Name of the Project
Vittangi battery anode project.

Location
Northern Sweden.

Project Owner/s
Battery anode and advanced materials company Talga Group.

Project Description
A detailed feasibility study (DFS) has confirmed the Vittangi project’s potential to supply globally competitive green graphite anode, suitable for multiple applications, including Tier 1 automotive lithium-ion batteries.

The DFS envisages a vertically integrated mine-to-anode operation producing 19 500 t/y battery anode Talnode-C from 100 000 t/y of Vittangi graphite ore over a 24-year mine life.

A scoping study was also completed during the DFS to evaluate the potential addition of about 85 000 t/y Talnode-C production from the adjacent Niska resources. This study identified significant commercial synergies to unify deposit development and production plans to maximise the potential of the project area. This will be subject to separate studies following further discussions with customers and development partners.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $1.05-billion and an internal rate of return of 30%, with a payback of 2.5 years after the project is commissioned.

Capital Expenditure
$484-million, and a $44-million contingency.

Planned Start/End Date
Mining is planned to start in 2023, with commercial anode production expected in 2024.

Latest Developments
Talga has started trial mining at its Niska South deposit, at the Vittangi graphite project.

Following the successful first phase of trial mining in the fourth quarter of 2021, the company is planning to extract the balance of the permitted 25 000 t of graphite ore from Niska South, starting in early June.

The trial mine will operate under the existing permit issued by the Environmental Review Commission within the Norrbotten County Administration Board.

The raw material extracted from the trial mine will provide feed for large-scale battery anode sample production, including at Talga’s recently commissioned electric vehicle (EV) anode plant in Luleå.

The EVA plant is producing Talnode-C anode for ongoing EV lithium-ion battery qualification and customer procurement processes.

Talga reported reported a 54% increase in the resource estimate for its Vittangi graphite project in May, adding more than ten-million tonnes to Europe’s biggest graphite resource.

The project is now estimated to host a mineral resource of 30.1-million tonnes of graphite ore at 24.1% carbon in graphite.

The new mineral resource estimate includes a maiden mineral resource for the Nunasvaara East discovery, while the Vittangi deposit remains open along strike and at depth, with Talga planning further drilling to underpin the continued growth at the resource.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Worley (lead consultant – DFS).

Contact Details for Project Information
Talga Group, tel +61 8 9481 6667 or email info@talgagroup.com.