Niocorp Developments Ltd (NB)

[Boilermaker1]

It’s not as simple as it sounds
I have discussed this several times with Scott and Jim. Not all rare earth elements are the same. Some are worth $5.00-10.00/kg and some several thousand $ per kg. In general heavy REEs (HREEs) are worth a lot more than Light ( LREEs.) Some are relatively easy to refine and some are very challenging and expensive. You have to look at the ppm of each one that is in the Elk Creek ore and then look at what it will cost to refine them and compare to estimated market price. We are lucky. We have Scott on our team. He has done all of this and he feels that yes, we COULD refine and sell a number of REEs. But could is not should. He does not believe it would be profitable to do this. If it is not profitable to do it at Elk Creek, it would likely not be profitable to ship it somewhere else and refine REEs. I can tell you based on face to face conversation that Scott is very much aware of which REEs are in Elk Creek ore and their concentrations. Scott was at one time the plant manager at Mountain Pass. He knows a lot about refining REEs.