Resource World Magazine

D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 www.resourceworld.com 7 Editor's Comments Ellsworth Dickson Ellsworth Dickson, Editor-in-Chief Email: editor@resourceworld.com T: 604 484 3800 | 1 877 484 3800 Alpala Maiden Resource of 1.08 Bt @ 0.68% CuEq 430Mt Indicated @ 0.8% CuEq (2.3 Mt Cu, 6.0Moz Au) 650Mt Inferred @ 0.6% CuEq (2.9 Mt Cu, 6.3 Moz Au) High grade core of 70Mt @ 1.8% CuEq Indicated and 50Mt @ 1.8% CuEq Inferred; plus 50 Mt @ 1.0% CuEq Indicated and 50 Mt @ 1.0% CuEq Inferred * Mr. Martin Pittuck, MSc, CEng, MIMMM, is responsible for the Mineral Resource Estimate and is an "independent qualified person" as such term is defined in NI 43-101 15% interest in Cascabel Cu-Au project in Ecuador financed through feasibility, plus ~10% shareholding in Cascabel JV partner SolGold Plc (for total ~23% interest in Cascabel) 2 projects under JV, and 3 drill ready projects Strategic Exploration Alliance with Ecuador's State Mining Company, ENAMI EP THERE ARE NOW over 40 electric vehicle manufacturers and they all require battery minerals for power – usually lithium ion batteries. Two relatively new companies are Electra Meccanica with a single-seat commuter car and Thor Trucks with an electric semi. Then there are new stationary power systems for homes and businesses that depend on vanadium and even zinc. One might think that with the coming revolution in electric vehicles and stationary power systems that companies exploring for and mining battery minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graph- ite, manganese, vanadium, nickel and possibly zinc would be hot stocks. Many were a while ago; however, some have drifted lower over the past year while others have been holding their own and a few have done really well. Prevailing investor sentiment can be a boon or a curse. The president of a junior exploration company recently told me that her normal high-risk investors have switched to marijuana stocks for quick capital gains. I recently interviewed Bart Jaworski, P.Geo., CEO of Group Eleven Resources which has a 3,200 km 2 land package in the Irish zinc dis- trict. Key projects include Ballinalack (JV with Nonfemet), Stonepark (JV with Connemara Mining), Silvermines (100%) and Tralee (100%). Being in the zinc business, Jaworski has been following the exciting developments in the zinc-air battery sector. "I think zinc-air batteries are going to make a significant impact with grid power storage," said Jaworski. "Zinc always was the ideal metal for batteries since Edison's time; however, the problem has been recharge ability. You couldn't recharge a zinc battery without needles or dendrites growing inside the cell and quickly bursting the battery. A few years ago, a scientific breakthrough by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory changed all that." He explained that a zinc-air battery allows electric charges within the cell to be dissipated enough homogenously which prevents needle growth. "For the first time, zinc batteries can be rechargeable which means that they have potential to compete on a cost and power basis with lithium-ion batteries." Jaworski speculates that the small zinc batteries may be suit- able for cars or small equipment. "Large zinc batteries would be for grid power storage which is where we could see a significant increase in zinc demand," he said. He noted a great example of large zinc batteries is NantEnergy run by a Californian billionaire, Dr. Patrick Soon Shiong, who has developed a zinc-air battery which essentially runs on photons (the sun), zinc and air. He has already demonstrated that these batteries can successfully run dozens of cell phone towers and small villages completely off the grid in Africa and other regions. Another company involved in zinc-air batteries is MGX Renewables, a spin-out of MGX Minerals that was previously known as ZincNyx Energy Solutions. MGX's zinc-air battery can charge and discharge simultaneously. The company wants to serve diesel generator replacement, telecom facility back-ups, electrifica- tion of ferries and tug boats and electric vehicle charging support, to name a few. Another California company, EnZinc, Inc., is also entering the zinc battery market with their 3D zinc sponge batteries. These major developments in battery technology are poised to have a major impact on our lives as well as companies mining and exploring for battery minerals. Maybe it's time to take a look at some of these battery minerals companies while they are still undervalued and before the tsunami of battery minerals demand gets underway. n Electric vehicle industry to revolutionize transportation

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