Euro Manganese Makes Significant Progress on its Bécancour Facility to Supply Battery Grade Manganese in North America

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Euro Manganese Inc.
Euro Manganese Inc.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt: E06) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce key developments on its Bécancour Plant, which provide an opportunity to accelerate the Company’s plans to produce high-purity manganese products in Canada for the North American electric vehicle ("EV") market.

Highlights

  • A Scoping Study was completed evaluating the development of a Dissolution Plant in Bécancour, Québec capable of producing 48,500 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of battery grade manganese sulphate ("HPMSM"). The Scoping Study delivered strong preliminary project economics with a post-tax Net Present Value ("NPV") of C$190 million and a post-tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 26%.

  • The Company has selected WSP Canada Inc. to complete a Feasibility Study for the Plant, which will further refine Plant design, costs, economics, and customer off-take opportunities.

  • In addition, the Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") with MMC, a South African producer of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal ("HPEMM"), to supply the Bécancour Dissolution Plant with battery-grade, selenium-free, 99.9% HPEMM feedstock. HPEMM is an already refined metal product that requires further processing to produce battery grade manganese sulphate.

  • The MoU is strategically significant for the Company as it enables the potential acceleration of the Plant to supply the North American market, possibly as early as mid-2026, thus bringing forward cash flows for the Company.

  • The Company has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki (the "W8banaki") a tribal council of the Abenaki communities, on whose ancestral territory the Bécancour Project would be situated.

  • Bécancour is fast becoming a leading battery materials hub within Canada and the Company’s site is strategically located adjacent to a cluster of planned cathode active material manufacturing plants.

  • The Bécancour Plant could produce up to 20% of projected North American 2027 demand for HPMSM. CPM Group forecasts demand for North American HPMSM to rise to approximately 250,000 tpa in 2027 and over 800,000 tpa by 2031. American EV tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act have stimulated growth of the North American EV vehicle market and the upstream supply chain. However, there remains no current processing capacity or production of battery-grade manganese in North America.