The 260th Sydney Mining Club – Online
at 1:00 pm on 16 September 2021 as a Zoom Webinar

The Fast Moving World of Battery Metals

Gavin Lockyer, Managing Director Arafura Resources

Have you ever wondered what particular techno-magic it was, delivered over the last decade, that’s given your power battery tools such compact power and endurance? Simply, it has been high field density rare earth alloy magnets, ten times stronger than iron magnets, that have made compact the new-gen motors that run in tandem with the equally stunning new generation lithium and similar batteries. So for the investor rare earths are running with ‘battery metals’ status.

Arafura’s Nolan Project lies 110km north of Alice Springs and is ‘shovel ready’ promising to supply 5-10% of world demand for neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr), two of the market-leading rare earth elements. Aside from having the funkiest names on the periodic table, these elements are driving the Energy Transition starring in wind turbines, Tesla cars, and all devices where efficiency motors travel with the new generation batteries. Drones are another small but good example – metals making metals fly.

The Nolans Project is blessed with gas, rail and road. Arafura has just closed a $45m cap raise with promises of project funding to the tune of $300m coming from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund and an export finance agency. Its also great news for the NT economy.

Arafura’s share price has been quiet while the cap raise went through but faces open skies and green lights ahead. MD Gavin Lockyer will tell us why.

The NdPr oxide product prices in the US$50-100 range currently and is used to make metal, to make alloy, to make magnets. When COVID closed China’s magnet factories car manufacturers clenched even with VW closing one of its EV plants because of supply cuts. Manufacturers are reaching away upstream to secure supplies. Even Tesla which first ran on copper cage technology is moving to rare earth magnets. It’s mining to the rescue again.