16 July 2024
Metals One Plc
("Metals One" or the
"Company")
Finland - Black Schist
Ni-Cu-Co-Zn Project Mineral Resource Estimate
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Company doubles project
resource; prepares for Preliminary Economic
Assessment
Metals One (AIM: MET1), which is advancing strategic
minerals projects in Finland and Norway, is pleased to announce a
maiden JORC Inferred Mineral Resource ("Resource") for the P5 area
of the Finland - Black Schist Project of 29 Mt1. This
brings the total Black Schist Project resource to 57.1 Mt, more
than double the previous estimate.
Highlights of P5 Resource
·
Maiden JORC Inferred Resource of 29 Mt at 0.18% nickel,
0.08% copper, 0.01% cobalt, and 0.33% zinc;
·
Contained metals of 52kt of nickel, 24kt of copper, 3.5kt of cobalt, and 96kt of zinc;
·
Resource calculated by independent global mining
services provider, Mining Plus;
·
Orientation and proximity to surface lends itself
to cost effective surface mining;
·
Adjacent to major road and rail infrastructure;
and
·
Further Resource expansion opportunities
identified across increased project area.
The full report from independent
global mining services provider Mining Plus which undertook the
Mineral Resource Estimate will be made available on the Company's
website.
Jonathan Owen, CEO of Metals One, commented:
"We're delighted to be doubling our Black Schist Project
resource and particularly to have achieved this significant
expansion through a low-cost, low-risk programme, and within only
12 months of listing the Company.
The Black Schist Project is key to us achieving our goal of
bringing much needed domestic sources of strategic minerals, such
as high-purity copper and nickel sulphates, to the European market.
The addition of the P5 resource to the project portfolio brings the
total value of in-situ metals to $3 billion2 at today's
prices. Our Black Schist Project is on track to becoming the
world-class asset we all believe it could be.
Looking ahead, this increased resource base will underpin a
Preliminary Economic Assessment of the project which we expect to
commence in the near future. This represents a major milestone for
the Company as we transition to project
development."
1 27.2 Mt attributable to the Company; 1.8 Mt (6.25%)
attributable to project partner, Gunsynd Plc. Metals One has the option to acquire this 6.25% from
Gunsynd
2 Based on Table 1 below and today's nickel prices on the London
Metal Exchange. This can in no
way be regarded as a guide to the Project's value or ultimate value
of metal extracted
Figure 1: Company block model
of P5 resource, approximately 9 km west of Paltamo, in the Kainuu
region, central Finland
Figure 2: Metals One's Black
Schist Project in Finland
Background to the P5 Resource
The P5 Inferred Resource, previously
classified as a JORC Exploration Target, lies within a highly
prospective belt of black schists in the Paltamo area, as
interpreted by Metals One. The existing R1 Inferred Resource and
the P5 Inferred Resource together represent the foundation of the
Company's Black Schist Project.
Assessment of the P5 JORC
Exploration Target historical data highlighted an opportunity to
significantly increase the volume of, and confidence level in, this
mineralised structure. The P5 JORC Exploration Target was
originally estimated by a previous permit holder using portable XRF
measurements correlated to a sample of chemical assays, and the
holder did not assay several of the mineralisation intersections of
the cores, which resulted in a lower category JORC Exploration
Target of 16-24 Mt.
The Company's work programme has
focused on elevating the confidence levels of P5 by completing the
chemical assaying of all mineralised intersections of the 5,555m
drilled across the target, which has enabled Metals One to
commission Mining Plus, a global mining services provider, to
produce a new mineral resource estimation, in accordance with the
guidelines of the JORC Code, underpinned by this more accurate
data.
Previous explorers, including the
Geological Survey of Finland, intercepted similar mineralisation
along the belt, suggesting geological and grade continuity. This
offers potential for further expansion of the P5 Resource and the
development of other targets within the belt. The Company holds
several Exploration Licences and Reservations along the belt
allowing it to potentially continue to increase its resource base
of important strategic minerals.
Table 1: P5 Maiden JORC Mineral
Resource Estimate
|
Tonnes
Mt
|
Ni
%
|
Cu
%
|
Co
%
|
Zn
%
|
Ni
kt
|
Cu
kt
|
Co
kt
|
Zn
kt
|
P5
Inferred Resource
|
29.0
|
0.18
|
0.08
|
0.01
|
0.33
|
52.0
|
24.0
|
3.5
|
96.0
|
Table 2: Updated Black Schist
Project - Total JORC Mineral Resource Estimate
On Gross Company Attributable
Basis:
|
Tonnes
Mt
|
Ni
%
|
Cu
%
|
Co
%
|
Zn
%
|
Ni
kt
|
Cu
kt
|
Co
kt
|
Zn
kt
|
R1
Inferred Resource†
|
28.1
|
0.19
|
0.10
|
0.01
|
0.38
|
53.8
|
27.9
|
3.4
|
180.0
|
P5
Inferred Resource
|
29.0
|
0.18
|
0.08
|
0.01
|
0.33
|
52.0
|
24.0
|
3.5
|
96.0
|
TOTAL
|
57.1
|
0.18
|
0.09
|
0.01
|
0.35
|
105.8
|
51.9
|
6.9
|
276.0
|
On Net Company Attributable Basis
(93.75%)1:
|
Tonnes
Mt
|
Ni
%
|
Cu
%
|
Co
%
|
Zn
%
|
Ni
kt
|
Cu
kt
|
Co
kt
|
Zn
kt
|
R1
Inferred Resource
|
26.3
|
0.19
|
0.10
|
0.01
|
0.38
|
50.4
|
26.2
|
3.2
|
168.8
|
P5
Inferred Resource
|
27.2
|
0.18
|
0.08
|
0.01
|
0.33
|
48.8
|
22.5
|
3.3
|
90.0
|
TOTAL
|
53.5
|
0.18
|
0.09
|
0.01
|
0.35
|
99.2
|
48.7
|
6.5
|
258.8
|
* Metals One is the Operator of the
Black Schist Project
** Cut-off grade of 0.11% Ni
used
*** Tonnages have been rounded to
reflect the relative uncertainty of the estimate
† Previously announced within Kainuu
Schist Belt Projects - Competent Persons Report No. R489.2021, CSA,
2 June 2023
Enquiries:
Metals One
Plc
Jonathan Owen, Chief Executive
Officer
|
via Vigo Consulting
+44 (0)20 7390 0234
|
|
|
Beaumont
Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser)
James Biddle / Roland Cornish
|
+44 (0)20 7628 3396
https://www.beaumontcornish.com
|
Shard Capital
Partners LLP (Joint Broker)
Damon Heath / Erik Woolgar
|
+44 (0)20 7186 9952
https://shardcapital.com
|
|
|
SI Capital
Limited (Joint Broker)
Nick Emerson
|
+44 (0)14 8341 3500
https://sicapital.co.uk
|
|
|
Capital Plus
Partners Limited (Joint Broker)
Keith Swann
|
+44 (0)20 3821 6169
https://www.capplus.co.uk
|
About Metals
One
Metals One is developing strategic metals
projects in Finland (Black Schist Project) and Norway (Råna
Project), with approximately £9 million of exploration carry
exposure through a farm-in agreement. Metals One is aiming to help
meet the significant demand for strategic minerals by defining
resources on the doorstep of Europe's major electric vehicle OEMs
and battery manufacturers. Metals One's Black Schist Project in
Finland, totalling 706 km2 across three licence areas,
has a total Inferred Resource of 57.1 Mt nickel-copper-cobalt-zinc
and is located adjacent to one of Europe's largest strategic
minerals producers, Terrafame. Metals One's fully carried Råna
Project in Norway covers 18.14 km² across three contiguous
exploration licences, with significant opportunity for exploration
of the Råna Intrusion, and proven potential for massive sulphide
nickel-cobalt-copper mineralisation.
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Glossary
Co
|
cobalt
|
|
|
Cu
|
copper
|
|
|
Exploration Target
|
a statement or estimate of the exploration
potential of a mineral deposit in a defined geological setting
where the statement of estimate, quoted as a range of tonnes and a
range of grade, relates to mineralisation for which there has been
insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource
|
|
|
JORC
|
The Joint Ore Reserve Committee code (JORC
code) is the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration
Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and is a professional
code of practice that sets minimum standards for public reporting
of minerals exploration results, mineral resources and ore
reserves
|
|
|
Inferred Resource
|
that part of a Mineral Resource for which
quantity and grade (or
quality) are estimated on the basis of limited
geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient
to imply but not verify geological grade (or quality) continuity.
It is based on exploration, sampling and testing information
gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as
outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. An inferred
Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying
to an Indicated Mineral Resources and must not be converted to an
Ore Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of
Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral
Resources with continued exploration
|
|
|
Ni
|
nickel
|
|
|
Mt
Kt
|
million tonnes
thousand tonnes
|
schist
|
a medium-grade metamorphic rock formed from
mudstone or shale
|
|
|
XRF
|
X-Ray Fluorescence
|
|
|
Zn
|
zinc
|
Qualified
Person Statement
The information in this release that relates to
the Estimation and Reporting of Mineral Resources on the Black
Schist P5 deposit has been compiled by Kate Kitchen BSc. Kate
Kitchen is a full time employee of Mining Plus Ltd and has acted as
an independent consultant on the Black Schist - P5 deposit Mineral
Resource estimation. Kate Kitchen is a registered member of The
Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AUSIMM number
3123488) and the Australian Institute of Geoscientist (AIG number
4920) and has sufficient experience with the commodities, style of
mineralisation and deposit type under consideration and to the
activities undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined
in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of
Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" (The JORC
Code). Kate Kitchen consents to the inclusion of the contained
technical information relating the Mineral Resource Estimation in
the form and context in which it appears.
Nominated
Adviser
Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish")
is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated
by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's
Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide
the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for
Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to
the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and
will not be responsible to any other persons for providing
protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for
advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in
this announcement or any matter referred to in it.