Charged EVs | South32 receives DOE grant for battery-grade manganese mining project in Arizona - Charged EVs

Posted October 14, 2024 by Nicole Willing & filed under Newswire, The Tech.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Australian mining and metals company South32 to negotiate a $166-million funding award for its Hermosa project in Arizona.

Souh32 is developing the project at its Clark deposit to produce battery-grade manganese from locally sourced ore for the North American EV market. The grant from the DOE’s Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing program will support the potential development of a commercial-scale manganese production facility. South 32 is engaging potential customers to advance product qualifications for battery manufacturing, including potential agreements for future supply following the signing of non-binding agreements.

On a cost-share basis and subject to final negotiation, the DOE will provide 30% of the cost of the manganese production facility, up to the grant award value.

Construction of a decline at Clark to enable bulk sampling through a demonstration plant and further underground exploration is underway, with decline access scheduled for the end of 2025. The US Department of Defense is supporting this work through a $20-million grant from the Defense Production Act Investment Program.

“We welcome this grant from the DOE, which recognizes Clark’s potential to supply battery-grade manganese to the emerging North American market,” said Graham Kerr, South32’s CEO. “Hermosa represents a regional scale project with the potential to produce commodities critical to a low-carbon future across multiple deposits for decades to come.”

Source: South32

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