Rock Tech Lithium Presents Results of First Economic Assessment: Main Resource Zone at Georgia Lake Property with Net Present Value of $312 million, IRR of 62.2%
VANCOUVER, Oct. 2, 2018 - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") [TSX-V: RCK; Frankfurt: RJIB (WKN: A1XF0V)] is pleased to announce the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") at its flagship 100%-owned Georgia Lake lithium property in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Northwest Ontario, Canada. Rock Tech engaged DMT GmbH & Co. KG ("DMT") to complete the PEA.
The results of the PEA include a pre-tax Net Present Value ("NPV") of $312 million at a discount rate of 8% and a pre-tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 62.2%. The PEA focused on only a portion of the Georgia Lake project centered around an area referred to as the Nama Creek Main Zone, excluding additional inferred resources the Company has defined on other areas of the property as included in the updated resource estimate disclosed on June 27, 2018 and filed on SEDAR on August 10, 2018. In the PEA, DMT covered all relevant topics for the development of the mine and the production of spodumene concentrate, including project infrastructure, mine design and operations, recovery, processing and reclamation.
"The completion of the PEA is a key milestone in the development of our Georgia Lake lithium property," said Martin Stephan, Chief Executive Officer of Rock Tech. "We are pleased that the results confirm our optimism with respect to the project and confirm for our shareholders that their investments in advancing this project have been a success. Although the PEA focused only on a portion of our NI 43-101 resource estimate, it shows the real value of our company's assets and proves the excellent profit potential with an expected annual EBITDA of $64 million (CAD) which is nearly double the current market capitalization."
Highlights from the PEA, with the base-case chemical grade spodumene concentrate of 6.2% lithium oxide ("Li2O") price of US$800 per tonne for the first five years and US$850 per tonne for the next six years and an exchange rate of $1.30 USD/CAD, are as follows (in CAD-$):
- Life of Mine Revenue is $1,136 million;
- Annual EBITDA is $64.2 million;
- Pre-production capital is $65.3;
- Sustaining capital is $62 million;
- Pre-tax NPV (8% discount rate) of $312 million and an IRR of 62.2%;
- Post-tax NPV (8% discount rate) of $210 million and an IRR of 48.1%;
- Positive cash flow is realized in Year 3 of the project;
- 11-year mine life including open pit and underground operations for the Main Resource Zone;
- Total production of 1.1 million tonnes of chemical grade spodumene concentrate of 6.2% Li2O (96.000 t/a).
Summary of Results:
Results | Unit | Value |
CAPEX | Million $CAD | 65.3 |
Average LoM Operating Costs | $CAD/tonne concentrate | 397 |
LoM Revenue | Million $CAD | 1,136.2 |
LoM Operating Costs | Million $CAD | 419.4 |
LoM EBITDA | Million $CAD | 706.0 |
Annual EBITDA | Million $CAD | 64.2 |
Pre-tax NPV8 | Million $CAD | 312.2 |
After-tax NPV8 | Million $CAD | 210.2 |
Pre-tax IRR | % | 62 |
After-tax IRR | % | 48 |
Pre-tax Payback | Years | 3.1 |
After-tax Payback | Years | 3.5 |
All scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Karl-Stephan Peters, EurGeol 787, an independent Qualified Person to Rock Tech.
Rock Tech will file the Preliminary Economic Assessment on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Data Retrieval ("SEDAR") within 45 days of this news release.
About DMT GmbH & Co. KG
DMT is a global consortium, providing interdisciplinary services in the Mining, Oil & Gas, Civil Engineering & Infrastructure and Plant Engineering markets with a client roster that includes Anglo American, BHP Billiton, OMV, E.ON, Schlumberger, De Beers and leading institutes such as The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. DMT occupies 30 offices worldwide and belongs to the German certification agency TÜV NORD GROUP. To date, DMT has completed several thousand projects in over 150 countries, working in over 25 countries in a typical year.
About Rock Tech Lithium:
Rock Tech Lithium is an exploration company focused on acquiring and exploring properties in the field of lithium. The Georgia Lake Lithium project develops a lithium-rich pegmatite vein deposit for the purpose of mining. The deposit was discovered in the Thunder Bay Mining district in northwestern Ontario/Canada, close to the Lake Superior, as early as 1955. Rock Tech Lithium has been working increasingly on the property since 2016 – in a market environment, where the trend for electric cars on the international market has been rising steeply for years. Analysts expect that more than 25% of newly sold cars in 2025 will be electrified, with the demand for batteries and therefore battery metals such as lithium expanding rapidly.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,
"Martin Stephan"
Martin Stephan
Director, Chief Executive Officer
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward?looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward?looking statements.
SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
Contact
Brad Barnett, Chief Financial Officer, Rock Tech Lithium Inc., 777 Hornby Street, Suite 600, Vancouver, B.C., V6Z 1S4, Telephone: (778) 358-5200, Facsimile: (604) 670-0033, Email: bbarnett@rocktechlithium.com