Chvaletice Manganese Project
PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Located approximately 90 km east of Prague in the Czech Republic, the Chvaletice Manganese Project entails re-processing a significant manganese deposit contained in waste (tailings) from a decommissioned mine that operated between 1951 and 1975.
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The Chvaletice resource is the only sizeable, classified resource of manganese in the European Union.
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Chvaletice is not a mining project. It is a unique and innovative waste recycling initiative that avoids the negative impacts of traditional hard rock mining. As the project recycles historic mine tailings, it will clean up the contaminated site and eliminate a longstanding source of water pollution. Over the 25-year life of the Project, remediation and reclamation work will be conducted to bring the entire Chvaletice site into compliance with the Czech Republic’s stringent environmental regulations and standards.
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As a source of an important battery raw material, the Project is well positioned to support the EU and the Czech Republic’s green goals of reducing the region’s carbon footprint and working towards a more sustainable, circular economy.
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The Project has the potential to reduce Europe’s reliance on imports of raw battery materials by providing up to 20% of projected 2030 European demand for high-purity manganese.
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Commercial development of the Chvaletice resource is expected to create approximately 400 full-time jobs, numerous commercial opportunities for Czech businesses, as well as substantial fiscal revenues for the Czech State and local communities.
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Since 2015, during the evaluation and planning phase of the Project, Mangan Chvaletice has proactively and widely engaged with local authorities and community members. The company has benefited from their valuable feedback to refine and improve the Project design and development plan, with the goal of successfully integrating it into the local environment and life of the community.
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On July 27, 2022, EMN announced the results of a Feasibility Study (“FS”) for the Chvaletice Manganese Project, having an after-tax NPV of US$1.34 billion using an 8% discount rate, and an after-tax IRR of ~22%. Read the full news release here
DELIVERING WIDE-RANGING BENEFITS FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS
Economic Benefits
~400
jobs
US$1.5 B
in tax revenues
US$120 M
in royalties,
1/3 of which flow down to local communities
Reduce
EU reliance on raw material imports from China
Supply
20%
of European demand
for HP MN
Environmental & Social Benefits
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Use of 100% renewable energy for the processing plant; MoU in place
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Low carbon footprint
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Use of industrial wastewater from neighbouring power plant for processing; no freshwater used
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Recycling of CO2 and hydrogen process emissions
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Reagent regeneration and recycling
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No toxic selenium or fluorine used in the process
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Best-practice tailings management (filtered, dry-stacked)
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Compliance with strict EU & Czech environmental regulations
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Water and soil quality significantly improved as result of tailings remediation
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Ongoing engagement with local stakeholders; newsletter sent to over 3,000 households
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Strong support from local authorities and communities
FEASIBILITY STUDY HIGHLIGHTS ($ figures in USD)
On July 27, 2022, Euro Manganese announced the results of FS for the Chvaletice Manganese Project. Read the full news release here
NPV
$1.3B
Post Tax (8% Discount)
Capital
$757M
To initial production
Revenue
$554M
Average per year
IRR
Payback
22%
Ungeared post tax
~4
Years
Production
48 Ktpa Mn
100Kt HPMSM + 15Kt HPEMM
Opex
$229M
Average per year ($215/t)
Life of Project
25
Years
Margin
~59%
EBITDA Margin
SUMMARY OF CHVALETICE FEASIBILITY STUDY (BASE CASE)
The following table summarizes the material assumptions used in, and the results of, the Feasibility Study, assuming a targeted start of production in 2027. Plant commissioning is anticipated to commence in 2026.
RESOURCES & RESERVES
The Chvaletice manganese reserve is contained in three adjacent tailings piles that were placed on flat terrain next to the former Chvaletice open pit pyrite mine. The tailings consist of sandy to fine greyish material containing approximately 7.4% manganese, mostly occurring as rhodochrosite and kutnohorite, two mineral forms of manganese carbonate.
Extensive drilling, trenching and bulk sampling of the Chvaletice tailings was undertaken by Bateria Slany between 1986 and 1989, and a reserve was declared under local standards of the time. Between 2014 and 2016, EMN conducted preliminary auger drilling and backhoe pit sampling to assess the qualitative aspects of the tailings and to conduct exploratory metallurgical tests.
In 2017, EMN conducted an extensive Sonic drilling campaign to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative features of the three distinct tailing deposits, to form the basis of a preliminary mineral resource estimate and to collect a representative bulk sample to conduct in-depth metallurgical studies, including a pilot plant high-purity manganese electrolytic metal production test, as well as exploratory high-purity manganese sulfate production tests. The results of this 2017 work program were reported on in a 43-101 technical report dated effective April 27, 2018 (having a release date of June 21, 2018) and entitled “Technical Report on Mineral Resource Estimation for the Chvaletice Manganese Project Chvaletice, Czech Republic” (the 2017 Technical Report”).
NI43:101 - MINERAL RESERVE ESTIMATE
Euro Manganese published a Proven and Probable Reserve Estimate as part of its Feasibility Study, which is detailed in the NI 43-101 Technical Report, entitled "Technical Report and Feasibility Study for the Chvaletice Manganese Project, Czech Republic". The NI 43-101 Technical Report was filed on SEDAR on September 9, 2022, and can be viewed here. The JORC Code report, entitled "Public Report and Feasibility Study Assessment of the Chvaletice Manganese Project, Czech Republic" was lodged with the ASX on September 24, 2022, and can be viewed here. Both reports were prepared by Tetra Tech Canada Inc. with an effective date of July 27, 2022.
Mineral Reserves for the Project are based on the Measured and Indicated Resource and adhere to the guidelines set by the Canadian Institute of Mining ("CIM"), NI 43-101, and the CIM Best Practices. The Project’s combined Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve is 26,644,000 tonnes at an average grade of 7.41% total manganese as summarized in the table below.
Chvaletice Mineral Reserve Statement (effective July 14, 2022)
Notes:
1. Estimated in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves adopted by CIM Council, as amended, which are materially identical to the JORC Code.
2. The Mineral Resource is inclusive of the Mineral Reserves.
3. Probable Reserves have lower confidence than Proven Reserves. Inferred Resources have not been included in the Reserves.
4. A break-even grade of 2.18% total Mn has been estimated for the Chvaletice deposit based on preliminary pre-concentration operating costs of $6.47/t feed, leaching and refining operating cost estimates of $188/t feed, total recovery to HPEMM and HPMSM of approximately 60.5% and 58.9% respectively and product prices of US$9.60 kg/t for HPEMM and US$3.72 kg/t for HPMSM (CPM Group Report, June 2022). The actual commodity price for these products may vary.
5. Grade capping has not been applied.
6. Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding.
7. Minimal dilution and losses of <1% are expected to occur at the interface between the lower bounds of the tailings cells and original ground as the surface is uneven.
NI43:101 - MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE
Tetra Tech Canada Inc. ("Tetra Tech") prepared the Resource Estimate for the Chvaletice Manganese Project, and prepared the Technical Report in accordance with NI 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), and the independent JORC Code technical report in accordance with the Joint Ore Reserves Committee Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves 2012 Edition ("JORC Code"). The NI 43-101 Technical Report, entitled “Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Chvaletice Manganese Project, Chvaletice, Czech Republic”, with an effective date of December 8, 2018 (the "Mineral Resource Estimate"), was filed on SEDAR on January 28, 2019. No additional drilling or data collection pertaining to the technical disclosure of mineral inventory has been undertaken since the completion of the Mineral Resource Estimate, and the effective date for the Mineral Resource Estimate is revised to July 1, 2022.
A summary of the updated Chvaletice Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate resulted in a reclassification and upgrade of the tailings contained in the three Chvaletice tailings cells to Measured and Indicated categories, from Indicated and Inferred. The Project's combined Measured and Indicated Resources now amount to 26,960,000 tonnes, grading 7.33% total manganese and 5.86% soluble manganese, as summarized below:
Chvaletice Mineral Resource Statement (effective July 1, 2022)
Manganese in the Chvaletice tailings is fairly evenly distributed through entire deposit. The deposit contains finely milled, unconsolidated tailings placed above ground, which are expected to result in very low mining and virtually zero ore dressing costs. Approximately, 80% of manganese is contained in leachable manganese carbonate minerals that require no calcination, unlike manganese oxide ore.
Notes:
1. Estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institution of Mining ("CIM") Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves adopted by CIM Council, as amended, which are materially identical to the JORC Code.
2. The Chvaletice Mineral Resource has a reasonable prospect for eventual economic extraction. Mineral Resources do not have demonstrated economic viability.
3. Indicated Resources have lower confidence than Measured Resources.
4. A break-even grade of 2.18% tMn has been estimated for the Chvaletice deposit based on preliminary pre-concentration operating costs of US$6.47/t feed, leaching and refining operating cost estimates of US$188/t feed, total recovery to HPEMM and HPMSM of approximately 60.5% and 58.9%, respectively, and product prices of US$9.60 kg/t for HPEMM and US$3.72 kg/t for HPMSM (GPM Group Report, June 2022). The actual commodity price for these products may vary.
5. A cut-off grade has not been applied to the block model. The estimated break-even cut-off grade falls below the grade of most of the blocks (excluding 5,000 tonnes which have grades less than 2.18% of total Mn). It is assumed that material
segregation will not be possible during extraction due to the inherent difficulty of grade control and selective mining for this deposit type.
6. Grade capping has not been applied.
7. Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding
Land Acquisition – history and current status
Property Overview / Area of EMN / Mangan Chvaletice interest
During the preparation of the project, the area of land of interest for the implementation of the project was identified. No forced land acquisition or resettlement is required for the Project. The land can be divided into two parts. The first is "industrial zone" and the second is "tailing area/protected deposit area". Both integral areas are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 - Map of Project Land of Interest
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“Industrial zone” - proposed site of the Processing Plant, ~25 ha – bottom part of the picture.
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“Tailings area/protected deposit area”, ~1km square – top part of picture.
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Both areas will be connected by a technological bridge for transporting the pulped raw material (tailings) and non-magnetic tailings residue and leach residue. Areas are divided by railway (national corridor) and public road.
Processing Plant Area
“Industrial zone” for processing plant fully contractually secured including connection to the railway shunting yard of the power plant.
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Land (blue highlighting) of the industrial area is owned by Mangan Chvaletice, s.r.o.. This land was gradually purchased from the three original owners. The largest part was acquired in December 2023 through the acquisition of the site owner, EP Chvaletice. The acquisition/option agreements (share acquisition of 100 % of EP Chvaletice s.r.o.) were signed in 2018. Land on the northern part of the industrial zone (purchased from power plant company SevEn) allows connection to the power plant shunting yard and consequently the connection to the public railway.
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Land of Správa nemovitostí Kirchdorfer CZ s.r.o. (green highlighting) to be acquired by the end of 2025. The acquisition contracts (asset deal on the land) were signed in 2020 and are in the notary's custody. Payments are made according to an agreed schedule. Acceleration of the contract is possible if required, depending on the timing of the payment.
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Land of Galmet trade, spol. s r.o. (yellow highlighting) has been secured by a 30-year lease agreement since 2019; the lease can be converted to a sale of the leased land against the payment of an agreed purchase price.
Tailings Area/Protected Deposit Area
The tailings area as a Protected Deposit Area is designated for mining use. MANGAN Chvaletice, s.r.o. has concluded four out of five land access agreements covering 85% of the resource within the tailings, with the remaining land access agreement under negotiation.
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Land of the Town of Chvaletice for the mining area (red highlighting) secured by 40- year lease agreement, entered into in 2022.
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Land of CEZ, a.s. for the mining area (light blue highlighting) secured by a royaltybased lease agreement, signed in 2023.
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Land of HELOT, spol. s.r.o. (green highlighting) and land of Mr. Vanek (mauve highlighting – but only a strip within protected deposit area) for ancillary land and start of the RSF construction areas is owned by Mangan Chvaletice, s.r.o. since January 2024.
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Land of Municipality of Trnávka (light yellow highlighting) secured by the purchase agreement from 2019. Contract is in the notary's custody with ownership transfer onto Mangan Chvaletice upon the last payment when the construction permit is granted.
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Land of Elektrárna Chvaletice a.s. (Sev.en Group) for the mining area (dark yellow highlighting) negotiations still ongoing, completion expected in 2024.
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Land of BAUSET CZ, a.s. for access to the mining area (purple highlighting), publicly available purpose-built road, access granted; nevertheless, purchase considered in 2024/25 to simplify construction of the technological bridge (land outside of the tailing area).
HISTORY
The presence of manganese and iron minerals was first recorded near the present-day village of Chvaletice in the 1800s, and sporadic, localized mining of the Chvaletice ore body took place during the early 1900s. Starting in the 1930s, ore was processed for the recovery of manganese and shipped by rail to steel mills in Czechoslovakia and Germany. Between 1951 and 1975, the focus turned to the extraction of pyrite, which was used to produce sulfuric acid for various industrial clients. The waste from these operations created the three existing tailings piles that form the Chvaletice deposit. The piles were rehabilitated with a layer of topsoil and trees planted between 1975 and 1983.
In the late 1980s, Bateria Slany - a Czechoslovakian state-owned battery producer - undertook extensive studies of the tailings to determine the feasibility of producing manganese dioxide for the production of dry cell batteries. Although Bateria Slany confirmed the presence of a significant and economically attractive manganese carbonate resource, it halted development following the political regime change that was initiated in 1989, which brought about the end of communism in Czechoslovakia and the establishment of an independent Czech Republic. The deposit lay dormant until its mineral rights were granted in September 2014 to a Czech group of companies. The rights to the Project were then consolidated to form a jointly-owned holding company, Mangan Chvaletice s.r.o.
In May 2016, Euro Manganese Inc. acquired 100% of Mangan Chvaletice s.r.o., the Czech company that holds the exploration rights to the Chvaletice manganese deposit.
EVALUATION, PLANNING AND PATH FORWARD
EMN initiated its investigations on the Chvaletice Manganese Project in 2015. Early work conducted during 2015 and 2016 was focused on:
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confirming the results of earlier exploration, metallurgical and engineering studies conducted by a Czechoslovakian State-owned company in the 1980s
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determining the manganese content and mineralogy of the Chvaletice tailings
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conducting legal and environmental due diligence investigations
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conducting exploratory beneficiation, leaching and purification tests on the tailings samples
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developing a conceptual process flowsheet to produce high purity electrolytic manganese metal
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initiating environmental and hydrogeological baseline studies
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market investigations
Since the acquisition of the project, Euro Manganese Inc. set out to achieve several key objectives to advance the Chvaletice Manganese Project. These included completion of:
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environmental baseline studies
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an extensive drilling assaying to updating the Mineral Resource Estimate and resource estimation program
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a comprehensive beneficiation and hydrometallurgical test work program
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an extraction and reclamation plan development
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advanced process flowsheet development
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community engagement and consultation
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preliminary economic evaluation (PEA)
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market studies
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Feasibility Study (FS)
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Life Cycle Assessment
The development of the Chvaletice site will require that we design many aspects of the Project to meet stringent Czech and European safety, health, and environmental standards. We are increasingly confident in our ability to do so. Our goal is to develop one of the cleanest and highest-quality manganese products producers in the world, and to turn the clock on the environmental impacts of past mining activity, leaving the site in an improved condition in full compliance with the demanding reclamation and restoration regulations that prevail today.
Based on our findings to date, including the results of the FS, we are increasingly confident in our ability to develop the Project site to accommodate a world-leading, high-purity manganese production facility. We have also recently seen an extraordinary opportunity emerge that could see us become the only primary producer of high purity manganese products in the European Union at a time when automakers are accelerating their transformation to electric vehicle production.
Our team is now focused on a number of key activities that will bring the Project to a final investment decision:
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Full commissioning and operating the demonstration plant to allow the Company to produce bulk, multi-tonne finished product samples for prospective customers' supply chain qualification;
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Obtaining approval of the ESIA from the Czech Ministry of Environment, expected in the second half of calendar 2023;
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Rezoning of the remaining land area underlying the tailings for mining use, which the Company anticipates being approved by the Municipality of Chvaletice in the second half of 2023;
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Negotiating and completing the acquisition or access to the remaining land rights;
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Awarding the contract to provide engineering, procurement, construction management ("EPCM") support to the Project;
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Continuing negotiations with potential customers to enter into offtake contracts, as well as strategic and financial partners and government agencies, including those related to funding the development of the Project;
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Developing an optimum financing structure for the Project, which is dependent upon the above milestones being achieved; and
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Progressing towards a Feasibility Study for a dissolution plant at Bécancour, Québec, for potential production of high-purity manganese products for the North American EV market.
EURO
MANGANESE
INC.
We are committed to advancing the Chvaletice Tailings Project while adhering to best practices for corporate governance, environmental excellence and social responsibility.
