Australian resources company Kupang Resources Ltd  is pleased to announce that the Kupang Joint Venture (in which the Company holds a 55% interest) has received the final signed Joint Operation Agreement for access to the port facilities for the export of Manganese by direct ship loading from the wharf. The Joint Venture’s ship loading equipment can utilise the facilities to export in the region of 80,000t/month of processed Manganese oxide from the deep water Tenau port in Kupang of on the island of Timor in Indonesia. The Kupang Joint Venture is in the final stages of obtaining permitting and approval from the relevant authority to finalise the commissioning and initiate operation of its acquired process plant.

The Joint Venture’s own production license and the third party supply of 30,000 tonnes locally mined raw manganese under the previously announced Manganese Society supply agreement will allow the production of approximately 30,000 tonnes per month of processed manganese oxide lump. This production will be blended to target a greater than 80% pure Manganese oxide product for sale into the global manganese market suitable for a high grade blending agent for the Ferro and Silco Manganese smelting  industries and has the purity for potential sale directly into the expanding manganese battery market.

The Joint Operation Agreement allows for 5 days priority loading to a shared wharf at the deep water Tenau port in the Kupang harbour. This facility, which can accept vessels up to the Handiamx 45,000t size, is provided to the Kupang Joint Venture for the period during which a permanent manganese only export facility is being constructed at the port adjacent to the Kupang Port manganese stockpiling facility. Once constructed, the Joint Venture’s manganese loading operation will move to the new facility freeing up the general cargo wharf.

The execution of the Joint Operation Agreement will allow the Joint Venture to transition from a junior manganese explorer to producer with the potential to generate steady cash flow and expand its exploration activities in an exciting manganese region close to an expanding market. This opportunity allows the Joint Venture, which is controlled by the Company via its majority Joint Venture interest, to access stockpiled manganese on the island from third party miners who have been unable to export to date due to a lack of resources or necessary regulatory agreements or permits. The execution of the agreement provides the Joint Venture with the opportunity to engage with the wider Kupang manganese mining and processing industry which may offer potential further future value to Kupang shareholders.