite with Stelantis in the US…. I wonder who they will sign with in the EU?!

 

[Semmel]

yes... hope we can follow suit soon. BTW, I have a theory about the weakness of the share price. Getting $70M and a rejection of the appeals, you would think it goes up more. Especially that it doesnt fade away like it does right now. The closer the decision comes, I think the market is expecting a substancial equity rise to fill the gap of missing capital. We have a cost of approx. $600M. 60% of that is financed by dept, that leaves $240M. From that we can deduct the $70M grant we received, leaves $170M. Or, at the current market cap, an offering of nearly 75% of the company. That puts pressure on the share price. Which in turn reduces the share price, which increased the offering percentage. A vicious circle. If Mark can ensure an offtake and financing without giving away half the company or more, it would put a rocket under the share price that is going to stick. On top of that comes the ASX shenanigans that trouble so many companies. But I think its only a minor part of it.

At moment, the share price is unfortunately a leaf in the wind and cant do much about it.

 

[Semmel]

yes... hope we can follow suit soon. BTW, I have a theory about the weakness of the share price. Getting $70M and a rejection of the appeals, you would think it goes up more. Especially that it doesnt fade away like it does right now. The closer the decision comes, I think the market is expecting a substancial equity rise to fill the gap of missing capital. We have a cost of approx. $600M. 60% of that is financed by dept, that leaves $240M. From that we can deduct the $70M grant we received, leaves $170M. Or, at the current market cap, an offering of nearly 75% of the company. That puts pressure on the share price. Which in turn reduces the share price, which increased the offering percentage. A vicious circle. If Mark can ensure an offtake and financing without giving away half the company or more, it would put a rocket under the share price that is going to stick. On top of that comes the ASX shenanigans that trouble so many companies. But I think its only a minor part of it.

At moment, the share price is unfortunately a leaf in the wind and cant do much about it.

To make sure, this is not what I think is going to happen but what I think the market believes. I think we will be giving off part of the project to a partner.. say 20 to 30%, reducing our potential revenue.. but I don't think we are going to dilute talga shares significantly.

 

[Pharvest]

yes... hope we can follow suit soon. BTW, I have a theory about the weakness of the share price. Getting $70M and a rejection of the appeals, you would think it goes up more. Especially that it doesnt fade away like it does right now. The closer the decision comes, I think the market is expecting a substancial equity rise to fill the gap of missing capital. We have a cost of approx. $600M. 60% of that is financed by dept, that leaves $240M. From that we can deduct the $70M grant we received, leaves $170M. Or, at the current market cap, an offering of nearly 75% of the company. That puts pressure on the share price. Which in turn reduces the share price, which increased the offering percentage. A vicious circle. If Mark can ensure an offtake and financing without giving away half the company or more, it would put a rocket under the share price that is going to stick. On top of that comes the ASX shenanigans that trouble so many companies. But I think its only a minor part of it.

At moment, the share price is unfortunately a leaf in the wind and cant do much about it.

I think you've made a lot of sense here mate.

 

[cosors]

yes... hope we can follow suit soon. BTW, I have a theory about the weakness of the share price. Getting $70M and a rejection of the appeals, you would think it goes up more. Especially that it doesnt fade away like it does right now. The closer the decision comes, I think the market is expecting a substancial equity rise to fill the gap of missing capital. We have a cost of approx. $600M. 60% of that is financed by dept, that leaves $240M. From that we can deduct the $70M grant we received, leaves $170M. Or, at the current market cap, an offering of nearly 75% of the company. That puts pressure on the share price. Which in turn reduces the share price, which increased the offering percentage. A vicious circle. If Mark can ensure an offtake and financing without giving away half the company or more, it would put a rocket under the share price that is going to stick. On top of that comes the ASX shenanigans that trouble so many companies. But I think its only a minor part of it.

At moment, the share price is unfortunately a leaf in the wind and cant do much about it.

What's about the 150M from the EIB?

 

[Semmel]

What's about the 150M from the EIB?

Thats part of the 60% dept

 

[Pharvest]

Thats part of the 60% dept

Do we not also have commitments from the Swedish export credit agency ( state owned ) and the Nordic investment bank for debt financing as well..or are they included in your 60%?? I don't ever recall hearing what sums were likely to be committed by those two?? I could easily have missed it though.

 

[cosors]

Do we not also have commitments from the Swedish export credit agency ( state owned ) and the Nordic investment bank for debt financing as well..or are they included in your 60%?? I don't ever recall hearing what sums were likely to be committed by those two?? I could easily have missed it though.

And I mean with the Swiss one with the ABB deal. Or am I wrong?

Letter of Intent to finance a portion of construction costs of Vittangi Project provided by Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV). Swiss content linked to ABB, major contractor for process controls, automation and related scopes.

 

[Semmel]

Yes as far as I understand, all loans are accumulated to be in the 60% dept financing. I am not sure if talga even wants to exceed the 60%, as this increases the risk of total failure substantially. Iam not in any way experienced with financing rounds but imagine talgas Vittangi project defaults ( for whatever reason).. then they are liable for 60% of its value. And 40% they have in assets (at least in principle), which means only 20% of the project value has to be provided by talga proper. Which might be survivable. If it was instead 70% dept, with 30% assets, suddenly they have to come up with 40% project value in assets, which might kill talga outright. To be honest, this is completely my imagination and fabrication of my mind, but that's my understanding of why 60% dept and not more.

 

[curiousmagpie]

Same old same old

 

[WheresTheMonkey]

yes... hope we can follow suit soon. BTW, I have a theory about the weakness of the share price. Getting $70M and a rejection of the appeals, you would think it goes up more. Especially that it doesnt fade away like it does right now. The closer the decision comes, I think the market is expecting a substancial equity rise to fill the gap of missing capital. We have a cost of approx. $600M. 60% of that is financed by dept, that leaves $240M. From that we can deduct the $70M grant we received, leaves $170M. Or, at the current market cap, an offering of nearly 75% of the company. That puts pressure on the share price. Which in turn reduces the share price, which increased the offering percentage. A vicious circle. If Mark can ensure an offtake and financing without giving away half the company or more, it would put a rocket under the share price that is going to stick. On top of that comes the ASX shenanigans that trouble so many companies. But I think its only a minor part of it.

At moment, the share price is unfortunately a leaf in the wind and cant do much about it.

This from the Webinar Presentation Document...........................

Debt consortium cornerstoned by European Investment Bank approval for €150 million

Balance of target confirmed with leading investment banks and credit agencies, with equity funding in discussion with potential strategic partners at Project and HeadCo level

 

[cosors]

I didn't realise that Talga is working with Varta, it seems. I will take a closer look.
I've often wondered who the manufacturer of the button cells in the many pictures is. It could be Varta?

EU Funding & Tenders Portal

The Funding and Tenders Portal is the single entry point (the Single Electronic Data Interchange Area) for applicants, contractors and experts in funding programmes and procurements managed by the European Commission.

ec.europa.eu

 

[cosors]

"Vianode inaugurates Via ONE the world’s most sustainable anode graphite plant for batteries​

Tue, Oct 15, 2024

Vianode, an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions, has officially opened its first full-scale anode graphite production plant Via ONE at Herøya, Norway. The production ramp-up represents a significant step in building a European value chain for batteries and electric vehicles.

The plant has four advanced full-size furnaces designed for production of synthetic anode graphite, a critical component in lithium-ion batteries. Fully ramped up, the plant will have a capacity of 2.000 tons per year, the equivalent of supplying 30.000 electric vehicles annually and employ over 100 people contributing directly to the green mobility transition.

“This opening is a major milestone in Vianode’s strategy for building a low-emission value chain for batteries in Europe and North America. Vianode aims to enable a decarbonized battery and EV industry by creating more sustainable anode graphite that improves the properties of batteries and EVs, including faster charging, increased range, and longer service life. It is also a significant step towards strengthening European production of critical materials for electrification,” says Burkhard Straube, CEO of Vianode.

The plant is part of Vianode’s phased multi-billion USD investment program for becoming a leading provider of advanced anode graphite solutions to the automotive industry in North America and Europe. Via ONE will play a critical role in further technology development and verification for Vianode and is essential for customer qualification.

“This is one of the largest, most sustainable and modern facilities for producing sustainable anode graphite solutions for batteries in Europe and a significant expansion of Vianode's production capacity. We are ready to set new industry standards for low emissions and high performance with world-leading sustainability metrics,” says Hans Erik Vatne, COO of Vianode.

Anode graphite is the largest component of a lithium-ion battery by weight and is a crucial part for battery performance and emissions. Vianode produces synthetic anode graphite with a 90% lower CO2 footprint than conventional production methods. Synthetic graphite is manufactured in high-temperature production processes and differs from natural graphite typically mined from carbon-rich rock formations.

Vianode has produced anode graphite solutions at its industrial pilot in Kristiansand, Norway since 2021. Vianode’s Technology Center opened in the same city in 2022."

Vianode inaugurates Via ONE the world’s most sustainable anode graphite plant for batteries

Vianode, an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions, has

news.cision.com

Vianode belongs to Elkem

 

[Diogenese]

"Vianode inaugurates Via ONE the world’s most sustainable anode graphite plant for batteries​

Tue, Oct 15, 2024
View attachment 72819
Vianode, an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions, has officially opened its first full-scale anode graphite production plant Via ONE at Herøya, Norway. The production ramp-up represents a significant step in building a European value chain for batteries and electric vehicles.

The plant has four advanced full-size furnaces designed for production of synthetic anode graphite, a critical component in lithium-ion batteries. Fully ramped up, the plant will have a capacity of 2.000 tons per year, the equivalent of supplying 30.000 electric vehicles annually and employ over 100 people contributing directly to the green mobility transition.

“This opening is a major milestone in Vianode’s strategy for building a low-emission value chain for batteries in Europe and North America. Vianode aims to enable a decarbonized battery and EV industry by creating more sustainable anode graphite that improves the properties of batteries and EVs, including faster charging, increased range, and longer service life. It is also a significant step towards strengthening European production of critical materials for electrification,” says Burkhard Straube, CEO of Vianode.

The plant is part of Vianode’s phased multi-billion USD investment program for becoming a leading provider of advanced anode graphite solutions to the automotive industry in North America and Europe. Via ONE will play a critical role in further technology development and verification for Vianode and is essential for customer qualification.

“This is one of the largest, most sustainable and modern facilities for producing sustainable anode graphite solutions for batteries in Europe and a significant expansion of Vianode's production capacity. We are ready to set new industry standards for low emissions and high performance with world-leading sustainability metrics,” says Hans Erik Vatne, COO of Vianode.

Anode graphite is the largest component of a lithium-ion battery by weight and is a crucial part for battery performance and emissions. Vianode produces synthetic anode graphite with a 90% lower CO2 footprint than conventional production methods. Synthetic graphite is manufactured in high-temperature production processes and differs from natural graphite typically mined from carbon-rich rock formations.

Vianode has produced anode graphite solutions at its industrial pilot in Kristiansand, Norway since 2021. Vianode’s Technology Center opened in the same city in 2022."

Vianode inaugurates Via ONE the world’s most sustainable anode graphite plant for batteries

Vianode, an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions, has

news.cision.com

Vianode belongs to Elkem

Hi cosors,

Vianode have a patent, apparently only in Norway for a Si/graphite/graphene anode:

NO20210855A1 Composite anode material from silicon kerf and method for production 20210702

Now, the inventors have surprisingly found that by creating a carbon coating on kerf particles with a specific heat treatment step and without cleaning and addition of external carbonaceous substance to the kerf, a silicon-graphite composite material where capacity and cycling properties are significantly improved can be obtained.

The silicon is the powder (kerf) from cutting up semiconductor wafers into individual chips.

I recall MT making some comments about obtaining a source of silicon.

They also have a graphite recycling patent:

WO2024228625A1 METHOD FOR RECYCLING GRAPHITE AND RECYCLED GRAPHITE 20230502

The process is carried out at above 2000C, so the competition is heating up.

 

[cosors]

It seems that something has actually already happened! The new Fraser Report is out. See here!

"Sweden ranks high in new mining rankings​

Source: Fraser Institute's Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2021.
Published by
simon matthis - apr 13, 2022
Sweden is ranked as the best mining country after Finland in Europe in the independent think tank Fraser Institute's latest survey. The survey lists not only countries, but also parts of countries such as states and provinces, based on how attractive the locations are for investments in mines.
This does not mean that the top-ranked countries are sitting on the best deposits, rather the opposite, the site Mining.com emphasizes. In the best jurisdictions, the number of projects available is limited, while some countries where it is most difficult to do business are considered to have an abundance of metals and minerals. Countries such as Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mali are all at the bottom of the list.
At the top of the list are mineral-rich Western Australia, followed by Saskatchewan in Canada and Nevada in the United States.
The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian research organization, which, among other things, has the explicit goal of increasing prosperity in Canada, which is worth noting given the large presence of Canadian exploration and mining companies around the world."
https://www.metallerochgruvor.se/20220413/8537/sverige-hogt-placerat-i-ny-gruvrankning I find the comments interesting

It is happening and is not just announced!
All European jurisdictions saw declines in their investment attractiveness score in 2021 with the exception of Sweden (+8 points).

An update on something I haven't looked at for years:
The measures taken in Sweden from 2021 to 2023 with regard to mining have caused Sweden to drop/fall one point to 18th place in the Investment Attractiveness Index. I see the biggest problem in the cultivated culture of raising appeals. When I look at the processing time, I feel dizzy.

The ranking of the Fraser Institute:

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2023-annual-survey-of-mining-companies.pdf

Somehow the wrong direction, someone might think:
"This year, Bulgaria, Greenland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portu-
gal, Serbia, Sweden, and Turkey received enough responses to be included in the report.
Europe’s median investment attractiveness score decreased by almost 15 points this year
compared to 2022."

"Sweden is the second-best performer among European jurisdictions on the Investment
Attractiveness Index; it ranks 18th (of 86). On policy alone, Sweden ranks 14th (of 86).
Overall, 48 percent of respondents were concerned about uncertainty over protected areas,
47 percent said that regulatory duplication and inconsistencies are a deterrent to invest-
ment, and 43 percent pointed to uncertainty concerning disputed land claims as a major
concern for investors."

"Sweden
The uncertainty concerning what areas are protected deters investment.
— An exploration company, Company president"

"On the other hand, 71 percent of respondents for both Finland and Sweden
said permit approval times had lengthened."

but:
"Sweden also performed well on this measure: 78 percent of respondents for
the country said that its level of transparency either encourages or is not a deterrent to
exploration investment, though 22 percent of respondents did say that Sweden’s level of
transparency was a deterrent to investment."

 

[Semmel]

I hate this report. Sweden is terrible for mining given the long winded process any mine needs to go though. On all administrative levels. It's complete horse shit. And this report will be used by politicians to justify the status quo.. i.e. "Look, we are doing it exactly right" what garbage!