George Frangeskides, Chairman at ALBA, explains why the Pilbara Lithium option ‘was too good to miss’. Watch the video here.
Well that clears that up, as expected more exploratory drilling, more surveying and as it's been pointed out on this BB many times Parys is the most surveyed geological feature in the Northern hemisphere. If they don't know what it contains and in what quantities by now they never will. Jam sometime later? with commodity prices falling like proverbial lead bricks I for one shall not be holding my breath. No doubt I shall be pilloried for once again having a negative outlook, I prefer to describe it as realistic. I will continue to hold as I do have faith that one day hopefully within the next five years Parys will be close to production.
Just like I was, Jo will be answerable to others and in my experience though they take a back seat they never really let go. Just for the record I spent my entire life in construction retiring at senior management level having worked for some of the largest contractors in the UK.
At the risk of being accused of negativity again there are some on this BB that appear to think that Jonathan Battershill has been appointed (to be rubber stamped at AGM) as sole Director and therefore savior of AYM . Though he comes with the qualifications required to move the company forward the Old Guard are still very much in place.
I'm a LTH my holdings were bought at between 2.00 - 2.50p though substantial I shan't be declaring an interest anytime soon. I realise that in this industry things take time to evolve but we've endured decades of nothing. It is my intention to continue to hold but I see life realistically our assets are still in the ground and at the present rate of progress look like remaining there for some time to come. By the time shovels go in the ground others will be reaping the benefits of any forthcoming upturn in demand for metals. Though as previously stated I see a steady increase which I hope all of us can benefit from. It's not a case of talking the SP down or up, merely giving an opinion which provides for healthy discussion.
Take a reality check governments throughout the world have borrowed record amounts to pay for Covid I don't think there is an appetite for more borrowing for infrastructure. In the past infrastructure projects were used to create employment, classic example is the depression years in America ( Rockefeller Centre ,Hover Dam, Mount Rushmore Monuments), wages paid found there way back into the economy through spending taxation etc. employment is not a problem there are thousands of jobs on offer. What do we know, second phase of HS2 (Northern Route) has been pushed back closer to the long grass, Boris's bridge/tunnel between Scotland - Ireland whilst do able is not going to happen anytime soon if at all likewise tunneling under the Irish sea with a rail terminal below the Isle of Man again from an engineering point of view do able cost wise prohibitive . I'm not talking the SP down markets will decide on the evidence in front of them. I just don't see there being anything other than a steady demand for metals rather than a high demand some are predicting.
Most new men in the top job make a statement as to the direction they intend to take the company but I can see Tommymech's point that if things are going on behind the scene that would not be the think to do at this point in time.
Much talked of infrastructure projects will be quietly kicked in to the long grass due to record government borrowing over the past twelve months. Car manufactures may be producing electric cars to meet government targets but there appears not to be any great rush to provide a nationwide network of charging points and if we're to go all electric where is all this power going to come from? Renewables can't provide all of it and as far as I'm aware there are no plans in the pipeline for any new power stations (Wylfa is on hold). From plans to supplying the national grid takes 25yrs, that takes us to the middle of the century. I've recently changed my car for a newer petrol model and till 2030 will be able to replace it with another petrol car, the only electric vehicle I'll be driving is a mobility scoter. I don't see the demand for metals reaching our expectations, I hope as a LTH that I'm wrong. If AYM don't act soon the viability of their assets will be in doubt. I am in no way trying to influence the SP just stating things as I see it.
Interest is soon lost in AYM as there is never any follow up to announcements. New lad takes the helm = rise in SP, then nothing, SP falls back, large sell off's as those with vast amount of shares take profit, nothing wrong in that. There is never any game plan, time frame for development lets hope that the AGM will bring some much needed clarification. Yes I know all this has been said before just thought I'd have a Sunday morning moan as the weather is naff.
As a company listed on the main market are there not regulations / rules with regards to BOD and their duties toward shareholders ? Are they legally entitled to sit on their hands and our assets, one would have thought that they were legally obliged to work in the best interests of the companies shareholders. Is it enough to issue the occasional RNS (with nothing in them of any great consequence) to qualify as working in best interests.
As there ever been a plan? for the last two decades the BOD appear to have just bumbled along with no evidence that they were even making it up on the hoof. If there was ever a better time in history to reopen Parys it's now and long suffering shareholders need to know what the timeframe is. It's been said that finding the finance would not be a problem, so what is? Is it the life span, is it to small, are start up cost to great. Just what is the problem apart form a useless BOD who in any other stock market quoted company would have been voted out by share holders years ago. The problem here is that senior members of the BOD are the major share holders so nothing gets done or changes. Just how much longer can this go on?