EMC Metals Corp. – Developing High-Value Specialty Metal and Mineral Projects
Overview
EMC Metals Corp. (TSX:EMC) is focused on developing high-value specialty metal and mineral projects by applying world-class extraction and recovery techniques.
The company’s principal project is a restart of a former tungsten mine in Nevada, the Springer Tungsten Mine (100% owned), constructed by General Electric in the 1970’s. The Springer mine facilities consist of a 1,360-ft vertical shaft and underground workings, a 1,200 ton per day mill with automated rod/ball mill grinding and flotation circuits, plus all water rights and virtually all permits necessary for operation. EMC is actively planning a 2013 re-start of the mine and mill, with initial output planned at 145,000 MTU/year.
The company is also pursuing scandium development projects globally including 100% ownership of the Nyngan Scandium project in NSW, Australia and through exploration work on controlled ground in Norway. EMC Metals also holds a 100 percent interest in the Carlin Vanadium property in Nevada, containing a substantial vanadium resource that offers solid development opportunity as markets develop.
Investment Highlights
- Springer Tungsten Mine re-start in 2013—USA’s only tungsten mine
- Tungsten operating asset will underpin future specialty metals exploration and development
- Scandium processing and development capability unique in the marketplace today
- Portfolio of scandium projects and exploration targets
- Management team and Board have solid operating experience
Key Projects
Springer Tungsten Mine Project (100%)
EMC Metals’ Springer Tungsten Mine is located east of the Eugene Mountains, approximately 25 miles southwest of Winnemucca, and 125 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada. The mine is serviced by excellent infrastructure, electrical power service and natural gas, and is approximately eight miles from Interstate 80, accessible by paved county road. Mine assets consist of a 1,360-ft vertical shaft and underground workings, a 1,200 ton per day mill with automated rod/ball mill grinding and flotation circuits, plus all water rights and virtually all permits necessary for operation.
The original build cost of the asset in 1981 was $71 million, although EMC Metals has invested an additional $20 million in mill and site refurbishment, materials handling upgrades and process automation systems in the last three years. The NI 43-101 three-year resource estimate is viewed as a start-up production volume, as considerably larger historic resource estimates were in place at the time the mine was originally constructed.
The mineralized area is underlain with several different meta-sedimentary, granite and tertiary volcanic rocks as well as thin beds of micritic limestone. These limestone beds host scheelite-bearing, contact metasomatic skarn deposits but analysis has shown scheelite is the only tungsten mineral defined in the skarns.
The Springer Tungsten Mine shows attractive economic returns based on today’s prices. Tungsten is in resurgent demand, following the global economic recovery that began in 2010. Current tungsten supply shortages have highlighted longer term supply issues for this critical strategic metal. Presently, the Springer Tungsten Mine project is the only near-operational tungsten mine and mill in the USA, and one of only two in North America.
Nyngan Scandium Project (100%)
In February 2012, EMC Metals completed and presented a NI 43-101 Technical Report to their joint venture partner on the feasibility of the Nyngan Scandium Project, located in New South Wales, Australia. A disagreement claiming EMC Metals had failed to meet certain agreement earn-in milestones has caused a delay in the project but in February 2013, the dispute was settled and EMC obtained 100% of the Nyngan scandium property, rights and exploration tenements. Next steps in project development and financing for the Nyngan Project are underway.
Vanadium Project (100%)
EMC Metal Corp’s Carlin Vanadium project consists of 72 unpatented mineral claims, all in a single contiguous claim that covers 1,149 acres along the Carlin gold trend 10 km southwest of Newmont’s Carlin Operations, approximately 10 km west of Newmont’s Rain Deposit (gold), and 15 miles from the community of Carlin, Nevada. The project is the largest known primary vanadium resource in the USA, with vanadium hosted in a black shale in a potentially surface-mineable resource to 150 meters. A 2010 NI 43-101 Resource estimate (SRK) on the property showed an inferred resource of 25.4 million tonnes, grading 0.51 percent V2O5, containing 289 million pounds of V2O5, at 0.3 percent cut-off grade.
Exploration Properties
Tordal and Evje-Iveland Properties (Scandium-southern Norway (100%)
The Tørdal property contains numerous mineralized pegmatite dykes with the potential for several mineral targets, specifically scandium and REE’s. Surface soil sample results announced in August 2011 suggest scandium targets in the Heftetjern region including one sample assaying 217 ppm scandium. The Evje-Iveland property lies to the west of Tørdal and has had relatively little exploration work done to date, although it is in a historic molybdenum-producing area.
Both properties are similarly sized, at 150 sq km each. EMC maintains 100% control on both properties and plans further reconnaissance exploration work and a pegmatite mapping program in 2012.
Hogtuva Property (Beryllium-central Norway – 100%)
In 2011, EMC Metals secured an option to acquire 100 percent of the Høgtuva scandium/beryllium property in central Norway.. The lease covers an area of 80 sq km and the area has been extensively explored by the Norwegian Geological Survey, which included 72 core diamond drill holes covering 3,300 meters.
The property has a historical resource of about 350,000 tons containing 0.5 percent Beryllium oxide (BeO) besides beryllium, various rare and specialty metals that are also present. Initial metallurgical test work by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests the resource is amenable to processing into a BeO concentrate by conventional techniques. Initial work on this property will consist of further review of existing data and a small scale metallurgical test work program to confirm the NTNU findings on amenability of the resource to simple concentration techniques.
Summary
EMC Metals is focused on developing high-value specialty metal and mineral projects: the company is rapidly moving to re-start its 100% owned Springer Tungsten Mine Project in Nevada; the feasibility study for Nyngan Scandium is complete and will commence once the dispute with the JV partner has been rectified; and is advancing other scandium exploration properties, specifically fast tracking Norwegian pegmatite targets to identify potential resources.
Management
George F. Putnam, MBA – President and CEO
Mr. Putnam has extensive mining industry experience, having worked for over 20 years for BHP (now BHP-Billiton) and GE/Utah International. While at BHP, he held division Chief Financial Officer roles in the petroleum refining business and in BHP Manganese, a mining, alloy smelting and refining business located in Australia. His previous experience includes acquisition and divestiture work for both BHP and other clients, associated bank financings, and the negotiation and management of strategic alliances involving long-term product sales contracts. Mr. Putnam is the former CFO for QGX Ltd., a TSX-listed exploration company sold in September 2008 to Kerry Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong for C$259M.
Mr. Putnam has an Economics degree from Gettysburg College and a Masters in Business Administration from Duke University.
Willem P. Duyvesteyn – CTO
Ed H. Dickinson, CPA – CFO
Mr. Dickinson was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation on September 1, 2011. From August 1996 to August 2011, Mr. Dickinson held senior management positions at Altair Nanotechnologies Inc., including Chief Financial Officer, Director of Finance, Secretary, and Senior Director – Program & Contract Management; and from May 2002 to May 2004 Mr. Dickinson was a Director of Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Dickinson was employed by the Southern California Edison Company as a negotiator of non-utility power generation contracts.
Mr. Dickinson was Vice President and Director of Geolectric Power Company during 1993 and 1994; and from 1987 through 1992 was the Director of Finance and Administration for OESI Power Corporation. Prior to 1987, Mr. Dickinson served in various financial and program management positions at the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Dickinson, who is a certified public accountant, obtained a Masters degree in Accounting from California State University, Northridge.
John Thompson – Vice President of Project Development (Australia)
Mr. Thompson’s mining career spans 41 years in senior management roles with Utah Development Company, BHP (now BHP Billiton), Newcrest Mining, and QGX, managing and developing mineral projects in Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia and the United States. Mr. Thompson was responsible for the overall development of Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Hill mine, in NSW, which included reserve definition, management of engineering teams that designed both the mine and processing plant facilities, the final feasibility study and the environmental impact statement (EIS) on the project.
More recently, as VP Project Development for QGX, Mr. Thompson delivered the Preliminary Assessment Report, Pre-Feasibility Study and EIS on the Baruun Naran coking/thermal coal project in the South Gobi, Mongolia. He has held numerous other leadership roles in the mining industry, including four Mine/General Manger roles in coking coal, gold and titanium/iron sands operations and a General Manager position at Newcrest overseeing 5 operating gold businesses in Australia.
Mr. Thompson has a BS degree in Mining and Petroleum Engineering from the University of Queensland, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Adam Knight – General Manager of Springer Tungsten Mine and VP of US Operations
Mr. Knight is a mining engineer with 19 years of operations experience in the mining industry, most recently as mine manager for TerangaGold Corp.’s Sabodala Gold Mine in Senegal, Africa. Mr. Knight has also served as mine manager at Jerrett Canyon Mine in Nevada (Queenstake Resources USA), general manager at the Gabbs Magnesite-Brucite Mine/Mill in Nevada (Premier Chemicals), and in various mill supervisor and mine engineer roles at both Gabbs and Jerrett Canyon. Adam earned a B.S. in Mine Engineering from Mackay School of Mines (Reno, Nevada), an A.S. in Civil Engineering from Ricks College (Rexburg, Idaho).He is a registered PE Mine Engineer in the State of Nevada, and holds a MHSA Underground Instructor certification.
Warren K. Davis – Director
Mr. Davis has held numerous senior roles in both minerals and engineering industries, with a focus on energy development, project marketing and business strategy. Mr. Davis currently provides consulting services for Parsons Brinckerhoff Power and ClearFuels Technology, Inc. His previous positions include roles with Black & Veach (15 years), the Bechtel Group (3 years), and General Electric Company (10 years). Mr. Davis also worked for Utah International Inc. (7 years) in the minerals industry, specifically in acquisitions and strategy. He was founder and president of Golden Bear Energy Services, a start-up energy company, and has worked in numerous entrepreneurial energy development roles. Mr. Davis has a BS in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University.
