Member Info for ChameleonMan

https://electrek.co/2020/10/02/tesla-tsla-acquires-german-battery-assembly-line-maker-supplying-bmw-mercedes/

Would love to be a fly on the wall in the boardrooms of BMW and Mercedes this morning!

Added to which it’s not like other junior lithium hopefuls have failed to get funding this year........
“ Australia-based Infinity Lithium signed a multi-staged funding agreement with EU-backed EIT InnoEnergy to develop its San Jose project that is expected to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

European Metals' subsidiary Geomet received an updated preliminary mining permit for eight years to the eastern part of the Cinovec tin/lithium deposit from the Czech environment ministry. Cinovec is touted as having Europe's largest hard rock lithium deposit and the world's fourth-largest non-brine deposit.

In addition, the Wolfsberg lithium project in Austria, wholly owned by European Lithium, secured initial funds from Greenpeg, an European Commission funded R&D project to support raw lithium sourced from Europe. European Lithium has received initial funds of €120,000.

For the industry, the Belgian-based global materials technology and recycling group Umicore received its first loan of €125mn from the EIB to finance the construction of the greenfield production facility for cathode materials in Nysa, Poland.” https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2116606-creation-of-europes-battery-industry-in-full-swing%3famp=1

So come on DA, let’s see some action!

Good spot IB. His conclusion seems to be that if you are a hard rock/ spodumene producer based in the US near a Tesla hydroxide facility you will do very well ( I.e.Piedmont Lithium). Likewise in Europe if Tesla has a processing plant that isn’t too many km away you will be minted. SAV based in Portugal has unfortunately no nearby Hydroxide plant, battery plant or indeed EV manufacturer - whether Tesla, VW or GM, hence we are unlikely to replicate Piedmont’s success overnight.
It’s good that HK sees hard rock lithium rather than clay as being the better option and that he mentioned SAV in his European picks. However SAV is still chasing a very long term opportunity and as a junior with limited resources we may not survive until a European battery industry is developed. It’s all heading the right way but much too slowly given our management costs. How much dilution is in store before we start earning anything or will we just be gobbled up on the cheap by a well-resourced miner like Fortescue? I dare say the Omani shareholders are less engaged since we offloaded our assets In Oman and would consider a buyout offer? Dale might be prompted to sell the Slipstream shares for a management job while DA could retire with a golden handshake. Private investors would be last in the food chain!
To avoid this scenario we need an injection of capital in the next year or so from an EU loan or EV manufacturer. It’s been promised by DA but can he deliver it soon enough? His recent track record in delivering anything other than dilution and disappointment is not good. Time is running out.

I guess we’ve all been waiting for a change of sentiment, unfortunately it’s gone from bad to worse. Good luck with hoping for that to change Ivans, god knows Ive tried to see and present the bright side over the years. Having said that maybe my capitulation in mood marks the bottom and sentiment can only get better. I hope for all our sakes that this is so.

It’s good to see that the organisers made it happen virtually. In fact the relationship with CERA is very solid. From the SAV website “ Savannah’s Mina do Barroso project has been chosen as the pilot mining project for evaluation to achieve the CERA standard.” When this is likely to happen we don’t know.
Like the young student in fresher’s week, SAV has joined all the right clubs and societies but sadly has yet to get laid!

There are some similarities... BKY trying to build a uranium mine in Spain Is almost as popular locally as SAV planning a lithium mine in Portugal! BKY spiked to 50p and is now at 30-something. SAV has certainly spiked before and much higher than 10p so yes it’s possible however this type of comparison is meaningless. The key events that will drive the SP are getting environmental approval, finishing the feasibility study, signing a partnership/offtake agreement, plus any kind of progress in Moz with Rio would be helpful. In the meantime, missing deadlines, burning money on high salaries and retail fundraising represent a slow but steady decline.

Let’s hope they find a major oil deposit!

....according to Ryan Long, a mining media hack!

I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that trade as neither have I!

I would like to believe so but experience suggests they are just tardy with this as they have been with every other deadline.

Let’s hope that the board have been too busy doing other useful work to complete the interim report on time!

I also hope to hear some constructive news from DA soon as I believe patience is being stretched thin. Every week a new EV model is rolled out somewhere with presumably a Li battery supply chain signed up while SAV has yet to announce the promised industry partnership.

The dust having settled I’m not sure that Musk did anything for the lithium mining industry or those seeking to enter it. Plans for Tesla to become lithium miners and self-sufficient in ethically-produced material, removes the biggest customer from the market. Musk makes it sound so easy- dig out the mud, add salt, remove the lithium and put the mud back. Normally you could write off such ambition as fantasy but we are talking about a company that can launch and land rockets upright! Thankfully no timescales were promised so with permitting, we could be looking at 5 years or more.
Along with genius often seems to come commercial arrogance/ naivety? Admitting that your current vehicles are too expensive and a price sub-$30k would be reasonable value surely makes your next potential EV convert more prepared to delay purchase leading to a slower take up of the technology? A bit of a Gerald Ratner moment in my mind.
Overall not a great day for wannabe lithium miners?

I note that Dominic Cummings shares Jonners love of small nukes! https://cleantechnica.com/2020/09/21/uk-considers-moving-ice-ban-forward-to-2030-may-encourage-small-nuclear-reactors/

As always the community newsletter is often a source of progress reporting. The July/August edition is published and if you missed it , it’s here! http://www.savannahresources.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/July-and-August-Newsletter.pdf
As usual, fine words, but no parsnips buttered!

Let’s hope they are in sticky paws!

The SAV Oman copper resource was always too small to consider yourself seriously invested in the expected copper boom. The claim to be an electrical metals company doesn’t really stand up either when the only other resource besides Lithium is mineral sands. Rather than feeling sore at being shut out of copper I’ve made my own (highly speculative) electrical metals portfolio E.g. by investing in ARCM for copper. I’m not concerned about moving capital from one to the other as opportunities arise ( even booking a loss in SAV at these low prices If something else is on the the rise). I understand the need to vent but here is no reason for anyone to sit here like a boiled frog if they think there are better opportunities elsewhere.

While things have been quiet here I’ve been dabbling in Greatland Gold (GGP). As I understand it an eagle-eyed poster on the GGP board spotted that an ETF fund (GDXJ) had seriously underestimated the free float having promised to acquire a certain %. (They assumed Hargreaves Lansdown was one entity rather than a compendium of private investors). Said poster held GDXJ feet to the fire until they were forced to buy £32million more! GGP price continues to rocket.
I wonder how often that has happened and no one has spotted it? Power to the posters!

2 trades (sells?) of 11,666,666 at 1.8p about 2pm. Is someone having a laugh?

Ah Muldoon, the return of the prodigal son! Where have you been investing your talents since deserting us? Had any luck? Would be good to have you back even in a small way, say a million or two?