Receives Sweden’s National Interest Demarcation
Australian Battery anode and graphene additives company Talga Resources Ltd (ASX:TLG) has received positive political support for its 100% owned Vittangi graphite project in northern Sweden.
A recent decision by the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) completed the demarcation of Vittangi as a mineral deposit of national interest. This designation adds support to consider the exploitation of Vittangi as a mineral deposit when government authorities review development plans and any potential competing land uses.
Talga Managing Director, Mark Thompson, said that under the Swedish Environmental Code, deposits of valuable substances or materials can be defined as being of national interest, meaning municipalities and central government agencies may not authorise activities that might prevent or significantly hinder exploitation of the mineral deposit.
The national interestarea covers the entirety of Talga’s currently defined Vittangi graphite resources and undrilled extensional deposits.
The SGU noted the Vittangi graphite deposit’s significance to the country’s supply capacity and its special material properties and concluded the deposit constitutes a unique natural asset of valuable substances or materials.
Mr Thompson said that the SGU considers that locally produced graphite could help strengthen the competitiveness of the Swedish battery manufacturing industry and that, as the known highest grade graphite deposit in the world, Vittangi could “meet a great need not only within Sweden but internationally”.
The decision takes note of the European Commission’s listing of graphite as a critical raw material and their warning that a lack of access to such critical commodities could slow the development of fossil-free energy sources.
“We welcome SGU’s decision as a positive and timely development following Talga’s recent lodgement of the Vittangi Graphite Project mining permit applications, towards becoming Europe’s first vertically integrated producer of Li-ion battery active anode material,” Mr Thompson said.
In preparing the demarcation SGU obtained extensive information on the Vittangi Graphite Project including details relating to its geology and material properties. The demarcation defines the boundaries of the original declaration of Nunasvaara as a deposit of national interestwhich contained only a centre co-ordinate. Results from Talga’s extensive exploration work were made available during the investigation and SGU carried out their own detailed electromagnetic survey to assist in the demarcation,
