unit36
4 months ago
Electra Engages Altitude Capital Consultants
Toronto, Ontario – (August 29, 2024) – Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) (“Electra” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce, in support of its strategic plans to build a North American battery materials supply chain, the Company has signed a strategic advisory agreement with Altitude Capital Consultants Inc. (“Altitude”), based in Toronto, Ontario and led by renowned Canadian capital markets and investment banking experts Michael Wekerle and Gene McBurney, to provide capital markets strategy and analysis of market opportunities.
“We are thrilled to work alongside Michael, Gene and the team at Altitude,” said Electra CEO, Trent Mell. “With their impressive track record of success, both as advisors and investors, we are confident we will benefit from their expertise and experience as we focus on our strategic plans to build North America’s battery materials supply chain.”
Michael Wekerle is thrilled to be advising Electra Battery Materials as they advance their cobalt Refinery project in Ontario, seeing it as a "perfect storm" for the green economy, small-cap mining companies, and Canadian businesses. He believes that the project is positioned at the intersection of several powerful trends: the global shift toward renewable energy, the increasing demand for critical minerals like cobalt, and the growth potential for small-cap companies in the resource sector. Wekerle is particularly excited about the role this project will play in strengthening Canada's position in the global green economy, as it is building the critical infrastructure for the refining of material needed by the G7 nations, while offering significant opportunities for investors and the development of Northern Ontario.
Gene McBurney, a prominent figure in the Canadian resource sector, emphasized the timeliness of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) investment in Electra Battery Materials' Ontario-based cobalt project (announced August 19, 2024). He noted that this investment is strategically crucial, given the growing demand for critical minerals like cobalt, essential for battery production and national security. McBurney highlighted that Electra's project aligns perfectly with North America's broader push to secure a reliable and domestic supply chain for these vital materials, reinforcing the region's energy independence and technological leadership.
Altitude was co-founded by Michael Wekerle where he currently serves as Managing Partner. Mr. Wekerle has had a very successful career in capital markets. Early in his career he joined First Marathon and quickly rose up to become the head trader for the firm, where he was a key player in Roger's takeover of McLean Hunter in 1994. He then joined GMP (Griffiths McBurney and Partners) as Vice Chairman of trading, where he was involved with the 1997 initial public offering of Research in Motion (RIM). In 2012, he formed his own firm, Difference Capital where he invested in companies such as Thunderbird Films, Vision Critical, Appinions and HootSuite. Mr. Wekerle is well known for the four seasons (seasons 9 through 12) that he was an investor on the Canadian television show, Dragon's Den.
Gene McBurney, B.A., M.A., LL.B., LL.D., has over 25 years of international investment banking experience and is an established advisor in the global mining sector. He has a notable history of leading landmark transactions in natural resources, demonstrating his capability to deliver strategic outcomes for his clients.
Altitude has been engaged for an initial term of twelve months, effective as of August 28, 2024. The Company has granted 1,000,000 incentive stock options to Altitude in accordance with its long-term incentive plan. The options are exercisable at a price of $0.85, for a period of three-years, and vest quarterly in four equal tranches over a one-year period. The Company is at arms-length from Altitude and its principals, and the services to be provided by Altitude do not include investor relations or promotional activities.
unit36
4 months ago
Electra Announces Agreement Regarding Outstanding Convertible Notes Interest and Filing of Second Quarter 2024 Financial Reports
Source: Business Wire
Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) (“Electra” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company and the holders of US$51 million principal amount of 8.99% senior secured convertible notes have agreed that all accrued interest owing to August 15, 2024, on the convertible notes will be “paid-in-kind,” not in cash, and added to the outstanding principal amount of the notes. As a result of this agreement, the Company will issue additional notes in the principal amount of US$6.5 million. The Company also announces the filing of its second quarter financial results.
David Allen, Electra’s CFO, said regarding the noteholder agreement, “We are grateful for our lenders’ continued support of our vision and business plan. This agreement allows us to preserve liquidity and allocate capital towards funding the completion of the cobalt refinery project rather than paying interest in cash.”
Electra’s CEO, Trent Mell, said “The cobalt refinery continues to be our primary focus, with the objective of resuming construction shortly after funding is secured. We have maintained rigorous management of our financial resources throughout the quarter and the recent agreement with our lenders further reflects this rigor. The Canadian Refinery is our flagship asset and will be the first of its kind in North America. Beyond refining cobalt hydroxide to produce cobalt sulfate for the battery market, we are exploring battery recycling to close the loop within the supply chain. In June, the Government of Canada entered a $5 million funding agreement with Electra to support the next phase of our battery recycling program. This continued support demonstrates a recognized importance of onshoring the battery supply chain and reducing reliance on China.
“Recent market reports have alluded to a slowing of EV growth rates for some EV manufacturers, but the outlook remains exceptionally strong,” Mell continued. “With global demand for EVs expected to increase by 22% in 2024, according to Rho Motion, and more than 90% of cobalt chemical, the material used for batteries, coming from refineries in China, the urgency to diversify the supply chain to meet the growth challenges ahead is becoming more pressing.
Mell concluded, “Through our partnerships with ERG and Glencore, we have secured feed material to meet the full capacity of our refinery. Customer demand for our cobalt sulfate production far exceeds our production capacity and LG Energy Solutions has already secured up to 80% of our production. We are strategically positioned to be a foundational component of the North American battery supply chain.”
The 8.99% senior secured convertible notes were issued pursuant to an indenture dated February 13, 2023, entered into among the Company, GLAS Trust Company LLC, as trustee for the notes and the noteholders. A supplemental indenture to the note indenture will be entered into which will govern the additional notes, a copy of which will be filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com and with on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
The payment in kind and the issuance of additional notes is subject to certain conditions, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
The Company’s cash balance at the end of the quarter was C$4.8M. The Company’s second quarter 2024 financial reports are available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.com) and the Company’s website (www.ElectraBMC.com).
Electra’s is recommissioning and expanding its refinery, and its long-term vision includes additional phases to potentially provide recycled battery materials and battery grade nickel to the North American and global electric vehicle battery market:
Completion of the recommissioning of the refinery to produce at an initial rate of 5,000 tonnes per annum of battery cobalt contained in cobalt sulfate from cobalt hydroxide.
12-month permit amendment process and expansion of certain circuits to increase cobalt production to 6,500 tonnes per annum of battery grade cobalt sulfate, reaching the nameplate capacity of the crystallization circuit.
Recycling of black mass, recovering lithium, nickel, cobalt and other critical metals, supported by a planned joint venture with the Three Fires Group to collaborate to source battery waste and produce black mass for refining at Electra’s refinery.
Expansion to a second cobalt sulfate facility in Bécancour, Quebec and a strategically located North American nickel sulfate refinery.
Throughout 2023, Electra operated a plant scale battery recycling trial at its refinery, processing more than 40 tonnes of black mass material to recover valuable elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, and copper. The goal was to make high-quality nickel, cobalt, and lithium products. While the current phase of the recycling project is now largely complete, ongoing work aims to unlock additional value from the final saleable products and completed advanced engineering studies.
Electra’s low carbon hydrometallurgical refinery in Canada is permitted and has an estimated current replacement value of approximately US$200 million. The Company requires approximately US$60 million to complete construction. The cobalt refinery project continues to be derisked through the on-site receipt of most long lead-time equipment and by the 2023 commissioning of the legacy refinery operations for the black mass demonstration plant.
About Electra Battery Materials
Electra is a processor of low-carbon, ethically-sourced battery materials. Currently focused on developing North America’s only cobalt sulfate refinery, Electra is executing a phased strategy to onshore the electric vehicle supply chain and provide a North American solution for EV battery materials refining. Keys to its strategy are integrating black mass recycling, expanding cobalt sulfate processing into Bécancour, Quebec, and exploring nickel sulfate production potential within North America. For more information, please visit www.ElectraBMC.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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DawgTrading
3 months ago
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