The project aims to create an opportunity for local carbon-zero production by harnessing solar energy. FinnCobalt Oy – part of Eurobattery Minerals – has offered a section of its mining area for solar energy production, while Okun Energia Oy will invest in the units and provide electricity for the mine through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The connection will be “behind the meter,” ensuring production directly for own use without taxes or electricity transmission fees.

“At Eurobattery Minerals, we are committed to responsible mining practices and contributing to a sustainable future,” says Roberto García Martínez, CEO for Eurobattery Minerals. “This partnership with Okun Energia Oy marks a significant step towards achieving carbon-zero production of critical raw materials, aligning with our objectives to operate responsibly and support the green transition.”

Key factors of the MoU include the promotion of carbon-zero production of critical raw materials and the enhancement of the social license to operate. The objective is to provide a framework for long-term local cooperation activities that benefit both parties and also the local community. The Hautalampi battery mineral project is located at a historical mining site with strong local support for mining activities. The municipality has evolved from a mining town into an industrial centre, and there is widespread anticipation for the mine to open. The project is expected to create jobs on-site, and the community is working towards making this a reality. The local municipality in Outokumpu is giving its full support for the project.

“Solar is vital part of the green transition, essentially our role is to enforce and support Outokumpu’s sustainable development,” says Tero Mäntylä, CEO for Okun Energia Oy.

Eurobattery Minerals strives to conduct responsible and modern mining by utilizing state-of-the-art technology. The mining sector plays a strategic role in the transition towards a digitalized and decarbonized economy, aligning with EU Agenda 2030 and Fit for 55 objectives.

The signing of this MoU represents a significant event in our journey towards responsible mining practices and carbon-zero production. Eurobattery Minerals looks forward to working closely with Okun Energia Oy and the local community to bring this vision to fruition and to deliver responsibly mined minerals from Europe for Europe.

Eurobattery Minerals has announced its application for the Company´s Finnish Hautalampi project to become a Strategic Project under the new Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) recently approved by the European Union (EU). This initiative aims to contribute to the EU’s objective of ensuring access to a secure, diversified, affordable, and sustainable supply of critical raw materials essential for strategic applications in various sectors, including the net-zero industry, digital industry, aerospace, and defence. This is an open call from the Directorate-General of the European Commission (DG GROW) to support strategic projects under CRMA and the initiative is intimately connected to the benchmarks set for the goals of EU 2030, for a sustainable Europe by that year.

The recognition of a project as a Strategic Project has several advantages, including streamlined and predictable permitting procedures and support in gaining access to finance.

“Eurobattery Minerals is committed to supporting the EU’s efforts to secure the supply of critical raw materials. Our project aims to not only contribute to the EU’s strategic goals but also to operate responsibly and sustainably, generating positive impacts for local communities and economies. This first open call to become a strategic project is a great opportunity for us, and also opens the door for future subventions under the umbrella of CRMA,” comments Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

Background of the open call for Strategic Projects under CRMA
Under the CRMA, Strategic Projects are recognized as key instruments to enhance the security of the EU’s supply of 17 strategic raw materials listed in Annex I of the Act. These materials include crucial elements such as cobalt, nickel, copper, tungsten, and other raw materials vital for modern technologies and industries. DG GROW aims to have a first set of strategic projects decided and published by the end of this year. The CRM Council meeting with the opening of the first call for proposals will take place after the entry into force of the CRMA regulation on May 23, as informed by DG GROW at the information day for potential applicants held on April 30. A timetable has been established for the Strategic Projects, highlighting the next steps:

• First cut-off date (August 2024)
• Completeness check (September 2024)
• Technical assessment (September 2024)
• CRM Board Meeting (November 2024)
• Commission decision for the list of Strategic Projects (December 2024).

There will be several assessment criteria for the strategic projects; need for the project to make a meaningful contribution to the security of the EU’s supply of critical raw materials, technical feasibility of the project and its sustainable implementation with a positive impact on the environment and societies. For projects in the EU, the benefits must be cross-border. During the assessment procedure, each application is evaluated by at least four individual experts who will assess four aspects: technical, financial, UNFC classification and ESG aspects.

Eurobattery Minerals´ initiatives for Hautalampi to become a strategic project
Eurobattery Minerals´ Hautalampi project aligns with the EU’s objectives and aims to:

• Enhance the security of the EU’s supply of critical raw materials, contributing to the benchmarks set for 2030
• Implement sustainable practices, including environmental impact monitoring and prevention, and socially responsible practices such as respect for human rights and labour rights
• Create cross-border benefits by involving undertakings from different EU Member States and potential off-takers located in multiple Member States

“Institutional support from the EU is important and if the permitting procedure becomes faster and more predictable for strategical projects, that would of course be great news for us. As might be expected, support in gaining access to finance and subventions would also be very positive, so we will put our best effort into this application process,” says Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

Short about the Hautalampi battery mineral project
Our Finnish project has a pre-feasibility study from March 2023 and the Hautalampi ore reserves and minerals resources reserves have been classified in the highest categories as viable mining projects in the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). The Hautalampi mining permit (K7802) was registered in June 2023 and the Environmental Permit Application was submitted to the Finnish Authorities at the end of April 2024. More information about the Hautalampi project is available on our website: https://eurobatteryminerals.com/en/projects/hautalampi/.

“Submitting the application for the environmental permit is a critical milestone for Eurobattery Minerals and we have now taken a major step towards mining operations in Finland,” said Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

Roberto García Martínez continued:
“As a result of previous analyses, we know that there is a great economic outlook for the cobalt, nickel, and copper mine. In addition to the financial aspects, the Finnish mine is also a great opportunity to increase Europe’s self-sufficiency when it comes to responsible mined battery minerals.”

The application covers all aspects needed to start and operate the mine
The environmental permit application includes all essential aspects of an operational mine at the Hautalampi project, for example, underground mining operations for ore and waste rock, crushing operations for ore and waste rock usage for construction. Furthermore, it also covers an application for producing metal concentrates, discharge treatment, handling mining waste, implementing mine backfilling, and depositing extractive waste in extractive waste areas. In addition, the environmental permit application also covers aspects regulated by the Finnish Environmental Protection Act (Ympäristönsuojelulaki 527/2014).

“We look forward to working closely with the authorities in Finland to ensure a smooth and quick environmental permit process and expect a positive outcome. In parallel with this process, we are continuing the discussions and development of off-take agreements that are related to the work with the bankable feasibility study,” said Roberto García Martínez.

As the company waits for the outcome of the environmental permit application, Eurobattery Minerals will continue with the work according to the company´s plans. These include the finalisation of the 100 per cent acquisition of FinnCobalt Oy and continuing with the detailed engineering of the next phases. The Company will also continue the discussions and development of off-take and equipment agreements which is part of the preparatory work for the bankable feasibility study.

About the Hautalampi Battery Mineral Project

The Hautalampi project is located 345 km from Helsinki, in the well-known Outokumpu Mining Camp Area. The Hautalampi project is located in the same region as the well-renowned Keretti mine where approximately 28.5 million tonnes of copper ore were mined between 1912–1989. The project consists of one mining concession covering 277 hectares with exposure towards cobalt, nickel, and copper.

The Outokumpu municipality has evolved from a mining town into an industrial centre. Therefore, this is an excellent location for mining operations, with strong local support for mining.

The Hautalampi project is ideally positioned for the burgeoning EV battery manufacturing market in northern Europe, and there are strong technical fundaments for the processing and production of commercial Co-Ni concentrate and Cu concentrate.

The target operational figures, as they appear in the pre-feasibility study from March 2023, indicate that Eurobattery Minerals will produce around 500,000 tonnes of ore per annum, with an expected mine life of +12 years. The total capital expenditure is estimated at EUR 65 million, and the payback period is 4.6 years. The mining project is expected to have a concentrate production of Cu-conc. 25% of 5,000 tonnes per annum and Ni/Co-conc. Ni 7%/Co 1.9% of 21,000 tonnes per annum.

 The research has been carried out as an essential part and as a standard procedure of the environmental permit process to determine possible risks associated with groundwater moving in shear zones in and out of the mine and the deposit. With the analysis ready, it can be concluded that the shear zones follow the geology of the bedrock, and no larger dominant shear zones were found, i.e., the bedrock conditions in Hautalampi are favorable for mining operations. 

“As the Hautalampi project is located on an old mining ground, we knew already that the geology was suitable for further mining. Yet, the results from the geophysical tests further cement that our Hautalampi battery minerals mine project has all the preconditions to be an important source of responsibly mined battery minerals. With the test results in hand, we will proceed with the environmental permit application as planned,” said Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

The investor presentation covered, among other things, a status update regarding the progress of the battery mineral mine projects in Finnish Hautalampi and in Spanish Corcel. A selection of the information is summarised below.

In 2023, the Company has increased its stake in FinnCobalt Oy and the Hautalampi project to 70 per cent, and achieved several important milestones in the project, including the publication of a Preliminary Feasibility Study, the achievement of the highest UNFC classification as a viable mining project, the registration of the Hautalampi mining permit, and the submission and approval of an updated Environmental Impact Assessment. In 2024, the Company intends to accelerate the work in Hautalampi by finalising the acquisition of the project, applying for an environmental permit, as well as signing a non-binding offtake agreement and delivering a feasibility study.

In the Spanish Corcel project, the Company continues to await a positive decision from the Energy and Mining Authority of Galicia. Eurobattery has, as previously communicated through a press release on 30 August 2022, submitted all necessary information for environmental and operating permits and will resume the development of Corcel when possible. Since the European Parliament on 12 December 2023 voted in favour of a bill under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which among other things entails that the permit process for a mine should be significantly speeded up and that at least 10 per cent of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials should be mined within the EU by 2030, the Company hopes that the permit process in Corcel will be made easier in the near future.

“I am very pleased to see that our battery mineral project in Finland is progressing. Along with finalising the environmental permit process in Q1 2024, the development of the concentration plant is vital in our work to supply responsible battery minerals from our Finnish mine and thus make Europe less dependent on conflict minerals”, said Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

The concentrator for refinement will consist of a comminution circuit (crushing and grinding), copper flotation concentrate production, nickel-cobalt flotation concentrate production, sulphur removal and tailings handling. Hautalampi concentration plant is designed to produce annually 21,000 tonnes of Ni 7%/Co 1.9% concentrate and 5,000 tonnes of Cu 25% concentrate during the anticipated 12 years of mining at the site. The designed capacity of the plant is 500,000 tonnes per annum.

To get a visual update of the Hautalampi battery mineral project and the concentration plant, please take a look at the following video:

LINK TO HAUTALAMPI VIDEO

Invitation to the Company’s investor meeting
The CEO of Eurobattery, Roberto García Martínez, will be presenting the Company at an investor meeting on Monday 15 January 2024 between 5:00–6:00 PM CET. Shareholders and other stakeholders have the opportunity to follow the presentation in real-time and ask questions to the Company during the subsequent Q&A session or, alternatively, watch the event afterwards on Financial Hearings’ webcast.

Registrations for the investor meeting are made on the following link: https://ir.financialhearings.com/eurobattery-minerals-2024. The webcast offers availability to ask written questions.

If you wish to ask oral questions through teleconference, please register on the following link: https://conference.financialhearings.com/teleconference/?id=5001875. After the registration, you will be provided with phone numbers and a conference ID to access the conference with the option to ask questions.

Please note that the investor meeting will be held in English.

The terms in brief

• Subscription price: SEK 0.80 per unit (SEK 0.40 per share, the warrants are obtained free of charge).
• Gross volume: Approximately SEK 29.3 million in the event of a full subscription in the Rights issue, and an additional approximately SEK 29.3–36.6 million in the event of full exercise of the corresponding warrants.
• Terms: One (1) share held on the record date gives one (1) unit right. One (1) unit right entitles to subscription for one (1) unit. One (1) unit consists of two (2) shares, one (1) warrant of series TO4 and one (1) warrant of series TO5.
• Trading in unit rights at NGM Nordic SME: 8 January – 17 January 2024.
• Subscription period: 8 January – 22 January 2024.
• Estimated date for announcement of the outcome of the Rights issue: 24 January 2024.
• Securement: 75.0 per cent (approximately SEK 22.0 million) through subscription commitments and underwriting commitments. Neither the subscription commitments nor the underwriting commitments are secured by bank guarantees, escrow funds, pledge or similar arrangements.

The terms and conditions of the Rights issue are included in the Company’s EU growth prospectus, which was published on 3 January 2024. The prospectus and subscription form are available on the Company’s issue site, https://investors.eurobatteryminerals.com/en/rights-issue-2024/, during the subscription period.

Advisers
Augment Partners AB is acting as the financial advisor and Advokatfirman Schjødt is acting as the legal advisor to the Company in connection with the transaction.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Publication, release, or distribution of this press release may in certain jurisdictions be subject to legal restrictions and persons in the jurisdictions where this press release has been made public or distributed should be informed of and follow such legal restrictions. The recipient of this press release is responsible for using this press release and the information herein in accordance with applicable rules in each jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or subscribe for any securities in Eurobattery in any jurisdiction, either from Eurobattery or from anyone else.

This press release is not a prospectus according to the definition in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus Regulation“) and has not been approved by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction. A prospectus regarding the Rights issue which is described in this press release has been registered by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen) and is available, among other things, on Eurobattery’s website.

This press release does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities mentioned herein may not be sold in the United States without registration, or without an exemption from registration, under the U.S. Securities Act from 1933 (“Securities Act“), and may not be offered or sold within the United States without being registered, covered by an exemption from, or part of a transaction that is not subject to the registration requirements according to the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities mentioned herein in the United States or to issue a public offering of such securities in the United States. The information in this press release may not be released, published, copied, reproduced or distributed, directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, in or to Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, the United States or any other jurisdiction where the release, publication or distribution of this information would violate current rules or where such an action is subject to legal restrictions or would require additional registration or other measures beyond those that follow from Swedish law. Actions in contravention of this instruction may constitute a violation of applicable securities legislation.

Eckhard Cordes, born in 1950, is a highly regarded business leader in Europe with extensive experience in the automotive industry. He holds a doctoral degree in business from the University of Hamburg. His previous positions include various executive roles such as CEO of the Mercedes Car Group and Member of the executive board of Daimler, and Board member of SKF, Rheinmetall, and Volvo AB. Currently, he serves as Partner at Cevian Capital and EMERAM Capital Partners, as well as the Chairman of the Board at Bilfinger SE.

At present, Eckhard Cordes holds 460,000 shares in the Company. According to the Board of Directors’ assessment, Eckhard Cordes is considered independent in relation to the Company, its management, and the Company’s major shareholders.

 “Collaboration between academia and business is vital in our work to create a more sustainable future. As a provider of battery minerals powering the electric revolution, Eurobattery Minerals is committed to supporting this development and being part of this important research project on strategic metals and minerals”, said Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

The research centre ”Smart Exploration Research” is run by Alireza Malehmir, Professor in Geophysics at Uppsala University and includes experts in geological science, nanotechnology, data analysis, drill technology, drones and robot solutions. The project consists of participation from researchers at Lund’s University, Stockholm’s University and Gothenburg’s University, as well as representatives from Epiroc, Nordic Iron Ore, First Quantum Minerals, Tyréns, Samarkand2015, BitSimNow, Eurobattery Minerals and Amkvo.

For additional information see announcement from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research – https://strategiska.se/en/uppsala-university-lead-the-center-for-strategic-metals/.

“I am very pleased with how work progresses in our Finnish battery mineral mine project. Yesterday we got the official listing in the Finnish mining right register, and today, the authorities announced the start of the zoning and site plan change. It is encouraging to see how our team in Finland work in close co-operation with the local authorities to move the project forward,” said Roberto García Martínez, CEO of Eurobattery Minerals.

The land zoning is according to the Land-use and Building Act in Finland and intends to support the site construction of the area in the near future. This includes building permits and supervision by authorities.

Outokumpu town structural services tendered the preparation of the zoning for the area of the Hautalampi mine. Sweco Finland Oy was selected by Outokumpu town as a zoning developer of the site plan for the Hautalampi mine area.

“We are very pleased with the progress made for the zoning by Outokumpu town, and we are looking forward to future co-operations with stakeholders, including landowners and city councils,” says Ilari Kinnunen, Managing Director of FinnCobalt Oy.