Efficient receipt of the safety permit and advanced status of remaining key permits highlights the strong in-country support Firebird has to establish itself as a key high-purity manganese sulphate producer, the company said in a news release.
In China, there are a total of eight major permits required for construction and operation. Once all permits are obtained, and following a final investment decision (FID), which is anticipated to be made in H2 2024, Firebird is expected to immediately begin construction of the sulphate plant.
According to a feasibility study released earlier this month, the project has a projected capex of $83.5 million and opex of roughly $609/metric tonne for the production of battery-grade manganese sulphate.
“We are moving at a rapid pace on-the-ground in China and that is due to the hard work of our leading manganese team and the strong level of in-country support we have and continue to receive,” Firebird’s managing director Peter Allen said.
“We continue to tick all the boxes in the delivery of our high-purity manganese sulphate strategy and have defined a low-cost, near-term pathway to production,” he added.
According to the company, construction of the plant is projected to take approximately 12-15 months, with start of operations targeted for late 2025.
The Stage 1 plant is designed to utilize manganese ore provided by third parties to produce high-purity manganese sulphate (MnSO4). It will have a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per annum of battery-grade MnSO4 plus 10,000 tonnes of manganese tetraoxide (Mn3O4), or the equivalent of 72,500 tonnes of MnSO4 per year.
