Niocorp Developments Ltd (NB)

[chico237]

NIOCORPS- NIOBIUM, SCANDIUM & TITANIUM FOR GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION & STORAGE~
NIOCORPS ELK CREEK MINE will PROCESS & SEPARATE (OXIDES) Niobium, Scandium & Titanium. ALL of which continue to play an important role in establishing Green Hydrogen Energy technologies. (FUEL-CELLS, WATER SEPARATION, HYDROGEN PRODUCTION & STORAGE).

In addition to many other manufacturing possibilities! The need to secure stable U.S. domestic supplies for Private Industry & Defense moving forward to address this need & others. FIRMLY places the ELK Creek Mine & the Critical Minerals it will deliver in a very favorable spot-light moving forward to Production....

Niocorps Elk Creek Mine will mine, process & produce Niobium, Scandium & Titanium at site in Nebraska once financed & constructed. Let's take a look at the ever INCREASING~ Hydrogen ECONOMY~ & some of the roles Niobium, Titanium & Scandium will play...


Sufficiency, sustainability, and circularity of critical materials for clean hydrogen
WB-Hydrogen-Report-2022.pdf (hydrogencouncil.com)
(The aim of the report is to provide estimates for the material requirements of the wide-scale production and use of clean hydrogen across the economy.) THIS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED!
Material intensity of the hydrogen sector

" The different components of the hydrogen sector require a range of materials for different technologies, from electrolyzers for renewable hydrogen, to CCS for low-carbon hydrogen, to the fuel-cells using hydrogen to power transportation and for the pipelines needed for distribution and storage. Understanding this material intensity is vital. It can help to understand where there may be bottlenecks in the supply of a critical material that could create challenges for either the hydrogen sector as a whole, or a technological component of the sector. It is also vital to help understand the wider environmental challenges (such as GHG emissions, or water use) that may arise as a result of mining and processing the materials. "

Material composition of technologies:
The material content of technologies involved in the production and consumption of hydrogen such as electrolyzers, steam methane reformers and autothermal reformers, CCS and fuel cells were obtained from companies in the sector via a clean-room process facilitated by the Hydrogen Council. A bill of materials was available for:

• Alkaline electrolyzers (AEL)

• Polymer Electrolyte Membrane electrolyzers (PEMEL)

• Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) (for HDVs and LDVs)

• Reformers with CCS (R+CCS)

This data is proprietary and is thus not explicitly included in this report. Material content for fuel cells, electrolyzers and R+CCS was available for the materials shown in Table 1.
NIOBIUM, TITANIUM & SCANDIUM ARE ALL USED!


SCANDIUM & IRIDIUM Metals needed for hydrogen production could get scarce, German authority warns! Jan. 27, 2023
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/metals-needed-for-hydrogen-production-could-get-scarce-german-authority-warns/

Key raw materials needed for most types of clean hydrogen production could become scarce and much more expensive, Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), has warned, reports Clean Energy Wire.

“We see the greatest supply risks in iridium and scandium – due to the very high demand on the raw material markets from water electrolysis alone,” the BGR’s Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) said in a report.

https://www.deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de/DERA/DE/Downloads/DERA%20Themenheft-01-22.pdf;jsessionid=CEF4AF826D5E40112BEA2B4A96D3ED40.1_cid331?__blob=publicationFile&v=2


THERE APPEARS TO BE STRONG U.S. GOVT. SUPPORT , ALONG WITH MAJOR LABORATORIES, UNIVERSITIES, & PRIVATE INDUSTRIES...
~The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program ~
https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/
https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/articles/clean-efficient-and-reliable-power-21st-century-fact-sheet


JUNE 2022~ Fuel Cell Technologies Overview ~ Washington D.C.~
Fuel Cell Technologies Overview (energy.gov)
Section 815a: Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing Initiative Research, development and demonstration projects to advance new clean H2 delivery, storage and use equipment manufacturing technologies and techniques. The Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall give priority to clean hydrogen equipment manufacturing projects that —
A. Increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness in — i. the manufacturing process; and ii. the use of resources, including existing energy infrastructure.
B. Support domestic supply chains for materials and components.
C. Identify and incorporate nonhazardous alternative materials for components and devices.
D. Operate in partnership with tribal energy development organizations, Indian Tribes, Tribal orgs., Native Hawaiian community-based organizations, or territories or freely associated States; or
E. Are in economically distressed areas of the major natural gas-producing regions of the US.


MARCH 2022~ U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Activities and Hydrogen Shot Overview ~
https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/articles/us-department-energy-hydrogen-activities-and-hydrogen-shot-overview-fc-expo



ONE YEAR LATER ~MARCH 15, 2023~ DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Remarks~
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/hfto-presentation-03152023.pdf


TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE INDUSTRIES
PAJARITO POWDER, LLC Comprehensive Catalyst Products for Fuel Cells & Electrolyzers December 2020
https://niobium.tech/-/media/NiobiumTech/Documentos/Resource-Center/Pajarito-Powder-CH-Award-12072020.pdf


General Motors LLC, Fuel Cell Business May 19, 2020 ~ Durable Fuel Cell MEA through Immobilization of Catalyst Particle and Membrane Chemical Stabilizer ~


NIOCORPS ELK CREEK MINE
https://www.niocorp.com/


THESE RESPONSES FROM NIOCORP ARE VERY RELEVENT! Please see Jim's responses to questions posed for comment-3/17/2022.
~A) Could you comment on what the production of higher purity Niobium & Titanium could be utilized for once realized?

RESPONSE:

"If the higher purity niobium and titanium intermediates that L3 was able to produce at bench-scale are replicated and proven at demonstration scale, this would put us in a position to more easily move to other products beyond those outlined in our 2019 Feasibility Study. Niobium oxide for use in Li-Ion batteries is one possible example, although the production of that product would require additional processing steps beyond the higher-purity niobium intermediate that we discussed in last week’s news release. The company is not yet in a position to make a determination on whether or not, and when, to possibly expand our Niobium product offering. Higher grade TiO2 could expose us to additional markets where higher margins could be obtained. But, again, we are not in a position to speak to those possibilities in any detail yet. "

~DEMO RESULTS ARE PENDING MAY 2023!!!!!!!!~PROVING PATENT -PENDING PROPRIETARY PROCESS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF ALL VIABLE MINERALS AT SCALE!!!!!!!

~ B) Niocorp’s preferred separation method is SX. Are these higher purity processes part of an improved SX process or “something else”?

"No, the processes we recently discussed occur in the earlier stages of the flowsheet, prior to any SX processing. We look forward to unveiling those details once these processes are verified at the demonstration plant level and once all associated work needed to complete an updated Feasibility Study is completed. "

Sharing Responses from Jim Sims to three relevant questions on 3/13/2023
**Jim-**A) Could you offer comment on What Scope 3 emissions mean for the Elk Creek mine moving forward into production & to the end users utilizing the products being processed at the mine? & Would Niocorp's Scope 3 Carbon Emission Reductions qualify for/as "Carbon Credits" in the context above? Could/Does Niocorp's "Carbon Friendly GHG/ESG" mining processes & work scope qualify for- INNOVATIVE CLEAN ENERGY LOAN GUARANTEES | Department of Energy?

Response:

"We have made an internal estimate of the benefits of our planned products at a Scope 3 emissions level. However, the definition and applicability of Scope 3 emissions must eventually be determined by government regulators, and the SEC is examining many aspects of this issue now. At present and in general, carbon credits are created by mitigation measures taken at the Scope 1 emissions level, although there are several different approaches being examined across the U.S. As to DOE programs, I am not allowed to comment on that at this time."

B) Is/Could an "ANCHOR" Investor/s still have interest in the Elk Creek Project? Comment If you can... (A,B,C,D.... as all options are on the table.)
Response:

"Yes. "

C) (Follow up) - Is Niocorp still engaged with "Several Federal Agencies" other than the EXIM Bank as sources for "Debt" or Off-take agreements? Comment if you can...
Response:

"Yes, multiple federal agencies, elected officials in the Congress, and the WH. "

Centennial company gets big boost in its plans to mine strategic minerals and metals in the U.S.
Centennial, Colorado, company NioCorp Developments gets big boost in its plans to mine strategic minerals and metals in the United States - CBS Colorado (cbsnews.com)

"There's only 20 to 25 tons of that material produced in the entire world today, so one truckload," says Smith. "We're going produce 5 truckloads."

That is about 100 tons of scandium a year.

The mine will also produce titanium and rare earth metals. Titanium is vital to the military and yet it's produced primarily by Russia. Rare earth metals are essential to everything from cellphones to EVs and yet it's imported from China.

"We have all of our permits in place. We have our technical feasibility study done. We've done all the drilling to define the mineral resources."

He says the company will know in the next 6-9 months if the Export-Import bank's financing will come through. It will take about 3 years, he says, to build the mine, which will employ 400-500 workers. NioCorp also plans to open a manufacturing facility with the mine to convert the minerals and metals into useable products like magnets.

Smith says, NioCorp already has buyers lined up for the niobium and scandium.

"We have a ways to go but the good news is people are starting to see this and are taking steps to make those changes. We've been preaching this for a long time without an audience. (Now) we have an audience."

FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS & CONCLUSIONS ABOVE!


GO TEAM NIOCORP!

Chico