LEADING EDGE MATERIALS TARGETS VALUE CREATION OPTIONS FOR WOXNA GRAPHITE
Vancouver, February 16, 2025 – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials” or the “Company”) (TSXV: LEM) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) (OTCQB: LEMIF) provides an update for the 100% owned Woxna Graphite Mine (“Woxna”) in the context of delivering for Europe’s natural graphite needs.
Security of Supply
The drive for secure and stable supply chains is shaping the European natural flake graphite market, bringing existing production assets like Woxna into focus. Woxna is free to serve both the anode and industrial markets and could be positioned as a key regional supplier.
On 9 February, the IEA published a commentary ‘Growing geopolitical tensions underscore the need for stronger action on critical minerals security’. In the coverage, the IEA commented that ‘Today's markets may be relatively well supplied, but security of supply is far from guaranteed. Trade restrictions affecting critical minerals have proliferated, notably in the form of export controls applied by China’ and in the case of natural graphite ‘Reliance on a small number of suppliers increases vulnerability to shocks and disruptions, even in a well-supplied market’.
Rising Demand
On January 30, 2025, Benchmark Minerals Intelligence published research highlighting the 140% projected growth in natural graphite demand by 2030, requiring an additional 1.7 million tonnes. Their calculations suggest that at least 31 new mines must come online worldwide. However, while anode, cathode, and cell capacity can be developed in less than five years, establishing a new raw material supply chain can take up to 25 years, underscoring the need for immediate action.
Policy Momentum in the European Union
2024 marked a turning point for European raw materials policy, with the EU taking decisive steps to secure domestic supply chains. On March 18, 2024, the European Council adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), a key initiative aimed at developing and supporting critical raw materials projects across the region. This policy shift strengthens the case for utilizing existing, permitted graphite resources within Europe.
Woxna’s Strategic Positioning
Woxna is among the few fully built and permitted graphite mines in the region. It includes the Kringelgruvan Exploitation Concession and three additional satellite deposits—Månsberg, Gropabo, and Mattsmyra—containing over 1 million tonnes of graphite. With its established infrastructure and strategic location, Woxna is well-positioned to play a significant role in regional graphite production.
Pathway to Production Restart
In recent months, interest in restarting Woxna’s flake graphite production has grown. An in-house study conducted in early 2022 evaluated processing plant upgrades to produce high-quality flake graphite concentrate for the market. This study will be updated in the second quarter. The Company believes the updated business plan could support discussions around project financing, customer pre-payments, and potential Swedish or European public funding.
Opportunities for Forward Integration
Beyond production, the Company sees potential for moving downstream and collaborating with offtakers to add value through further processing. Such agreements would provide offtakers with a secure and stable graphite supply, reinforcing their ability to meet end-user demands.
Anode Project 2021 – A Future Option
While the Anode Project 2021 remains a viable long-term opportunity, it is not currently being pursued. The Company’s primary focus remains on a sustainable restart of Woxna’s production and securing the mine’s role in the European graphite supply chain.
Kurt Budge, Chief Executive Officer, writes:
“In today’s world, one message rings clear for critical raw materials—security of supply is paramount. With rising geopolitical tensions and the increasing weaponization of trade through tariffs and export restrictions, the urgency to establish short, regional supply chains has never been greater.
Woxna stands at the forefront of this shift, positioned for a potential production restart—a move that aligns with possible forward integration opportunities. Importantly, the Company believes this restart could be financed with Green Transition funding.
Momentum for Swedish graphite is also growing. In October, Talga Group secured a €70 million EU Innovation Fund grant for its Luleå Anode Refinery, a key component of its Vittangi Anode Project. Adding further support, Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry, Ebba Busch, recently underscored the importance of domestic graphite, stating:
"We have large graphite deposits in Sweden that could account for much of what we [Sweden] and Europe need for our cars and batteries."
Woxna has been maintained in production-ready status for years, and now, the Company is growing in confidence that its strategic investment in care and maintenance could be about to pay off. The future is looking brighter.”
Leading Edge Materials Announces Positive Preliminary Economic Assessment Results for its Woxna Graphite Anode Project With US$317m Pre-Tax NPV and 42.9% Pre-Tax IRR
Leading Edge Materials is a Canadian public company focused on developing a portfolio of critical raw material projects located in the European Union. Critical raw materials are determined as such by the European Union based on their economic importance and supply risk. They are directly linked to high growth technologies such as lithium-ion batteries and permanent magnets for electric motors and wind power that underpin the sustainability transition of society. The portfolio of projects includes the 100% owned Woxna Graphite mine (Sweden), 100% owned Norra Kärr Heavy Rare Earth Elements project (Sweden), and the 51% owned Bihor Sud Nickel Cobalt exploration alliance (Romania).
Additional Information
The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above, on February 16, 2025, at 11:30 PM Vancouver time.
Leading Edge Materials is listed on the TSXV under the symbol “LEM”, OTCQB under the symbol “LEMIF” and Nasdaq First North Stockholm under the symbol “LEMSE”. Mangold Fondkommission AB is the Company’s Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North and may be contacted via email CA@mangold.se or by phone +46 (0) 8 5030 1550.
Reader Advisory
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