Government funder assesses Element 25 manganese project

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) has completed a strategic assessment of manganese miner Element 25‘s Butcherbird Stage 2 expansion project.

Butcherbird will export manganese to a high-purity manganese sulphate (HPMSM) refinery in Louisiana USA to supply the US electric vehicle battery industry.

Element 25 Managing Director Justin Brown said: “The results of our Feasibility Study for the Expansion Project show the potential for this asset to deliver over one million tonnes of manganese concentrate per year to market.

“Having NAIF involved in the project is a positive step towards financing its expansion.”

E25 aims to increase Butcherbird’s annual production to 1.1 million tonnes per annum of manganese oxide concentrate, with the Expansion Project now proceeding to the detailed due diligence phase of the NAIF assessment process.

NAIF is a Commonwealth Government financier providing concessional loans for the development of infrastructure projects in northern Australia.

Element 25 said in a statement that completion of a strategic assessment by NAIF did not represent a formal decision to offer or commit finance.

“NAIF has not yet made any decision to offer finance or made any commitment to provide any financial support to the Project, and there is no certainty that an agreement will be reached between the parties.”

In 2019 the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) funded the company to trial the use of variable renewable energy in processing manganese.

Further reading:
Element 25 to trial mineral processing with renewables
Element 25 secures $22.6 million for manganese processing

Picture: ARENA