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Japan secures steady supply of platinum metals from South Africa
Deal equals 20% of nation's demand for materials used in fuel cells and cars.
TOKYO -- Japan will obtain rights to buy platinum group metals worth a fifth of its annual consumption from South Africa, securing a stable future supply of the metals vital to making car exhaust filters and fuel cell vehicles.
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp., or Jogmec, will announce the deal on Friday with its partners. The state-owned company created a joint venture in 2009 with Canadian and South African partners and has surveyed areas around the northern province of Limpopo for reserves of platinum group metals including palladium. South Africa is home to a majority of global reserves of these metals.
Jogmec put up 9.75% of its 21.95% stake in the joint business for sale via competitive bidding, with Japanese metal trader Hanwa submitting the winning bid. Hanwa will obtain preferential rights to buy all of the project's output rather than just a portion commensurate to its stake, as well as rights to purchase such byproducts as nickel and copper. Production will begin as early as 2022.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry considers this operation one of the most price-competitive in the world. The project will churn out 23 tons of platinum group metals per year at a cost that is half the market price.
Platinum group metals are used in fuel-cell electrodes and catalytic converters to clean the exhausts of gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles. Competition has been intensifying worldwide to secure a steady supply of these metals.

From 2018 but gives an idea of the bigger picture and what's potentially in play here?
Wouldn't want all your eggs in one basket either would you?
https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Japan-Update/Japan-secures-steady-supply-of-platinum-metals-from-South-Africa

From Wiki
There are three main types of cells, solid oxide electrolyser cells (SOECs), polymer electrolyte membrane cells (PEM) and alkaline electrolysis cells (AECs).[33] Traditionally, alkaline electrolysers are cheaper in terms of investment (they generally use nickel catalysts), but less efficient; PEM electrolysers, conversely, are more expensive (they generally use expensive platinum group metal catalysts) but are more efficient and can operate at higher current densities, and can therefore be possibly cheaper if the hydrogen production is large enough.
Methods to produce hydrogen without the use of fossil fuels involve the process of water splitting, or splitting the water molecule H2O into its components oxygen and hydrogen. When the source of energy for water splitting is renewable or low-carbon, the hydrogen produced is sometimes referred to as green hydrogen. The conversion can be accomplished in several ways, but all methods are generally more expensive than fossil-fuel based production methods. In Australia, green hydrogen has cost twice as much as conventional hydrogen and blue hydrogen, but a 2020 Australian National University report estimated that Australia could be producing it for much cheaper, even currently, and it could equal the price of conventional and blue hydrogen (at about A$2 per kilogram) by 2030, which would be cost-competitive with fossil fuels. An energy market analyst suggested in early 2021 that the price of green hydrogen would drop 70% over the coming 10 years in countries which have cheap renewable energy.
PEM efficiency is expected to increase to approximately 86%[44] before 2030. Theoretical efficiency for PEM electrolysers is predicted up to 94%.
Fuel from water, entirely "green", increasing efficiency, increased demand for PGM's, what's not to like?
The new "oil rush"?

Blaustein
He originates from mid Russia, is a nipponphile and is well connected in Japan; appearing in socialite publications there.
Along with his education, geographical and technical corporate experience, I think he's an excellent and very well thought out choice, or might even say solution.

Yes, there seems to be 2 main approaches here: to recycle food waste into a paraffin like additive to conventional jet fuel and/or a whole new shift to hydrogen powered propulsion.
Green lobby still moaning about the first approach; whilst it brings a 30% drop in carbon pollution, exoected airline travel to double over the next 30 odd years.
Therefore, I think hydrogen solution not only best for a Green solution, but will also mean there is one combustible fuel type going forward. Fossil fuels can be left behind in their entirety.
I think people still not grasping how big hydrogen is going to be.
Electricity storage is the problem. Fuels are a much more efficient way of storing energy, at least given known and expected technology.

(Try again)
British Airways partners with ZeroAvia to speed up the switch to hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft

15 December 2020
British Airways (BA) has teamed up with ZeroAvia, a leading innovator in decarbonizing commercial aviation (earlier post), in a project to explore how hydrogen-powered aircraft can play a leading role in the future of sustainable flying.

The collaboration, which reflects the importance of sustainability at British Airways, will see ZeroAvia embedded in the heart of the airline. The team will work remotely alongside mentors and experts to explore the transformational possibilities of moving from fossil fuels to zero-emission hydrogen to power the airline’s future fleet.

The partnership forms part of BA parent IAG’s Hangar 51 accelerator program, which works with start-ups and scale-ups from around the world, providing them with an opportunity to develop and test their products on real world business challenges on a global scale. At the end of the program, research and learnings from the process will be shared and the ZeroAvia and Hangar 51 teams will consider how the partnership will progress longer term.

In 2021, ZeroAvia expects to further demonstrate the credibility of its technology at longer ranges and using larger aircraft. The company expects to achieve the commercialization of hydrogen-electric power for aircraft as early as 2023 with flights of up to 500 miles (805 km) in up to 20-seater aircraft. By 2027, it plans to have powerplants in service capable of powering commercial flights of more than 500 miles in aircraft with up to 100 seats and by 2030 more than 1,000 miles in aircraft with 100+ seats.

Both British Airways and ZeroAvia are part of the Jet Zero Council, a partnership between government and industry to drive forward the UK Government’s net zero-emission ambitions for the aviation and aerospace sector.

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/12/20201215-bah2.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/science-environment-56408603

I see builder is still expecting everyone else to justify and explain his seemingly poor investment choices for him?
I also see there are 6 tick ups for his post, meaning there are at least a few others who also think that others are to blame too?
It's a cruel world isn't it people?
So much easier to cope with though when you take responsibility for your own actions, learn from them and try to help others.

Pros
BoD keeping all options open gives them a strong hand, keeping their cards close, as you might say.
FSP ongoing and NDA in place.
Very tight ship,
Cons
This leads to speculation and uncertainty. Market doesn't like uncertainty.
In fact, the market has no idea and has obviously decided to pick a range it believes to be fair value on what is known.

Price doesn't move because everytime we have a positive update, things actually become less clear and uncertain.

We are stuck here until something breaks the deadlock and adds certainty one way or the other.

IF the shares are issued, they will probably aim for prevailing price -10% (or better, depending on demand) and as the maximum (ie they wouldn't necessarily have to use the whole £250k provision) new stock issued would be an additional 8-9% dilution, I would expect a drop to about 24-25p range based on today's price.
As you can see, a few variables to consider, so therefore difficult to give a definitive answer.
But not 'end of the world' stuff like some would have you believe.
And, as I'll reiterate, this is assuming they do a raise, which is less than likely IMO.

"The Directors are confident that the ability to allot securities and demonstrate a capacity to develop the Kola PGM and battery metals district independently of other strategic options available to the Company benefits the Company and its Shareholders by improving Eurasia's negotiating position."
"The resolution proposed is a standard resolution proposed and passed at all recent Company Annual General Meetings but which, for reasons related to delays in processing votes held in Nominee accounts was not passed at the 2020 AGM held on 18 September 2020."
End of!
All a matter of who you trust most. Up to you...