Giyani Metals eyes first production at manganese demo plant
Giyani Metals Corp. [EMM-TSXV] President and CEO Charles FitzRoy said the company’s demonstration plant in Johannesburg is firmly in the commissioning phase, and on target to deliver the first production of battery-grade manganese before year-end.
Giyani is a company that aims to become a player in the battery metals sector. The company is currently focused on the development of its K. Hill, Lobatse & Otse manganese oxide projects in the Kanye Basin of Botswana. Each of those projects has seen historic mining activities.
The flagship K. Hill project is a near-surface deposit currently winding its way through a feasibility study.
Giyani has developed a hydrometallurgical process to produce high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate, a lithium-ion battery precursor material that is critical for electric vehicles directly from ore extracted from its manganese oxide deposits in Botswana. The projects are wholly-owned by Giyani’s subsidiary Menzi.
The demonstration plant will produce battery-grade manganese for qualification testing by potential customers.
As the demo plant is a smaller-scale, direct copy of the proposed commercial plant (to be built in Botswana), this significantly derisks the project as Giyani will better understand how the commercial plant will respond in advance of construction, commissioning and ramp-up of that facility, which is planned for 2027. The commercial plant will be constructed adjacent to Giyani’s manganese oxide ore sources in Botswana.
The company said the  process flow capability of the demo plant is a significant advantage, as it allows the team to operate the facility at a steady state, enabling production of consistent specification HPMSM, a key requirement for potential offtake partners.
Installation of the ISO-certified, independent laboratory is near complete, a key component for offtake testing. The on-site lab forms another key part of the demo plant’s ability to produce a consistent specification product, as it enables the team to continually test and adjust if necessary to ensure Giyani’s HPMSM meets the strict criteria of the OEM’s (original equipment manufacturer) high-purity battery-grade manganese requirements.
Giyani was in the news late last year when it announced the signing definitive agreements for a US$16 million financing from the Industrial Development Corp. of South Africa Ltd. (IDC). The financing takes the form of convertible loan facilities.
Giyani shares unchanged Thursday at 10 cents. The shares trade in a 52-week range of 15 cents and $0.07.
The company said the IDC financing was the cornerstone of a US$26 million funding package that will progress the company’s K. Hill manganese Project in Botswana to a final investment decision.