Cadence Minerals plc (LON:KDNC) has noted the update published today by Bacanora Lithium (LON:BCN), both on the Lithium market, and on its activities at the Sonora Lithium Project in Mexico in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Sonora Operations
The Pilot Plant has completed the bulk sampling required for the Sonora plant and engineering designs. These samples have been sent to the Company’s relevant partners in the USA and China for optimisation of the final designs.
Engineering
All engineering work is now being undertaken off-site. GR Engineering has completed its concentrator design work and will integrate this into the overall project scope. Importantly, the Company’s joint venture partner, Ganfeng Lithium (“Ganfeng”), has also completed its flow sheet design testwork for the production of battery grade lithium from the samples provided by the Pilot Plant; Ganfeng is now integrating these results into a larger scale design, and remains on schedule to deliver its final engineering packages at the end of Q4 2020. Lastly, Ganfeng is working with its equipment suppliers to determine equipment delivery times and process guarantees.
Bacanora therefore remains on schedule to commence initial site works at Sonora in H1 2021, subject to completion of financing, which would enable commencement of production at the plant in 2023. This timeframe coincides well with the anticipated increase in lithium demand from European, Asian and US electric vehicle manufacturers expected that year*.
Covid-19 and the Mining Industry in Sonora
The number of new Covid-19 cases continues to fall in the Sonora district of Mexico and lockdown restrictions are slowly being lifted. The Company continues to monitor the situation closely, with the health and safety of its employees and communities remaining its top priority.
New health and safety protocols and social distancing will remain in place at the Pilot Plant for the foreseeable future but will not impact the Company’s ability to continue to work on site. Most of the larger scale mining operations within the Sonora district, are now back in production and Bacanora will have employees back in the field in October to survey site access roads in preparation for site access works in Q2 2021.
Recently, the federal government implemented austerity measures as a result of COVID-19, one of which is the restructuring of several undersecretary positions in various sectors, including that for mining. The functions, staff, and responsibilities of the areas that reported to the undersecretary for mining remain intact, and will continue to function as normal, under the responsibility of the Secretariat of the Economy. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (“AMLO”) and the Secretariat of the Economy have consistently supported investment in the mining sector and specifically projects with downstream applications, such as Bacanora’s Sonora Lithium Project. This government wide austerity measure does not represent a change in those policies.
Lithium Market
Recent forecasts from Chile, the world’s largest producer of downstream battery grade lithium products, indicate that, as electric vehicles sales in Europe and China continue to rebound post the Covid-19 downturn, the electric car industry is forecast to dominate demand for lithium over the next ten years. By 2030, EV demand will account for more than 75% of consumption, up from 30% in 2019. As a result, demand for lithium for electric vehicles would surge to 1.4 million tonnes by 2030**, almost a five-fold increase from the current 300,000 tonnes of demand in 2019***.
* https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2020
** https://uk.reuters.com/article/chile-lithium/electric-cars-to-account-for-79-of-lithium-demand-by-2030-chile-idUKL1N2FS22Q
*** http://coinnews.tv/lithium-outlook-2019-a-transition-year-ahead/
The full Bacanora release can be found at: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/BCN/sonora-operational-update/14680960
Cadence Minerals – Holdings in Mexalit and Megalit:
Bacanora is a lithium exploration and development company. Cadence holds 30% of Mexalit and Megalit joint venture companies. Mexalit is the owner of the El Sauz, El Sauz 1, El Sauz 2, Fleur and Fleur 1 mineral concessions, which form part of the 20-year mine plan of the Sonora Lithium Project in Northern Mexico.
