Notes:
All model outputs are expressed on a 100% project ownership basis with no adjustments for project financing assumptions.
[1] Metric tonnes (1,000 kg) per annum
[2] Total production for years 1 to 15 is 30,666 tpa LHM and 28,000 tpa LHM for years 16 to 20
[3] AACE Class 5 estimate includes 25% contingency on direct capital costs
[4] Includes all operating expenditures, ongoing land costs, established Royalties (as defined in the TETRA 1st Option Agreement), sustaining capital and allowance for mine closure. All costs are escalated at 2% per annum
[5] Selling price of battery quality LHM based on an initial price of $14,500/t in 2021, adjusted for inflation at 2% per annum. Sensitivity analysis modelled the starting price between US$12,500-US$16,500/t.
[6] Average annual revenue over projected 20 year mine-life.
South-West Arkansas Project Related Risks and Uncertainties
As with any development project there exists potential risks and uncertainties. The Company will attempt to reduce risk/uncertainty through effective project management, engaging technical experts and developing contingency plans. See the AIF and South-West Arkansas PEA with respect to highlights of risks and uncertainties which have been identified at this stage of project development.
Expenditures
Expenditures for the South-West Arkansas Project consist of exploration and development costs which for the three months ended September 30, 2022 were $2,157,926 (September 30, 2021 - $95,404). The increase in the exploration and development costs for the South-West Arkansas Project for the three months ended September 30, 2022 was primarily due to an increase in exploration activity initiated by the Company during the periods.
CALIFORNIA LITHIUM PROJECT
The Company’s California lithium property (the “California Lithium Project”) is located in San Bernardino County, California approximately 150 miles east-northeast of Los Angeles. The California Lithium Project comprises 55 (fifty-five) unpatented placer mining claims located on Bristol Dry Lake adjacent to Amboy, California. The claims cover a total of approximately 4,020 acres on federal lands controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. As public lands, there is free right of access within the restrictions of special land designations. Both surface and mineral rights are held by the Federal government. The Company acquired its interests in the overall land package through a series of commercial agreements.
The California Lithium Project is subject to a technical report titled “Technical Report on the Mojave Lithium Property, San Bernardino County, California, USA” dated September 13, 2016 with an effective date of September 13, 2016 (the “California Technical Report”) and is available under the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
Following the initial California Technical Report for the California Lithium Project, and subsequent to the various commercial agreements that allowed the Company to access and explore most parts of the Bristol Dry Lake Playa, the Company has completed several phases of exploration and process testing work consisting of geophysical surveys, drilling and sampling, test-pitting and sampling, completion of evaporation pond performance testing and other water level surveys.
As of the date of this MD&A, this data has not been integrated into an updated technical report for the California Lithium Project, however, the Company does intend on completing the necessary work to complete an updated technical report. The Company does not currently have a timeframe for when this work, and the technical report, will be completed.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The scientific and technical information contained in this MD&A has been reviewed and approved by Stephen Ross, P. Geol., Senior Project Manager of the Company, who is a “qualified person” as defined in NI 43-101.