Trevor Matthews

ASX-listed Volt Resources is on the threshold of a development decision at its impressive Bunyu Graphite Project in Tanzania following a mining licence application this week, the last key approval needed for the US$173m project. The company is targeting an investment decision in the next quarter, clearing the way for the commencement of Stage 1 at the lucrative looking project.

Volt Resources is aiming to muscle its way into the ranks of the world’s top three graphite producers and will make a USD$40m bond issue on the Tanzanian exchange.The innovative capital raise will not only bank a big lick of money for stage 1 of the Bunyu project but it will also allow Tanzanian and Ugandan pension funds to get behind the project. The NPV for the project could be as much as USD$1.31b

Perth-based Volt Resources is nearing the finish line for approvals on a number of fronts at its high-purity Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania. Environmental, mining and other approvals are now at an advanced stage and ready to drop according to the company. Stage two of Volt’s project could catapult it into the ranks of the world’s top tier graphite producers when operating at full tilt.

Emerging graphite developer Volt Resources has exchanged binding off-take agreements with its Chinese counterparties in a bid to get the finer details of the agreements signed off and set in stone ahead of initial production at the company’s Bunyu project in Tanzania. Volt also said its Stage 1 feasibility study, development funding, statutory approvals and construction contracts are on schedule

Volt Resources says it will generate an EBITDA of $126m from the small scale Stage 1 development of its Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania. Feasibility results have outlined a pre-tax NPV of around $25m on the back of a 21.0% IRR for the development. The company will produce an average of 23,700 tonnes of graphite annually from three open pits, over an initial 7 year mine life.

Volt Resources will sell 9,000 tonnes of graphite a year from the company’s Bunyu graphite project to major Chinese graphite processor and distributor, Qingdao Tiangshengda Graphite, for at least 5 years. Qingdao Tiangshengda is a global, vertically integrated graphite processor and distributor with substantial annual capacity to process graphite and produce value added products including expandable graphite, flake graphite and battery metals powders.

Volt Resources has signed a cooperation agreement with HAIDA Graphite, one of China’s largest graphite companies. The agreement could lead to a future deal on the supply and purchase of graphite product from the Bunyu project in southern Tanzania. The company has also lodged an amended prospectus for its USD$40m note issue in Tanzania that includes the recent Stage 1 Feasibility Study results and a binding offtake agreement.

Volt Resources says the Tanzanian Ministry of Minerals has recommended approving two mining licences over the company’s Bunyu graphite project in the south of the country. The licences strategically cover the footprint for both the proposed Stage 1 and Stage 2 mine developments at the project. The company has been advancing offtake agreements for its product stream and recently completed a positive feasibility for the Stage 1 development.

Volt Resources is now free to progress its proposed Stage 1 and Stage 2 developments at the Bunyu graphite project after it was granted two mining licences by Tanzania’s Ministry of Minerals. The company will now focus on completing its proposed USD$40m bond issue on Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. Once this is completed, the company will start front end engineering work for the initial Stage 1 operations and order long lead time components.

Volt Resources has received approval from the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange for its proposed USD$40m resources-based note issue that will underpin the stage 1 development of its Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania. The company is now awaiting final approval from the Tanzanian Capital Markets and Securities Authority before proceeding with the note issue.

Volt Resources is close to securing approval for a USD$40m note issue on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange that will underpin the Stage 1 development of its Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania. The company has also made progress regarding a proposed bond issue on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius and has received strong interest from North America and Asia-based institutions to fund the project.

Volt Resources has secured USD$1 million in working capital from European investor Mr Lars Bader to help finalise the USD$40 million note issue on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. The notes will underpin the Stage 1 development of the company's Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania that has an ore reserve of 127 million tonnes grading 4.4% TGC, most of which is in the Super Jumbo, Jumbo and Large flake categories.

Trading of Volt’s USD$15m worth of loan notes for its Tanzanian graphite play could commence on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius as soon as Feb 20th. The company also has an option of raising another USD$15m by way of a private note placement on the SEM, with both funding sources to be potentially made available to start building the plant and infrastructure for its multi-generational, Bunyu graphite development that shows a whopping pre-tax NPV of US$1.31b.