Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Coosa Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Graphite
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotThe Coosa graphite deposit is the largest source of domestic U.S. natural flake graphite in the contiguous U.S.

The Project consists of ~ 42,000 acres of mineral rights held under long-term lease, with exploration to date has been on less than 10% of total acres.

Westwater’s vanadium discovery at its Coosa Graphite Deposit could contribute revenues.

The Kellyton graphite processing plant (currently under construction) and Coosa graphite deposit together will represent the first fully integrated domestic battery-grade graphite project in the U.S.

Initial Assessment for Coosa Graphite Deposit was filed as an SK-1300 Technical Report Summary on December 13, 2023.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Westwater Resources Inc. 100 % Indirect
On April 23, 2018, Westwater acquired a 100% interest in Alabama Graphite Corp. as part of a strategic decision to refocus the Company to supply battery manufacturers with low-cost, high-quality, and high-margin natural graphite products. As a result of that business transaction, Westwater became the owner of the Project.

Deposit type

  • Metamorphic hosted

Summary:

Graphite deposits occur in three forms: flake graphite, vein graphite, and amorphous graphite.

Landis (1971) tentatively concluded that graphite formation is primarily dependent on metamorphic temperature and forms above 400°C, with pressure and variation in starting material constituting secondary controls.

The Coosa graphite deposits are flake graphite deposits in high grade metamorphic rocks. They are associated with anomalous vanadium, including the vanadium-mica roscoellite, and nickel, as well as other elements.

Geological mapping of the Coosa resource grid was carried out by Alabama Graphite geologists based on stream sections, road cuts, drill pads, and trenches. The main graphite schist trends northeast and to the south changes to north-south, and joins with another unit of graphite schist to the east. There is garnet schist on the east side of the graphite schist, which dies out to the south. These features may be interpreted as an anticline plunging at a low angle to the south with a core of garnet schist overlain structurally by graphite schist. The graphite schist is underlain structurally on the west side by quartz-muscovite-biotite-graphite schist.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Graphite tons 16,500377,761
All production numbers are expressed as refined graphite.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Daily milling capacity 514 tons
Stripping / waste ratio 0.11 *
Waste tonnes, LOM 1,742,363 tons *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 15,200,409 tons *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 16,942,772 tons *
Tonnes milled, LOM 15,200,409 tons *
* According to 2015 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsEstimated
Cash costs Graphite USD 746 / ton *  USD
Total cash costs Graphite USD 1,410 / ton *  USD
Assumed price Graphite USD 8,165 / ton *  USD
* According to 2015 study / presentation.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 136
Refining costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
G&A costs $M USD 31.8
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Royalty payments $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Net revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 0% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 0% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 11, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 11, 2024

Aerial view:

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