In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Jack Lifton spoke with Troy Boisjoli, President and CEO of Murchison Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: MUR) about Murchison’s recent news release on increasing the searchable area of their HPM battery metals project by over 400%.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Troy Boisjoil said that the enlarged HPM Project is highly prospective for nickel, copper, and cobalt, all of which are critical for the electric vehicle revolution and the green energy transition. Highlighting the importance of sourcing critical materials from stable jurisdictions, Troy said that Murchison’s HPM Project is located in the premier mining jurisdiction of Quebec close to rail and hydroelectric power infrastructure.

To watch the full interview, click here.

About Murchison Minerals Ltd.

Murchison is a Canadian‐based exploration company focused on nickel-copper-cobalt exploration at the 100%-owned HPM project in Quebec and the exploration and development of the 100%-owned Brabant Lake zinc‐copper‐silver project in north‐central Saskatchewan. The Company also holds an option to earn 100% interest in the Barraute VMS exploration project also located in Quebec, north of Val d’Or. Murchison currently has 153.2 million shares issued and outstanding.

To learn more about Murchison Minerals Ltd., click here.

Disclaimer: Murchison Minerals Ltd. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please contact us at +1 416 792 8228 and/or email us direct at [email protected].

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Chris Thompson spoke with Troy Boisjoli, President and CEO of Murchison Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: MUR) about recently joining Murchison’s team and about the ongoing drill program at its HPM battery metals project targeting highly-prospective PYC Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Prospect.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Troy provided an update on Murchison’s recent fully-subscribed private placement and how the funds will be deployed. Located in an infrastructure-rich part of Quebec, Troy said that the 100% owned HPM battery metals project has the potential to be a camp scale project covering 139 km2 of highly prospective mineralization for nickel, copper, and cobalt.

To watch the full interview, click here.

About Murchison Minerals Ltd.

Murchison is a Canadian‐based exploration company focused on nickel-copper-cobalt exploration at the 100%-owned HPM project in Quebec and the exploration and development of the 100%-owned Brabant Lake zinc‐copper‐silver project in north‐central Saskatchewan. The Company also holds an option to earn 100% interest in the Barraute VMS exploration project also located in Quebec, north of Val d’Or. Murchison currently has 153.2 million shares issued and outstanding.

To learn more about Murchison Minerals Ltd., click here.

Disclaimer: Murchison Minerals Ltd. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please contact us at +1 416 792 8228 and/or email us direct at [email protected].

It seems of late that every time I get excited about the technicals of the gold chart and then go on to make a comment about it I quickly get taught a lesson in humility. Well, enough of that, there are plenty of other commodities out there and many of them are far more important to the future build-out of the green economy. I’m talking about key electric vehicle and clean energy production and storage metals like nickel, copper, cobalt, and silver to name a few. Perhaps these commodities and their underlying prices will be a little kinder to me and not crash a day or two after I extol their virtues. Although nickel is trading at 5-year highs and copper isn’t far off of its recent highs. At least cobalt is only near 3-year highs and well off the peak it reached in early 2018. So fingers crossed I’m not some sort of a short-term price jinx and fundamentals will rule the day.

A Canadian company developing numerous projects that provide exposure to cobalt, copper, nickel, zinc and silver is Murchison Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: MUR). Murchison is focused on the exploration and development of the 100% owned Brabant Lake zinc‐copper‐silver project in north‐central Saskatchewan. The Company also owns 100% of the Haut Plateau de la Manicouagan (HPM) nickel‐copper‐cobalt project in Quebec and holds an option to earn 100% interest in the Barraute VMS exploration project also located in Quebec, north of Val d’Or. Saskatchewan and Quebec are two of the best mining jurisdictions in Canada and, arguably, in the world. Additionally, these projects are surrounded by excellent, established infrastructure.

The last time I had a look at Murchison I focused on the Betty Zone at Brabant Lake given that was where I saw the bulk of the news being generated at that time. So today we’ll focus on the HPM project because that’s been the source of most of the excitement for the Company over the last couple of months. The HPM property is located between Baie-Comeau and Fermont, Québec, about 20 km from an all-season road connecting the two communities, 8 km to railroad, and about 225 km to the Port of Sept Iles. The property is associated with the Manicouagan Metamorphic Complex and hosts several nickel-copper cobalt occurrences.

Most activity at the HPM project has been focused on the highly prospective PYC target area where the Company identified significant sulphide mineralization on the surface over a strike length in excess of 1.7 km. Assay results from its June prospecting program, from grab samples and short backpack drill core samples, feature assays as high as 1.27% nickel equivalent or 2.59% copper equivalent (0.79% Ni, 0.14% Cu, 0.15% Co) from 0.83 metres of backpack drill core. Assay results also confirm mineralization south-east of the PYC target at the newly discovered Dix showing, which assayed as high as 0.90% Nickel Equivalent or 1.83% Copper Equivalent (0.44% Ni, 0.39% Cu, 0.10% Co) from 0.45 metre of backpack drill core.

Source: Murchison Minerals Aug 16, 2021 Press Release

Following a successful capital raise of $4 million that closed in October, the Company is in an excellent financial position to unlock the potential of HPM. To that end, on November 2^nd Murchison announced it had commenced a 3,550 m drilling program focusing on the PYC target while concurrently prospecting a number of significant geophysical anomalies that were identified on the HPM project during a 655 line-kilometre airborne electromagnetic survey completed earlier this year. To date, the Company has successfully completed seven drill holes totaling 1,599 m testing approximately 550 m of the airborne electromagnetic anomaly with significant pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite mineralization observed in all seven holes. A handheld portable Niton XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence analyzer that enables real-time, quantitative sample analysis in the field) confirms the presence of nickel, copper and cobalt within the sulphide intervals. Now we await the assays to learn just how much of those valuable commodities are present in these rocks.

One need look no further than the bidding war that broke out over Noront Resources and its nickel-copper-PGE project in neighbouring Ontario, where it looks like BHP Group Ltd will be the successful suitor, to understand the value of these types of resources. Granted Murchison has a bit of work ahead of them to define a comparable asset but that’s why they only have a market cap of $22 million today. A successful winter drilling program at HPM could put Murchison Minerals on the radar of companies like BHP.

When I first started looking into scandium, I found out that it was used in bicycle frames, aluminum alloy baseball bats and some fishing rods, which was good enough for me to be interested. However, improving the strength, corrosion resistance, and reducing the weight of those items isn’t going to raise an eyebrow at COP26 nor is it likely to dramatically improve demand for scandium. That’s why it probably makes more sense to talk about how a scandium-aluminum alloy is used in weight reduction applications in the high volume automotive, aerospace, fuel cell, and defense sectors. In fact, scandium can reduce our carbon footprint by making commercial aircraft and vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient thus lowering emissions. In EVs, scandium is used in light weighting vehicle components to extend battery range and improve fuel cell efficiency. Airbus SA has patented scandium-aluminum alloys for welding of aircraft structures in place of rivets for assembly, which reduces weight by 20%. With all the bad press emissions from air travel have gotten the last couple of days out of Glasgow, this could become a very important issue for the future of plane manufacturers.

Now that we’ve determined scandium is a good thing and could possibly be on the upswing as a commodity in demand, perhaps we’ll discuss a North American source given that there isn’t a whole lot to choose from currently. Scandium is a moderately abundant element, although it tends to be spread out throughout the earth rather than concentrated in a few places. Currently, in North America, the only notable possible production comes as a by-product of planned niobium mining at NioCorp Developments Ltd.’s (TSX: NB) Elk Creek project in Nebraska. This makes the Crater Lake scandium-REE project of Imperial Mining Group Ltd. (TSXV: IPG | OTCQB: IMPNF) a unique find. It’s the only hardrock scandium deposit in the world and happens to be in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Quebec, close to hydroelectric capacity and Quebec’s aluminum metal production where 90% of Canada’s “Green” aluminum is produced. That’s already a lot of boxes ticked and we haven’t even gotten into the grades of the Crater Lake project.

But first a little about Imperial Mining Group. Imperial is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on the advancement of its Crater Lake scandium-Rare Earth property. The company is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals, who have  a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities. The Company also has a pair of gold prospects, Opawica and La Ronciere all in Quebec.

As for the Crater Lake project, in September Imperial received the inaugural NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Crater Lake TG Zone Mineral Resource Estimate.

Source: Imperial Mining Group Ltd. press release Sep 23, 2021

The results of the Resource Estimate for the Northern Lobe of the TG Zone far exceeded the minimum threshold resource Imperial internally set for a 20-25-year notional mining operation, based on a 10 million ton lift. And the good news is that mineralization remains open laterally and at depth, demonstrating the potential to increase the mineral resource with additional drilling. Imperial will soon commence work on an NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA).

Another strategy that sets Imperial apart is that it is actively collaborating with partners to further the development of strategic scandium marketing activities to projects that require important weight and carbon footprint reductions. A great example is their work with Eck Industries to begin prototyping components while concurrently looking to maximize weight savings for the transportation sector. They recently showed that the material properties for EV battery box requirements, as specified by a major North American automotive manufacturer, have been met or exceeded. Last month the Company was awarded, along with its partner FusiA Groupe, C$2.6 million for a scandium-aluminum material R&D project. The project will focus on the industrialization and the development of a vertically integrated supply chain for a scandium-aluminum alloy for 3D printing. I’m impressed by the fact that Imperial is increasing the awareness and demand for their product before they’ve put their project into commercial production.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, we all know the impact that the interruption of supply chains has had on virtually everything. The manufacturing world is learning the hard way that it might be time to “on-shore” critical parts of their supply chain if they want to complete their product manufacturing, let alone compete. So, to be one of the best grade scandium resources in the world and be located on mining friendly, North American, soil means we should all probably pay a little closer attention to Imperial Mining.

Three of the most valuable green energy metals are cobalt, nickel and copper. Their current LME prices are – cobalt US$50,615/t, nickel US$19,840, and copper US$9,488/t. This means that miners that can find, not too deep and reasonable grade deposits, with all three metals, can potentially grow a very economical resource. Today’s company is working on doing just that in Quebec and Saskatchewan, in Canada.

Murchison Minerals Ltd.‘s (TSXV: MUR) (“Murchison”) three green energy metal projects in Canada are:

1. HPM (Haut-Plateau de la Manicouagan) nickel‐copper‐cobalt project (Quebec) (100% owned)
2. Brabant‐McKenzie zinc‐copper‐silver project (Saskatchewan) (100% owned)
3. Barraute-Landrienne project (Quebec) (earn-in option to acquire 100%) (base metals)

Murchison Minerals three exploration stage projects in Canada gives exposure to nickel, copper, cobalt, zinc, and silver

Source: Company presentation

HPM Project’s recent grab samples and short backpack drill results

Murchison has made two recent announcements regarding exploration results at their HPM Project in Quebec.

Announced on August 16, 2021 Murchison reported: “The results are from grab samples and short backpack drill core samples, featuring assays as high as 1.27% Nickel Equivalent or 2.59% Copper Equivalent (0.79% Ni, 0.14% Cu, 0.15% Co) from 0.83 metres of backpack drill core. The assay results also confirm mineralization south-east of the PYC target at the newly discovered Dix showing, which assayed as high as 0.90% Nickel Equivalent or 1.83% Copper Equivalent (0.44% Ni, 0.39% Cu, 0.10% Co) from 0.45 metres of backpack drill core.”

Then announced on September 1, 2021, Murchison reported: “The assay results confirm the presence of surface nickel-copper-cobalt mineralization at the Syrah and 4048 targets, in addition to PYC and the newly discovered Dix (see August 16, 2021 release) and SVT showings. The results from the prospecting program are considered a major success and indicate a strong likelihood that the HPM property hosts significant nickel-copper-cobalt mineralization outside of the Barre De Fer mineralized body…..The grab samples from the Syrah target assayed as high as 0.84% Nickel Equivalent or 1.70% Copper Equivalent (0.58% Ni, 0.24% Cu, 0.05% Co) from multiple short backpack drill holes……..Grab samples collected during the June 2021 prospecting at the 4048 target assayed as high as 0.96% Nickel Equivalent or 1.94% Copper Equivalent (0.53% Ni, 0.36% Cu, 0.09% Co). ”

These are good preliminary results from grab samples and short drill lengths (“backpack drilling”) and potentially point towards a growing body of mineralization at the HPM Project.

On September 1 Murchison’s CEO and President, Jean-Charles Potvin, commented: “The results we are seeing from HPM continue to exceed our expectations. We are very eager to commence drilling on the HPM project as the team strongly feels that we will see exceptional results.”

The company also stated: “The majority of the past drilling at HPM targeted the Barre de Fer geophysical conductor and confirmed the known nickel-copper-cobalt mineralization approximately 300 metres along strike and to a depth of about 280 metres. The mineralization remains open at depth and partially along strike.”

Whilst it is still too early to tell, the good news is that the initial surface and near surface samples are very encouraging, as are the presence of multiple electro-magnetic (“EM”) conductor showings.

Murchison Minerals HPM property with recent sampling results and numerous Versatile Time Electromagnetic (VTEM) conductors showing

Source: Company presentation

Next steps at the HPM Project include a 3,550-metre helicopter supported drill program this October (subject to drilling permit approval), and results from preliminary metallurgical flotation tests on HPM surface sample mineralization.

Murchison is also expecting to soon receive assay results from recent drilling at the Betty Zone at their Brabant‐McKenzie zinc‐copper‐silver project in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Brabant–McKenzie Project has an Indicated Resource of 2.1 Mt @ 9.98% ZnEq and an Inferred Resource of 7.6 Mt @ 6.29% ZnEq.

Closing remarks

Murchison Minerals offers investors a significant exploration optionality on some very valuable energy metals such as cobalt, nickel and copper, as well as zinc and silver. It is still early days in the exploration and discovery process but early signs are promising, especially the recent news coming from the HPM Project in Quebec.

Murchison Minerals trades on a market cap of only C$8.7 million, thereby giving large potential upside should a significant discovery be made. Risk is high with junior explorers, so invest accordingly and be patient.

After a positive summer drill program at its flagship scandium-rare earth Crater Lake Property in northeastern Quebec, Imperial Mining Group Ltd. (TSXV: IPG) successfully closed a $2.6 million financing in December to accelerate the project forward in 2021.

Imperial Mining plans to use the proceeds to complete definition drilling at Crater Lake’s “TG Zone”, and to deliver both a 43-101 Resource Report and a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) by the end of June 2021.

Last trading at $0.16, Imperial Mining Group has a market cap of $20 million and a PEA could re-rate the company, shifting it closer to the $175 million market cap of NioCorp Developments Ltd. (TSX: NB | OTCQX: NIOBF) that has a Feasibility Study at its Elk Creek niobium-scandium project in Nebraska, United States.

Peter Cashin, President & CEO of Imperial Mining Group, recently commented, “I am very pleased of the positive response that the market has shown for our private placement. The financing was oversubscribed, and we believe that it was motivated by the recent significant announcements in the critical metal space, in particular for scandium and the rare earths.”

Scandium Alloys at Home and in Space

Manufacturers in many industries, including automotive, aerospace, and defense, recognize that scandium-modified aluminum alloy materials could become a critical input into their production processes.

With the push for lighter and stronger materials to make vehicles more fuel-efficient and the need for tough and durable metal alloys for the resurgence in space activity, scandium-aluminum “superalloys” have been already used by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

In a March 2020 speech at the Satellite 2020 Conference, Elon Musk, founder of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX stated that the aerospace engineers at SpaceX were going to switch to a different alloy “pretty soon” to replace the current stainless-steel alloy, known as 301.

Scandium-aluminium alloys are highly valued as an important lightweight material and are one-third the weight of steel and 60 % of the weight of titanium alloys.

Scandium-aluminium alloys are also corrosion-resistant and can be used in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and consumer products, such as baseball bats, bicycle frames, and golf clubs.

A small percentage of scandium alloyed with aluminum enables aluminum to be effectively welded to another piece of scandium-aluminum alloy, without the need for heavy hardware to join the pieces together.

Scandium-aluminium alloys are currently being used by California-based Relativity Space, a private aerospace manufacturing company. Relativity Space’s massive 3D printer can create a rocket from raw material to flight in 60 days.

The automotive industry could be a large market opportunity for scandium. With scandium-aluminum’s self-welding abilities, engine blocks could be constructed using 3D printers.

In addition, according to a recent report, the average passenger vehicle contains over 150 kilograms of aluminum and the average light truck contains over 230 kilograms of aluminum. If only 1% of the traditional aluminum used in the approximately 17 million light vehicles (cars and light trucks) produced in the United States each year, switched to scandium-aluminum, that impact would create a demand for 35 tonnes of scandium each year.

With current scandium production estimated between 25-35 tonnes per year as such, this type of demand would immediately double the current supply requirement.

Scandium

Scandium is an element, sometimes classified as a rare earth metal, and currently, there are no primary scandium mines. Supply comes from the by-product of other mineral extractions from deposits in China, Russia, and more and recently, Australia.

Scandium is not traded on any metal exchange and the price is negotiated between buyer and seller. According to the most recent USGS data sheet on scandium, over the past five years, the price for scandium-oxide has averaged $4,560 per kilogram.

Scandium and other “critical metals” were thrust into the spotlight last year when President Trump signed an Executive Order addressing the threat to the United States’ supply chain from relying on “critical minerals” from “foreign adversaries”, specifically identifying China. The 35 mineral commodities deemed critical under the definition included aluminum, gallium, graphite, lithium, manganese, niobium, the rare earth elements group, and scandium.

Crater Lake Property – Scandium & Rare Earth Metals

The 100%-owned Crater Lake Project is located 200 kilometres northeast of Schefferville, Quebec, and covers 2,780 hectares (approximately 6,900 acres). The project hosts three zones of mineralization (Boulder, TG Zone (TGZ), and STG), determined by scandium-rich outcrops, boulders, and recent drilling.

Highlights from the summer drill program included Hole #CL20037 from the TGZ that returned intervals grading up to 253 grams per tonne (g/t) Scandium Oxide (Sc₂O₃) over 29.14 metres (m), including 9.3 m grading 299 g/t Sc₂O₃ and 21.69 m grading 271 g/t Sc₂O₃3 including 9.16 m grading 299 g/t Sc₂O₃.

Importantly, the true thickness of the scandium mineralized zone is estimated to be up to 110 m and is open at depth and along strike.

The company sees major positive factors with the project, including:

• The resource is exposed at the surface, so it is amenable to a low-cost open-pit operation.
• The deposit is high grade relative to its peers and could reduce the CapEx to develop the mine and the OpEx to run the mine.
• The preliminary metallurgy showed strong scandium mineral recoveries.
• The project is in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Quebec and supported by Quebec’s recently launched $90 million “critical minerals” development fund and Plan Nord, Quebec’s economic development strategy to develop natural resource extraction in northern Quebec.
• The deposit is located in close proximity to the 9 aluminum smelters and one alumina refinery in Quebec.

Final Comment

Look for the definition drill results, 43-101 Resource Report, and the PEA to potentially lift the stock price higher this year.

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Tracy Weslosky speaks with Frank Basa, Director, President and CEO of Granada Gold Mine Inc. (TSXV: GGM) discusses their key positioning in Quebec’s Cadillac Trend, the rising value of gold and how this will translate into the marketplace in 2021.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Frank responds to Tracy’s questions about Matt Bohlsen’s article on why they may be ‘flying under the investment radar’ with, “We are on the Cadillac break, and of course anybody who is on the Cadillac break usually ends up with a multi-million-ounce deposit, which we did get.”

Frank goes on to explain changes that will positively affect the economics for Granada Gold, the impact of the gold market on the M&A market and adds “This is just the beginning of a long bull market for gold, and with our location; our infrastructure – we’re in a great position.” 

To watch the full interview, click here

About Granada Gold Mine Inc.

Granada Gold Mine Inc. is continuing to develop the Granada Gold Property near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The property includes the former Granada gold mine which produced more than 50,000 ounces of gold at 10 grams per tonne gold in the 1930’s before a fire destroyed the surface buildings. Approximately 120,000 meters of drilling has been completed to date on the property, focused mainly on the extended LONG Bars zone which trends 2 kilometers east west over a potential 5.5 kilometers mineralized structure. The highly prolific Cadillac Trend, the source of 50 million plus ounces of gold production in the past century, cuts right through the north part of the Granada property on a line running from Val-d’Or to Rouyn-Noranda Quebec.

The Company is in possession of all permits required to commence the initial mining phase known as the “Rolling Start”, which allows the company to mine up to 550 tonnes per day, capable of producing up to 675,000 tonnes of ore over a 3-year period of time.  Additional information is available at www.granadagoldmine.com.

To learn more about Granada Gold Mine Inc., click here

Disclaimer: Granada Gold Mine Inc. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

While Quebec Canada is known for its French influence and pro-mining sector, it is starting to become well known for its support for pro-green policies. Just recently the Quebec Government announced their $6.7 billion Plan for a Green Economy (2030 PGE).

As a part of the 2030 PGE, two of the most interesting announcements were Hydro-Quebec’s move towards energy storage and Quebec’s decision to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars from 2035. All of these recent Quebec pro-green policies are very positive for the energy storage, EV and battery markets; and also for the battery metal (and EV metal) miners; especially those with projects in Quebec.

A summary of the Quebec Government’s $6.7 billion Plan for a Green Economy (2030 PGE)

Source

Hydro-Québec’s move towards energy storage using LFP batteries

On December 9, 2020, it was reported that Hydro-Québec announced the launching of a new subsidiary that specializes in energy storage systems in a bid to help speed up development of renewable power and commercialize technology it has developed over four decades.

A Reuters report quotes: “Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest electricity producer, on Wednesday entered the fast-growing market for storing renewable energy, where it could face competition from the likes of Tesla……Hydro-Québec aims to capture 10% of a niche market expected to reach $3 billion in the next 10 years.”

Hydro-Quebec’s new EVLO subsidiary will design, sell and operate storage systems aimed at other utilities, commercial and industrial markets for medium-and-large-scale storage. They intend to initially focus on North America and Europe.

Hydro-Québec is using lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP). LFP battery is a type of lithium-ion battery using LiFePO₄ as the cathode material, and a graphite based anode. It means there is no use of nickel or cobalt, but still uses lithium and graphite.

Quebec to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars from 2035

The Quebec banning of ‘new’ gasoline cars from 2035 should mean that starting from 2035, 100% of new car buyers will buy electric vehicles (EVs). Of course EVs will be wildly popular well before then, especially post 2023 when they should hit purchase price parity with gasoline or diesel cars.

The Quebec Government stated: “….the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy (2030 PGE) along with its first implementation plan covering 2021-2026, backed by a budget of $6.7 billion over five years. The magnitude of the amounts earmarked for this electrification and climate change framework policy is indicative of the government’s intent to make Québec a leader in the green economy by building on its major strength: its clean electricity.”

Again this is another huge boost to the EV & battery manufacturers as well as the EV and battery metal miners. In the case of EVs, NMC (nickel, manganese, and cobalt) and NCA (nickel, cobalt, and aluminum) cathode batteries are currently the most popular in western markets as they offer the best energy densities. Lithium electrolyte and graphite based anodes are the usual other battery metals. Added to this would be the producers of rare earths neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) used in EV motors. We should also add in copper as copper is integrally involved with clean energy and EVs. Finally, any companies that work in renewable energy and in particular emissions reductions.

Some potential winners from Quebec’s support for energy storage and EVs

• Hydro-Quebec as an energy storage designer, seller and operator. Also their suppliers of LFP batteries.
• Potentially any Quebec based cathode, anode or battery manufacturers and/or EV manufacturers.
• Quebec based battery metal miners – Lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and aluminum.
• Energy storage and EV suppliers and miners, ideally in Canada and perhaps USA.
• Companies working in the pro-green economy sector.

Some companies that we follow at InvestorIntel that focus on the above areas include: Appia Energy Corp. (CSE: API | OTCQB: APAAF), Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL | OTCQB: AVLNF), Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc. (TSXV: CCW | OTCQB: CCWOF), CBLT Inc. (TSXV: CBLT), Critical Elements Lithium Corporation (TSXV: CRE | OTCQX: CRECF), dynaCERT Inc. (TSX: DYA | OTCQX: DYFSF), Exro Technologies Inc. (TSXV: EXRO | OTCQB: EXROF), Global Energy Metals Corporation (TSXV: GEMC | OTCQB: GBLEF), Ideanomics Inc. (NASDAQ: IDEX), Imperial Mining Group Ltd. (TSXV: IPG), Kodiak Copper Corp. (TSXV: KDK), Nano One Materials Corp. (TSXV: NNO), Neo Lithium Corp. (TSXV: NLC | OTCQX: NTTHF), Neo Performance Materials Inc. (TSX: NEO), Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (TSXV: NOU | OTCQX: NMGRF), Search Minerals Inc. (TSXV: SMY), Vital Metals Limited (ASX: VML), and ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN).

Quebec Canada is supporting energy storage and electric vehicles etc with a $6.7 billion plan for a green economy

If you are a Quebec or Canadian company focused on the green energy sector then InvestorIntel would be happy to hear from you to see if we can get your company some greater exposure. Together we can make a better world.

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Tracy Weslosky speaks with Eric Zaunscherb, Chairman of Critical Elements Lithium Corporation (TSXV: CRE | OTCQX: CRECF), about their flagship Rose Lithium-Tantalum project located in James-Bay, Quebec. Eric starts with “Lithium ion batteries are ramping up in terms of demand driven by e-mobility and energy storage systems.” And then proceeds to discuss the Critical Elements’ vision, which is to be a global leading, responsible supplier of lithium hydroxide to the emerging electric vehicle and energy storage industries. Discussing the value of their First Nations relations, and the advantages relating to management with experience in taking a project to operations, Eric discusses how Critical Elements is well-positioned to play a significant role in the lithium market with one of the highest purity spodumene deposits in the world. Adding that “We aspire to be a large responsible and sustainable provider of lithium to the lithium ion battery industry.”

To watch the full interview, click here

About Critical Elements Lithium Corporation

Critical Elements Lithium Corporation is a junior mining company in advance exploration stage. The company’s flagship project is the Rose Lithium-Tantalum project located in James-Bay, Quebec with a good geographic location, on-site access to infrastructures like: powerline, roads, airport, railway access and camp. Primero Group recently completed the first phase of its Early Contractor Involvement agreement with the Corporation and provided a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the engineering, procurement and construction of the wholly-owned Rose Lithium-Tantalum project on a lump sum turnkey basis that is in line with the Project’s feasibility study published November 29, 2017. The project feasibility study is based on price forecasts of US $750/tonne for chemical-grade lithium concentrate (5% Li2O), US $1,500/tonne for technical-grade lithium concentrate (6% Li2O) and US $130/kg for Ta2O5 in tantalite concentrate, and an exchange rate of US $0.75/CA $. The internal rate of return (“IRR”) for the Rose Lithium-Tantalum project is estimated at 34.9% after tax, and net present value (“NPV”) is estimated at CA $726 million at an 8% discount rate.

To learn more about Critical Elements Lithium Corporation, click here

Disclaimer: Critical Elements Lithium Corporation is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

Well-managed small cap continues successful M&A activity

Project generator CBLT Inc. (TSXV: CBLT) closes yet another deal. This time CBLT Inc. has closed the sale of its 56% share of the Northshore Gold Property Joint Venture to private company Omni Commerce Corp. (“Omni“). For the sale CBLT Inc. has been paid $350,000 in cash and $1,100,000 in common shares of Omni.

For those investors not familiar with CBLT, it is a well-managed small cap company that focuses on making cash positive deals to avoid stock dilution while at the same time also gaining equity share exposure in the new venture. The strategy is effectively building stakes in junior cobalt and precious metal companies and projects in Canada in addition to owning several of their own projects.

CBLT to retain significant equity in Omni which plans to immediately develop the Northshore Gold Property

What is positive about the Omni deal is CBLT becoming a significant shareholder in Omni. This is because Omni intends to acquire the remaining 44% interest of the Northshore Gold Property from Balmoral Resources Ltd. CBLT says that it “has also been advised by Omni that Omni has submitted a listing application to the Canadian Securities Exchange,” and that “Omni intends to change its name to ‘Ready, Set, Gold!’ to better demonstrate its business focus, and that Omni intends to aggressively develop Northshore Gold immediately.”

CBLT Inc.’s CEO Peter M. Clausi commented that the company is “happy with our equity position which gives us passive ongoing exposure to gold and to Omni’s development success. It also allows us to continue our plan to create shareholder value by continuing with strategic M&A activity, as with Northshore Gold, and by developing our Canadian mining assets. We expect to be in the field at Big Duck Lake, also in Hemlo, later this year.”

The Northshore Gold Property sits on the Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt and hosts the Afric Zone, about 115 kms west of Hemlo and 200 kms east of Thunder Bay, Canada. Indicated Resources are 391,000 ounces of gold, with an additional 824,000 ounces of inferred resources, all found within the Afric Zone.

Past drilling programs have been undertaken in the region over the last few years, including some high grade intercepts of 12.49 g/t over 33.2 metres and 4.35g/t over 14.6 metres. The Afric Gold Zone continues to demonstrate significant mineralized widths to depth, highlighted by an intercept of 124.50 metres grading 1.05 g/t gold in hole WB-18-54. The Resource has a broad mineralized envelope which includes a high grade core, which returned 7.00 m grading 11.15 g/t gold, including 1.00 m grading 56.50 g/t gold. The deposit, and the high grade core, have now demonstrated continuity to a little over 250 vertical metres depth and remain open.

Northshore Property – Afric Zone cross-sectional view showing some drill intercepts

Source

About Cobalt Inc.

CBLT Inc. is a project generator with a focus on quality cobalt projects in safe jurisdictions such as Canada, ideally associated with valuable by-products such as base (Ni, Cu) or precious metals (Au, Au, PGMs). CBLT Inc.’s has numerous projects and JVs in Canada.

CBLT’s flagship is the Copper Prince Project located in Falconbridge Township, in the Sudbury Mining District of Ontario, Canada. The Project has Cu-Ni-PGM and gold occurrences. Sample 616311 found 54.3g/t Au and 5,020 ppm (0.502%) Co.

CBLT’s also owns the Chilton Cobalt Project in the Grenville Subprovince in Quebec, which contains two areas with large nickel-copper-cobalt-chromium findings.

CBLT Inc. has a low market cap despite having over 12 projects and strong past deal flow success

Source

Closing remarks

For investors wanting a well-managed exploration and deal project generator company with a very low market cap, then CBLT Inc. is well worth a long look. With a market cap of only C$3.26m, investors gain exposure to over 12 projects with base metals (Co, Ni, Cu) and precious metals potential (Au, Ag, PGMs), as well as equity exposure to other small explorers such as Omni. The potential valuation proposition is outstanding. The outcome for investors will depend on continued exploration and deal success. One to follow closely.