Scandium granted mining lease for Nyngan project

Executive Summary

• Scandium International Mining Corp.’s subsidiary, EMC Metals Australia Pty. Ltd., received Mining Lease No. 1893 for the Nyngan scandium project in New South Wales, ending a nine‑year application process.
• The lease provides regulatory certainty to pursue strategic partnerships, offtake contracts and financing, moving the project toward final investment decision (FID) and construction.
• Project design targets 75,000 t/yr of limonite ore, producing ~38,500 kg/yr of scandium oxide over a 20‑year mine life with a 21‑year lease term ending October 2046.

Key Details

• Lease Grant: Mining Lease No. 1893 (Act 1992) issued on Oct 7, superseding previous lease No. 1792; initial term of 21 years to Oct 2046 with renewal rights.
• Project Scale: Small‑scale surface mine extracting ~75,000 t of limonite ore per year.
• Scandium Grade: Average head grade of 409 ppm Sc in ore over a 20‑year period (before any high‑grading initiatives).
• Production Forecast: Approx. 38,500 kg of scandium oxide (Sc₂O₃) annually, at 98–99.9 % purity, after a 24‑month ramp‑up following one year of construction.
• Mine Life & Resource Use: 20‑year operational life using <20 % of the total mineral resource estimate.
• Strategic Context: Positions Nyngan as potentially the world’s first primary scandium mine, addressing critical metal supply concerns for Western economies (semiconductors, solid‑state batteries, defence).
• Future Plans: EMC will update its Defined Feasibility Study (DFS) to reflect capital/operational efficiencies and potential high‑grading opportunities; dialogues with partners and financing arrangements are now underway.

Notable Quotes

“This mining lease marks the culmination of extensive technical, environmental and regulatory work… With this mining lease now in place on the entire deposit, the company is well positioned to progress towards construction and eventual production.” – Peter Evensky, CEO, Scandium International Mining Corp.

“The shovel‑ready Nyngan scandium project is prepared to meet western demand for scandium in existing use cases as well as emerging use cases being developed including semiconductors, solid‑state batteries and defence applications.” – Peter Evensky