Name of the Project
Chvaletice manganese project (CMP).

Location
About 90 km east of Prague, in Czechia.

Project Owner/s
Battery materials company Euro Manganese.

Project Description
A feasibility study, published in July 2022, has determined that the CMP is uniquely positioned to provide a secure, traceable and responsibly produced supply of high-purity manganese products to the European electric-vehicle market.

The study is based on the reprocessing of historic tailings without the requirement of any hard-rock mining, crushing or milling. The study envisages a 25-year operation producing 1.19-million tonnes of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal, about two-thirds of which is expected to be converted into high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate on site.

Saleable product includes 2.5-million tonnes of high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate, or HPMSM (32.34% manganese), and 372 300 t of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal (99.9% manganese) over the life of the project, averaging 98 600 t/y of HPMSM and 14 890 t/y of high-purity electrolytic manganese metal.

New and refurbished infrastructure that will be built to service the project includes:

• a tailings excavation and handling facility;
• a south and north site connection utility bridge for transporting tailings slurry, return water pipes and the tube conveyor that returns a mixture of nonmagnetic tailings and washed leach residue to the residue dry stacking area;
• enclosed and winterised process plant buildings, various reagent storage facilities and a product warehouse;
• an upgraded rail spur system with related loading/unloading facilities;
• an internal road network;
• an incoming electrical 400 kV high-voltage grid connection, including transformers, GIS switchgear and local distribution step-down transformers;
• a process equipment maintenance workshop;
• a mobile fleet maintenance workshop;
• spare parts and maintenance supply warehouses;
• a comprehensive water management system and on-site laboratories; and
• general administrative offices.

Potential Job Creation
The project expects to employ about 400 people during operation.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $1.75-billion and an internal rate of return of 24.9%, with a 3.6-year payback.

Capital Expenditure
Initial capital is estimated at $757.3-million, including contingencies of $103.2-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Plant commissioning is expected to start in 2026, with production expected to start in 2027.

Latest Developments
Euro Manganese has secured a key designation for its Chvaletice manganese project, strengthening its position as a future supplier of high-purity manganese to the electric vehicle industry.

The project's classification as a strategic initiative underscores its importance in establishing sustainable raw material supply chains in Europe. 

The recognition follows a similar move for European Metals' Cinovec lithium/tin deposit, which was recently declared a strategic deposit under the Czech Construction Code. That designation streamlines permitting and prioritises approvals, potentially expediting project development.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Tetra Tech (feasibility study); BGRIMM Technology Group (lead process plant design engineer); Tractebel (Czech and European cost inputs, localisation); GET and Bilfinger Tebodin Czech Republic (environmental services) – ; and Sudop (railway infrastructure design).

Contact Details for Project Information
Euro Manganese, tel +1 604 681 1010 or email info@mn25.ca.