CAPITAL MARKETS

AVZ looks to deals with Greatpower

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo-focused lithium company AVZ Minerals has signed a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai Greatpower Industry for a “potential investment in the company and offtake opportunities” from the 60%-owned Manono pre-development project.

Michael Quinn
AVZ looks to deals with Greatpower

No potential details were disclosed.

Greatpower is described as an integrated commodity group with a focus on sourcing and producing battery raw materials and products for the China battery sector.

AVZ the MoU was executed to “advance discussions towards formalising potential investment and offtake agreements”, with Greatpower (and others) invited to visit Manono for more formal discussions.

AVZ also said discussions with undisclosed other groups was on-going, and that these parties had also been invited to Manono.

The Manono pegmatites have a strike length of about 13km and feature a drill hit of 250.93m grading 1.48% lithium oxide and 913 parts per million tin – which to AVZ’s knowledge is the longest pegmatite intercept ever reported.

“The Carriere de L’Est Pegmatite [with Manono] has the potential to be the largest lithium-rich pegmatite in the world, with the Roche Dure pegmatite [also within Manono] coming in a close second,” AVZ recently said.

AVZ is currently planning a diamond and RC drill program for the current quarter, with the program to focus on resource definition, extension drilling and initial mineralogical test-work.

In terms of funding, AVZ announced a A$15 million placement in August that included a $13.02 million investment by Huayou International Mining – for an 11% stake in the ASX-listed company.

Huayou is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, the largest cobalt chemicals producer at present in China and also the owner and operator of a number of copper and cobalt mines in the south of the DRC

Shares in AVZ closed up 5% to A10.5c Monday, capitalising the company at $181 million.

The stock reached levels of around 13-14c in August and early-September.

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