The latest Investing Matters Podcast episode featuring Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma has just been released. Listen here.
https://www.agriland.co.uk/farming-news/work-continues-on-10-million-project-at-belfast-wastewater-treatment-works/
Development is underway of a £10 million programme of work at Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works, Duncrue, to construct two new treatment tanks.
These tanks are equivalent in volume to six Olympic-size swimming pools – to cope with current and short-term future wastewater requirements.
This major investment will protect the environment, support development and aid economic growth in the city.
The two new treatment tanks will provide much-needed additional capacity and enhance the existing process to ensure that the discharge to Belfast Lough remains compliant with Northern Ireland Environment Agency standards.
The new assets will also facilitate essential improvements within the associated sewerage networks and will enable maintenance works to be undertaken at the other treatment tanks at a future date.
This significant interim investment is one of the first capital delivery projects of the ‘Living With Water Programme’, and will ensure that key wastewater treatment works for Belfast remains compliant until further works are carried out to provide the main increase in capacity and achieve more stringent water quality standards.
Another water project, which is taking place across the Northern Ireland border in Carlingford Lough and Lough Foyle, has reached the halfway stage.
The Shared Waters Enhancement and Loughs Legacy (SWELL) project – which is being led by NI Water working in partnership with Irish Water, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), and Loughs Agency and East Border Region – was awarded €35 million in 2019, as part of the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
It comes two weeks after a new government report revealed Northern Ireland has failed to make any significant progress towards its river basin water quality targets over the last six years.
The four-year project involves the construction of new wastewater treatment works, as well as upgrades to sewerage networks at strategic locations on both sides of the border to address wastewater pollution in Carlingford Lough, and Lough Foyle.
Got to be a Yuan or two we could pick up there.
https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/china-issues-8-bln-subsidies-water-conservation-development-2021-04-30/
China's ministry of finance said it issued 57.4 billion yuan ($8.87 billion) in subsidies for local water conservation development for 2021, a 3.1% increase from the previous year.
According to an online statement, the subsidies will support efforts to improve flood and drought prevention by managing rivers and reservoirs, increase water usage efficiency and to manage soil erosion.
The subsidies will also help measures to improve the safety of drinking water in rural areas with the construction of new reservoirs to address water shortage.
Missed a bit;
“Market participants estimate around 9.25t of vanadium pentoxide is used in each MWh of vanadium storage battery,” Argus says. “China is expected to install around 30-60GWh of new energy storage capacity by 2030, corresponding to 28,000-56,000 t/yr of extra demand for vanadium pentoxide during 2021-2030.”
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4422329-vanadium-miners-news-for-the-month-of-april-2021
Europe vanadium pentoxide spot prices fell slightly the past 30 days. Roskill believes that vanadium prices reached a low in Q4 2020 and should gradually rebound in 2021.
Vanadium market news - China is expected to install around 30-60GWh of new energy storage capacity by 2030, corresponding to 28,000-56,000 t/yr of extra demand for vanadium pentoxide.
Vanadium company news -
Largo Resources to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol "LGO”, production ramp to 1,100 V2O5t/month to be completed by end Q2, 2021.
Neometals signs Barrambie off-take, announces low Barrambie OpEx, plans to list on the London Stock Exchange-AIM about Q3 2021.
TNG signs HOA with V-Flow Tech for establishment of a JV to commercialise VRFB systems in regional Australia.
A Roskill post states:
The vanadium market is set to tighten over the year and more so in 2022, driven by higher demand but also by tighter supply, as Chinese steel **** producers are running close to capacity. Outside of China, incremental supply will also be limited and come mainly from AMG’s new facility in Ohio, USA, and Bushveld’s Vametco gradually increasing its production in South Africa. Roskill believes that vanadium prices reached a low in Q4 2020 and should gradually rebound in 2021.....Vanadium redox batteries (VRBs) could become a major market for vanadium amid growing demand for energy storage, should the technology develop....On the supply side, Roskill does not expect significant tonnages from new projects to enter the market before 2024.
Roskill estimates that vanadium demand "for VRFB markets" could rise to 31,000 tons by 2025, amounting to a rise of 3,100% in a decade
Source: Australian Vanadium presentation
In 2017 Robert Friedland stated:
We think there’s a revolution coming in vanadium redox flow batteries....”
Vanadium market news
On March 25 Stockhead reported:
China’s big battery sector lights a rocket under vanadium prices......Steel still accounts for around 90% of vanadium consumption. Of the remainder, 9% is used in aerospace alloy and chemical catalysts, and 1% goes into VRFBs, according to Argus. Vanadium prices are now stirring as steel consumption soars and VRFB developments become real. China’s aim to accelerate a transition to lower energy consumption and to stimulate demand for renewable energy and energy storage products has prompted local companies to get cracking on VRFB developments, Argus says. On March 15, VRB announced plans to build a 100MW solar photovoltaic and 100MW/500MWh vanadium flow battery integrated power station in central China’s Hubei province. Shanghai Electric has unveiled plans for a 100MW/400MWh VRFB project in Yancheng in east China’s Jiangsu province. Rongke Power is on track to launch a 200MW/800MWh facility in Dalian in northwest China’s Liaoning province this year...... “Market participants estimate around 9.25t o
Thanks for the copy of the article Jim, good collaboration lol
https://m.cnfeol.com/Article/2222390.aspx
100kw/380kwH vrfb on its way to Japan.
Lovely.
Can't copy the whole article.
Hmmmmmm....
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/health/coronavirus/ni-health-authorities-to-test-sewage-to-keep-track-of-spread-of-covid-19-3213435
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland plans to test sewage for coronavirus in order to keep an eye on how the virus is spreading through the population, it has emerged.
That is just one of the measures to keep a lid on the pandemic found in a recent update to the department’s ‘Covid-19 response strategy’, outlined in a 42-page document published last week .
Testing sewage could even help scientists spot any new variants that crop up, the document states.
“Wastewater surveillance can detect the SARS-Cov-2 virus in both symptomatic and asymptomatic populations,” it explains.
“As such, testing will become an important part of the overall approach to the long-term management and tracking of the virus.
“Wastewater surveillance complements clinical surveillance by providing information on the prevalence and spread of disease in the population and will have an important role in monitoring overall viral activity and in identifying any new variants that may emerge.”
Two wastewater treatment sites are already undergoing “sampling and testing”, it adds, with plans for further sites to be developed “in the coming months”.
The department say the testing work also raises the possibility of “tracking a range of other harmful pathogens of importance in terms of both public and animal health”.
Other testing work outlined in the document includes antibody testing “Wastewater surveillance complements clinical surveillance by providing information on the prevalence and spread of disease in the population and will have an important role in monitoring overall viral activity and in identifying any new variants that may emerge.”
Two wastewater treatment sites are already undergoing “sampling and testing”, it adds, with plans for further sites to be developed “in the coming months”.
The department say the testing work also raises the possibility of “tracking a range of other harmful pathogens of importance in terms of both public and animal health”.
The document covers new testing technologies, contact tracing, supporting capacity and resilience in the wider health system, rebuilding plans, primary care, Covid centres, financial support, dental services, PPE and workforce support.
A spokesperson for the department said: “This Covid-19 Response Strategy is a living document and has been updated to reflect the rapidly changing environment since the start of the pandemic.
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/covid-19-doh-action-plansframeworksstrategies
COVID-19 Response Strategy - pages 7-8
https://m.calcalistech.com/Article.aspx?guid=3905474
Israel-based private equity firm Fortissimo Capital is leading a $25 million funding round in Israeli startup BreezoMeter. Calcalist has learned that Fortissimo will invest between $15-20 million of the total sum.
The funding round values BreezoMeter at $60 million. BreezoMeter aims to monitor air quality and improve people’s health by using atmospheric data that is acquired through multiple sensing stations, AI, and machine-learning algorithms that are trained to recognize and detect several different types of pollutants. BreezoMeter’s technology aims to monitor and report on air quality and inform people so that they may take precautionary steps ahead of time. The company was co-founded in 2014 by environmental engineer CEO Ran Korber, who decided that existing technology didn’t adequately address these concerns, and Emil Fisher. Korber’s wife also suffers from asthma, so he understood the problem first-hand.
The company had previously raised $12.75 million, with its most recent round coming at the end of 2018.
Entrée Capital was the company's biggest investor to date and is set to become its second-largest shareholder following the new round.
BreezoMeter's platform is available in 100 countries and the company has partnered with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, as well as Dyson, Apple, and cosmetic corporation Loreal, among others.
Aside from healthcare companies, Breezometer has also signed contracts with companies that specialize in skincare, such as Dermalogica, Clarins, and Loreal. Environmental pollutants can have harmful effects on people’s skin as well, as skin is the largest organ in the body and often exposed to the elements. Currently, along with Loreal, the company has developed the My Skin Track UV app that allows users to track environmental stressors that they may have been exposed to, and based on skin type or potential diseases, analyze how that will impact a user’s skin. It then recommends to a user which products, such as sunscreen, they may use to ensure that their skin stays healthy.
An additional product that is set to hit the market soon and uses BreezoMeter’s technology is Perso, an AI-based system that can offer personalized beauty and skincare recommendations by analyzing a forecast of weather data, and recommending which products a customer should use.
BreezoMeter is also in agreement with Apple, where the latest iOS version of Apple's software in iPhones has integrated its real-quality data.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100080784
Vanadium exploration booms in North Queensland with rise of battery storage of renewable energy.
Technological advances in battery storage of renewable energy are prompting a boom in vanadium exploration in mineral-rich North Queensland.
Key points:
North Queensland has enough vanadium, which is used to reinforce steel, to supply the market for 120 years
The Saint Elmo project, near Julia Creek, is the latest project to be given federal government approvals
Resource analyst Tim Treadgold is not convinced a vanadium industry will develop...
“This full systems approach allows for 30 TWh per annum (or more) to be procured at an estimated tariff of R0.61/kWh, or 39% of the weighted average tariff (R1.58/kWh) of the winning bids in the RMIPPPP.
“Importantly, 10 TWh of the 30 TWh, or the equivalent of the output of the RMIPPPP, will meet all of the requirements of the RMIPPPP, and guaranteed dispatchable supply of 2 000 MW from 05h00 to 21h30 will be available, each and every day of the year,” the note reads.
Achieving such an outcome would involve the IPP Office immediately procuring, or enabling the commercial procurement of, 5 GW of solar PV, 3 GW of wind and 2 GW/4 GWh of storage.
“For a commitment of an additional 15% of National Treasury-backed power purchase agreements (PPAs), Eskom will be able to procure three times as much electricity, at 39% of the cost/kWh, as compared to the RMIPPPP,” Mallinson writes.
In addition, he calculates a fourfold increase in infrastructure spend and a tenfold increase in job creation, aligned with government’s aim of using infrastructure to reignite economic growth, which slumped 7% last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The estimated local infrastructure spend of the alternative 30 TWh systems approach is about R95-billion.”
It would also eliminate fuel-price-volatility risk assumed under the RMIPPPP, owing to gas being treated as a pass-through cost.
“The estimated cost of supplying gas to the projects that use gas, including the power ships, over the 20-year term of the PPAs, exceeds R150-billion in 2021 rand terms, assuming constant gas prices over the period."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.miningweekly.com/article.php%3fa_id=581995&rep_id=5582
An energy expert has written to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office to highlight the expensive shortcomings of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP), which he says should be replaced by a materially larger, yet more cost-effective, procurement programme based primarily on renewables and storage, rather than power ships.
DPWI, together with The Presidency, is overseeing the implementation of the Strategic Infrastructure Projects, or SIPS, earmarked for priority implementation as part of government’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The RMIPPPP is one of the 62 initial SIPS Gazetted in line with the Infrastructure Development Act.
On March 18, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe named eight preferred bidders under the 20-year RMIPPPP, including three fully imported Karpowership floating gas-fired power plants, which collectively secured 1 220 MW of the 2 000 MW on offer.
Besides the power ships, the other projects named as preferred bidders, and making up the 1 850 MW to be contracted under the scheme, included various combinations of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and gas or diesel generators, along with battery storage systems.
The preferred bidders are required to reach financial close by no later than the end of July 2021.
All projects had to meet a standalone 05:00 in the morning to 21:30 at night dispatch-load stipulation, without accessing any other existing infrastructure.
Energy consultant Clyde Mallinson, who has written the letter to the IPP Office, warned in October, and ahead of the December RMIPPPP bid deadline, that the rules treating each project as separate generation “islands” were heavily skewed in favour of gas-to-power solutions and would result in extremely costly bids.
He said the standalone architecture, which made it impossible for projects to tap into existing grid infrastructure to help reduce the cost of production, should be overhauled to avoid an outcome that would lock in “dirty and expensive energy for the next 20 years”.
Mallinson also question why government was targeting to procure only 2 000 MW in a context where the true deficit was far larger. It has been estimated at 5 000 MW by Eskom.
In the event, the rules were not adjusted, and the tariffs bid by the preferred bidders range from a low R1 468/MWh to R1 885/MWh.
In his briefing note sent to the IPP Office, Mallinson argues that a “systems” response that deploys all the country’s existing electricity assets would be a far cheaper way to respond to the electricity emergency than the RMIPPPP.
Such an approach would allow new projects to interact with the country’s existing generation, storage, transmission, and distribution infrastructure to unlock “complementary or mutually beneficial interaction”.
https://www.miningmx.com/top-story/45934-workers-call-strike-at-bushveld-minerals-vametco-near-rustenburg-over-employee-benefits-deal/
WORKERS at Bushveld Minerals’ Vametco vanadium-producing facility in South Africa’s North West province downed tools on Friday in protest against the terms of an employee participation plan (EPP), the company announced.
An EPP had been previously agreed with the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU) which is the representative union at the mine. Benefits included production-related bonuses employees receive during the year.
Whilst Bushveld Minerals was yet to receive a formal notice from organised labour, it believed worker expectations were not in line with the agreed EPP.
The industrial action was unprotected; in other words not sanctioned in terms of the Labour Relations Act protocol.
This development could represent a bit of a blow for Bushveld Minerals which was already pushing for a strong performance out of Vametco this year after recently unplanned maintenance-related stoppages hurt fourth quarter production. Further downtime of some 35 days’ duration had been pencilled in at Vametco this year.
Bushveld Minerals’ vanadium production for 2021 was recently estimated to be between 4,100 tons to 4,350 tons. This represented a 13% to 20% increase over 2020 production (3,631 tons), including the planned maintenance at Vametco. Bushveld also produces vanadium from Vanchem, facilities situated near to Emalahleni in Mpumalanga province
Bushveld Minerals said that during “a series of meetings” between senior management and AMCU it was agreed that “… all reasonable steps would be taken to urge employees to safely return to work”.
Bushveld Minerals plans to expand its South African vanadium production to 8,400 tons a year from 2,931 in its 2019 financial year. All in all, its expansion ambitions carry a $100m price tag. It spent $53m last year buying the Vanchem facilities from a rival company. It also has the Mokopane vanadium resource that it wants to develop.
Vanadium is used in the steel manufacturing process but it has also been earmarked to play a greater role in the development of stationary long-life batteries which are thought to have a role in decarbonisation.
http://sc.people.com.cn/n2/2021/0418/c345167-34680733.html
The first domestic internet platform for vanadium and titanium industry was released
"Titai Rongyi" is based on big data analysis services for manufacturers, traders, downstream users, etc....
Any I can think of I will drop a message on here for you.
@outdoorswimming
Great work, let's get it to that 100k
Still going strong.
Have the @AnglingTrust been messaged?
Former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chairman of TechMet's Advisory Board, Admiral Mike Mullen, commented:
"I applaud TechMet's achievement in closing this round of funding - it is a testament to the team's foresight, positioning, and ability. As the world adopts new technologies, the supply of critical metals becomes a more pressing national security challenge for the US and its allies. TechMet's achievements and credibility now firmly position it to help to deal with these challenges."
Following the success of this round, TechMet is planning a third round equity raising in Q2/Q3 2021 to secure an additional +/- $250m to further scale its core operations and expand its portfolio.
https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/techmet-closes-its-second-funding-round-at-120m-844426370.html
TechMet has announced the closing of its second-round equity fundraising at $120m. The close represents a 50% oversubscription on its $80m target. The final $60m was raised at a 32% increase over the company's initial Round 2 price, and a 140% increase over its Round 1 price.
TechMet invests in projects across the supply chain of the metals critical to electric vehicles and renewable energy systems that form the basis of the green industrial revolution.
TechMet's largest shareholders now include the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC – the US Government's development finance institution); Lansdowne Partners (one of London's foremost investment institutions); and Mercuria (the global energy trading company); together with TechMet Chairman and CEO, Brian Menell.
The critical metals company was founded in 2017 by British/South African metals industrialist, Brian Menell, with the aim of developing assets that produce metals for which global demand will vastly outweigh supply as the world moves to clean energy technologies. Its assets include Li-Cycle Corp – the lithium-ion battery recycling company which recently merged with Peridot SPAC; Brazilian Nickel – the mining and extraction company producing nickel and cobalt suitable for EV batteries; US Vanadium – which produces vanadium products suitable for redox flow batteries; and Tinco – a portfolio of producing tin and tungsten mines.
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Brian Menell, stated:
"The closure of this funding round marks a significant milestone for TechMet and its oversubscription is a clear reflection of our great projects and of the value the team has created in a short time. These funds give us a significant amount of firepower to expand our operations and add to our portfolio.
We are fortunate to be at an inflection point in history of both enormous opportunity and enormous challenge. We are at the beginning of an epic supply-demand dislocation for the metals that go into EVs and renewable energy systems, and our industry must completely transform itself in order to supply these strategic materials in the quantities necessary, and with the required high Environmental, Social and Governance standards and low carbon footprint, to ensure the success of a clean energy future.
TechMet's mission is to build ethical, independent, and environmentally sound supply chains for the metals that are needed to ensure the success of this 21st Century clean energy and EV revolution.
https://www.argusmedia.com/metals-platform/metal/ferro-alloys-vanadium
https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/softbank-ventures-asia-standard-energy-236241/