Geomega Resources Inc. (“
Geomega” or the
“
Corporation”) (TSX.V: GMA) (OTC: GOMRF), a
developer of clean technologies for the mining, refining, and
recycling of rare earths and other critical materials, is pleased
to provide the following updates:
- Demonstration plant
update
- Bauxite residues pilot
plant update
- Karine Emond presented as a
new nominee to the board of directors of Geomega
- New Omnibus Incentive
plan
- Annual General Special
Meeting of Shareholders (the “AGSM”) to take place on October 25,
2023
Demonstration Plant UpdateThe
demonstration plant is Geomega’s most advanced project and has seen
significant progress since the announcement of the new centralized
facility in St Hubert for both the demo plant and the R&D
activities (see press release April 27, 2023). After the restart of
the engineering activities by BBA in May 2023, work focused on
process and layout adjustments for the new facility. The updated
plant 3D layout is now at about 50% completion. Additional
information will be added from various mechanical engineering
disciplines as that information becomes available. The current
plant layout 3D model can be seen in Figure 1 below.
Procurement activities have been ongoing since
July and several main equipment items have been ordered in the last
few months. Some equipment had to be adjusted to the new layout and
will be ordered in the coming months as soon as the final quotes
and designs are approved. In parallel, Geomega performed Factory
Acceptance Tests (FAT) on 3 major pieces of equipment that were
ordered in 2022 and earlier in 2023. Geomega’s technical team has
been abroad for 2 weeks in September performing these and obtaining
the required training in preparation for equipment assembly and
operation.
Several permitting activities are currently
ongoing. Data continues to be collected on Geomega’s process to
perform the required modeling before a final submission for
environmental permitting with the Ministère de l’Environnement, de
la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des
Parcs (MELCCFP) is done in Q4/2023. For that, a baseline
environmental study has been performed at the St Hubert facility
including the installation of 3 monitoring water wells around the
site. For the various municipal permits that are required to begin
construction, engineering drawings and designs are being put
together as per the provided requirements. These permit requests
will be filed in stages with initial filing expected in the coming
weeks.
The HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) study report
was received and the results were implemented into project design.
To begin the mechanical engineering portion of the study, a
geotechnical drilling program was completed at the St Hubert
facility to evaluate the existing concrete slab and subsurface.
Design of equipment foundations and planning of any concrete work,
structural design for equipment supports and platforms,
architectural and the electrical design are now all ongoing and
will be integrated into the 3D model. The other items that are
expected to begin soon include piping, HVAC and fire protection
design.
Figure 1: Demonstration plant
3D layout
Bauxite Residues Pilot Plant
UpdateThe second most advanced project for Geomega is
bauxite residues (BR) valorization that has significant potential
for creating shareholder value. Assembly of the pilot plant has
been advanced (see Figure 2 and 3), and commissioning has been
ongoing since August. Additional analytical equipment required for
the operation of the pilot plant has been received and other is
being currently ordered. Pilot testwork will begin as soon as
commissioning is finished. The pilot plant will be adjusted and
modified as needed based on the results. More information will be
provided as piloting is progressing and milestones are
achieved.
“It has been a very busy summer since the
announcement of our new location in St Hubert. The R&D team has
been extremely occupied advancing all our projects. Our two most
advanced projects are marching forward, and we expect to see more
news from both projects before the end of the year. The
demonstration plant engineering activities are very advanced now
with more and more disciplines being involved every week. Activity
on the ground will be picking up throughout Q4 and we will be
providing updates to shareholders as various milestones are reached
and new activities begin. As for the BR pilot plant, commissioning
was a very important milestone for us this year. We are now looking
forward to start the testwork which is crucial in demonstrating the
scalability of our technology. Successful results will be a major
achievement for our team and a significant breakthrough for the
aluminum industry that needs such a solution to deal with bauxite
residues globally,” commented Kiril Mugerman, President & CEO
of Geomega.
Figure 2: Pilot plant setup at
the Boucherville facility
Figure 3: Pilot plant setup at
the Boucherville facility
New Director NominationGeomega
is pleased to announce that Karine Emond will be presented as a new
nominee to the board of directors of Geomega at the upcoming AGSM.
As a seasoned commercial lawyer specializing in manufacturing and
supply chain, Mrs. Emond helps her clients enhance their business
models through optimal commercial agreements, giving the tools
required to management teams in the deployment of strategies and
concrete action plans. She is a business enabler, always keeping in
mind the business risks and objectives versus the legal perspective
of things. She is known for developing synergies with stakeholders
towards a common vision by strengthening links and collaborating on
common goals.
With 20 years of legal experience, she has
developed a particular expertise in commercial negotiation with
international major companies, including in manufacturing,
distribution, licensing and intellectual property. Karine is
well-qualified to implement risk management strategies with
confidence and to recommend creative and pragmatic solutions. She
is trained as a Black Belt Lean Six Sigma Project Manager for
continuous improvement processes.
“I'm very proud to be nominated to Geomega's
board of directors as a long-term investor and a strong believer in
the company. As someone who is motivated by positive change in
society, joining Geomega was a natural fit for me to contribute to
value creation and the deployment of the next critical steps for
Geomega. As a new member of the board, I wish to support the
management team with my legal expertise and negotiation skills to
assist Geomega reaching its next milestones, which will ultimately
benefit future generations,” commented Mrs. Emond.
Omnibus Incentive PlanThe
Corporation is pleased to announce that it has obtained conditional
approval from the TSX Venture Exchange for the adoption of a new
omnibus equity incentive plan (the “Omnibus
Plan”). The Corporation has included the Omnibus Plan in
the circular that will be sent to obtain shareholder’s approval at
the upcoming AGSM. As of October 25, 2023, the Omnibus Plan will
replace the Corporation's current stock option plan that was last
reconducted on October 26, 2022 (the “Previous
Plan”).
The board of directors determined that it is
desirable to have a wide range of incentive awards, including stock
options (“Options”), restricted share units
(“RSUs”), performance share units
(“PSUs”), and deferred share units
(“DSUs”) (collectively, the
“Awards”) to attract, retain and motivate
employees, directors, executive officers and consultants of the
Corporation.
The aggregate number of common shares reserved
for issuance pursuant to Awards of Options granted under the
Omnibus Plan (including the Predecessor Options currently
outstanding under the Previous Plan) shall not exceed 8% of the
Corporation’s total issued and outstanding common shares from time
to time.
In respect of DSUs, RSUs or PSUs, the aggregate
number of common shares reserved for issuance pursuant to Awards
other than for Options granted under the Omnibus Plan shall not
exceed 5,000,000 common shares.
Annual General Special Meeting of
ShareholdersThe new director will be proposed together
with the new Omnibus Plan at Geomega’s AGSM which will be held at
the offices of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP located at 800,
Square-Victoria street, #3500, Montreal, Quebec, on October 25,
2023 at 10:00 a.m. More details about the AGSM will be provided
closer to the date of the event.
About Geomega
(www.geomega.ca)Geomega develops
innovative technologies for extraction and separation of rare earth
elements and other critical metals essential for a sustainable
future. With a focus on renewable energies, vehicle
electrification, automation and reduction in energy usage, rare
earth magnets or neo-magnets (NdFeB) are at the center of all these
technologies. Geomega’s strategy revolves around gradually
de-risking its innovative technology and delivering cashflow and
return value to shareholders while working directly with the main
players in these industries to recycle the magnets that power all
those technologies.
As its technologies are demonstrated on larger
scales, Geomega is committed to work with major partners to help
extract value from mining feeds, tailings and other industrial
residues which contain rare earths and other critical metals.
Irrespective of the metal or the source, Geomega adopts a
consistent approach to reduce the environmental impact and to
contribute to lowering greenhouse gases emissions through recycling
the major reagents in the process.
Geomega’s process is based around its
proprietary, low-cost, environmentally friendly way to tap into a
C$1.5 billion global market to recycle magnet production waste and
end of life magnets profitably and safely.
Geomega also owns the Montviel rare earth
carbonatite deposit, the largest 43-101 bastnaesite resource
estimate in North America and holds over 16.8M shares, representing
approximately 14% of the issued and outstanding shares, of Kintavar
Exploration Inc. (KTR.V), a mineral exploration company that is
exploring for copper projects in Quebec, Canada.
For further information, please
contact:
Kiril Mugerman |
President and CEO |
Geomega |
450-641-5119 ext.5653 |
kmugerman@geomega.ca |
|
Nancy Thompson |
Vorticom Public Relations |
212-532-2208 |
nancyt@vorticom.com |
Twitter: @Geomega_REE |
|
Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
This news release contains statements that may
constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities
legislation. Forward-looking information and statements may
include, among others, statements regarding future plans, costs,
objectives or performance of the Corporation, or the assumptions
underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such
as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “believe”, “expect”,
“anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate” “target” and similar
words and the negative form thereof are used to identify
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not
be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will
not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at
or by which, such future performance will be achieved. No assurance
can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking
information will transpire or occur, including as regards the
commercialization of any of the technology referred to above, or if
any of them do so, what benefits the Corporation will derive.
Forward-looking statements and information are based on information
available at the time and/or management's good-faith belief with
respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks,
uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of
which are beyond the Corporation’s control. These risks,
uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to,
those described under “Risk Factors” in the Corporation’s annual
management’s discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended May
31, 2023, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; they could
cause actual events or results to differ materially from those
projected in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation does
not intend, nor does the Corporation undertake any obligation, to
update or revise any forward-looking information or statements
contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information,
events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by
applicable laws.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f875fa5c-e5bd-4f14-9243-d054ac2e5b87
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f1bd2f2-55cf-4414-83fc-6375bb82f6b2
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/467d9fbc-9b24-4ff5-85c1-98725eee0fca
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