Lincoln Minerals: Could this company be the first graphite producer in Australia?
Lincoln Minerals CEO Jonathon Trewartha on 6PR Bulls N' Bears Report
Listen to ASX-listed Lincoln Minerals CEO Jonathon Trewartha talk to Matt Birney on the Bulls N’ Bears Report about Lincoln’s plan to revamp the development of its SA graphite project into two stages to be first to market in Australia.
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Demand for critical metals is soaring on the back of the green energy transition and Lincoln Minerals has plenty of irons in the fire, in particular, its graphite and uranium projects within the South Australia Eyre Peninsula. With graphite playing a major role in the lithium battery story, Lincoln has decided to scrub up its 2017 feasibility study on its flagship Kookaburra graphite project – but with a twist that will see it use a staged approach to the capital development.
RADIO INTERVIEW - TRANSCRIPT
Matt Birney - Welcome to Bulls N' Bears brought to you today by graphite developer Lincoln Minerals
Matt Birney - ASX code: LML
Matt Birney - I'm Matt Birney and I'm joined now by the CEO of Lincoln Minerals, Jonathan Trewartha
Matt Birney - Hi Jonathan
Jonathan Trewartha - Hi Matt
Matt Birney - Okay so demand for critical metals is soaring on the back of the green energy transition and Lincoln Minerals has plenty of irons in the fire, in particular, its graphite and uranium projects within the South Australia Eyre Peninsula.
Matt Birney - With graphite playing a major role in the lithium battery story, Lincoln has decided to scrub up its 2017 feasibility study on its flagship Kookaburra graphite project – but with a twist that will see it use a staged approach to the capital development.
Matt Birney - Okay Jonathan we'll get to that in a minute but firstly what's the resource at your Kookaburra graphite project in South Australia now?
Jonathan Trewartha - Yeah Matt it's 12.8 million tonnes at 7.5 and 972 thousand tonnes of contained graphite but the key is that we've got a 2.9 million tonne high grade core of 13.6.
Matt Birney - I understand you're scrubbing up that 2017 feasibility study, what's changing?
Jonathan Trewartha - We're focusing on a two-stage approach. Got the mining the high grade core first at 20,000 tonnes and then stepping up to a 75,000 tonnes, with an approach to being first to market.
Matt Birney - And is the idea to use the profit from stage one to pay for the CapEx of stage two, is that where you're at with it?
Jonathan Trewartha - It will be a combination of profit and and just investing. The reason why there's a two staged as well is it's a two mining lease approval process.
Matt Birney - Okay tell me what's South Australia like as a mining jurisdiction? How hard is it to get approvals to mine these things over there?
Jonathan Trewartha - That's where we're blessed, we've already got a mining lease and we're well advanced with our PEPR which is our secondary approvals. There's only four graphite projects in Australia that have got approvals and we're lucky enough to have ours and some of the others require a bit more work.
Matt Birney - All right well tell me what are the features, if any, that make you think that Kookaburra or its ore body might lend itself to a low cost production?
Jonathan Trewartha - Well we've got a high grade core at surface. Our first bucket's going to be 20 per cent, we've got infrastructure, power 5K, waters 12K, we got a road running in front of us and we've already got that mining lease so we're well positioned.
Matt Birney - And how quickly do you think you can be in production at Kookaburra?
Jonathan Trewartha - Well our target will be decision to mine within 18 months and based on all the work that previously done with the feasibility and approvals we're confident.
Matt Birney - Jonathan Trewartha from Lincoln Minerals
Matt Birney - Thanks for joining me on Bulls N' Bears and remember we're only here to give you information, not advice, which you should of course seek independently.
Matt Birney - I'm Matt Birney and this is Bulls N' Bears.
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