A Minimum Purchase of 200,000 tonnes over 10 Years: Focus Graphite
Updates its Historic Offtake Agreement With a Chinese Industrial
Conglomerate
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Mar 6, 2014) - Further to its
December 19, 2013 announcement of an historic offtake agreement
with a Chinese industrial conglomerate, Focus Graphite Inc.
(TSX-VENTURE:FMS) (OTCQX:FCSMF) (FRANKFURT:FKC) (the "Company") is
pleased to report that the terms of the agreement bind the parties
to a minimum purchase of 20,000 tonnes per year of future
production from its Lac Knife graphite property some 27 kilometers
southwest of Fermont, Quebec.
Focus President and Chief Operating Officer Don Baxter said
other specific terms of the agreement, including pricing and
renewal rights remain confidential for competitive reasons.
"We are pleased to update our initial offtake announcement on
December 19, 2013 which stipulated a supply ceiling of 40,000
tonnes per year of large, medium and fine flake graphite and value
added graphite also holds a minimum purchase floor of 20,000 tpa
over the life of the agreement," Mr. Baxter said.
"This update is, in part, prompted by questions posed to us by
other potential strategic offtake buyers concerned with the
availability or possible lack thereof of future long-term supplies
of Lac Knife concentrates," Mr. Baxter added.
As reported in its November 7, 2013 Updated Preliminary Economic
Assessment, the Company intends to produce 44,300 tonnes of high
purity graphite annually.
"Based on our ongoing discussions, Focus recognizes the
importance of leaving the door open to accommodate future demand,
particularly from our friends in the United States and Europe," Mr.
Baxter said.
"More," he added, "Tesla Motors' announcement of its intention
to build a huge battery manufacturing facility in the United States
opens the door for our industry to compete for the right to supply
purified and shaped battery grade materials to an industry
innovator."
Tesla Motors announced it intends to invest $5 billion to
construct a massive battery manufacturing facility somewhere in the
southwestern United States.
On February 26, 2014, the New York Times reported the automaker
expects to reduce the per-kilowatt cost of its battery packs by
more than 30 percent by the end of the first year of volume
production for its third-generation electric vehicle. At full
production, the factory, known as the Gigafactory, would produce
about 500,000 lithium-ion batteries annually by 2020, more than
suppliers worldwide produced last year.
Tesla's aim, Mr. Baxter said, is to reduce input costs for both
its world-leading electric vehicles and for energy storage units
for its SolarCity solar power subsidiary.
SolarCity uses Tesla battery packs for its residential and
business customers to lessen their dependence on electrical power
from the grid.
Mr. Baxter said Tesla's move, as one of the highest profile
driving forces in the world opens the door for graphite developers
to make their case not only to Tesla, but all clean technology
end-users to compare the cost-to-power advantages that come from of
natural flake graphite.
"As a graphite developer moving towards production, Focus
Graphite's long-held business strategy, in principle, mirrors that
of Tesla Chairman Elon Musk's - and that is: building a
vertically-integrated value chain to secure a competitive
advantage," Mr Baxter said.
More than half of Focus' Lac Knife's deposit is 98% purity,
low-cost, fine flake (-100 mesh) graphite which can be affordably
purified and shaped to meet future battery material demand for the
anodes used in lithium-ion batteries.
Mr. Baxter stated: "Focus stands alone in the graphite industry
by publicly declaring its intention to carve out new technology
markets from a graphite product once considered to be low value and
therefore, largely ignored and sometimes neglected fine flake
graphite," flake graphite.
Both the United States and China have set mandatory production
targets for electric and hybrid electric vehicles at one million
vehicles each by 2015-2016.
It is estimated that batteries for two million electric vehicles
will create a demand for an additional supply of 160,000 tonnes per
year of high-value purified graphite. Global production of flake is
currently estimated at 500,000 tons per year.
About Focus Graphite
Focus Graphite Inc. is an emerging mid-tier junior mining
development company, a technology solutions supplier and a business
innovator. Focus is the owner of the Lac Knife graphite deposit
located in the Côte-Nord region of northeastern Québec. The Lac
Knife project hosts a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated
Mineral Resource Estimate* of 9.6 million tons grading 14.77%
graphitic carbon (Cg) as crystalline graphite with an additional
Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate* of 3.1 million tons grading
13.25% Cg of crystalline graphite. Focus' goal is to assume an
industry leadership position by becoming a low-cost producer of
technology-grade graphite. On November 7, 2013 the Company released
the results of an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA")
of the Lac Knife Project which indicated that the project has very
good potential to become a graphite producer. As a
technology-oriented enterprise with a view to building long-term,
sustainable shareholder value, Focus also invests in the
development of graphene applications and patents through Grafoid
Inc.
The information presented in this news release has been reviewed
by Don Baxter Baxter, P.Eng, President and Chief Operating Officer
of Focus Graphite Inc., and a Qualified Person under National
Instrument (NI) 43-101 guidelines.
Forward Looking Statement
This presentation contains "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All information
contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may
constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not
expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates",
"forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or
"believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that
certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might"
or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking
information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of
activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be
materially different from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking information, including but not limited to: (i)
volatile stock price; (ii) the general global markets and economic
conditions; (iii) the possibility of write-downs and impairments;
(iv) the risk associated with exploration, development and
operations of mineral deposits; (v) the risk associated with
establishing title to mineral properties and assets; (vi)the risks
associated with entering into joint ventures; (vii) fluctuations in
commodity prices; (viii) the risks associated with uninsurable
risks arising during the course of exploration, development and
production; (ix) competition faced by the resulting issuer in
securing experienced personnel and financing; (x) access to
adequate infrastructure to support mining, processing, development
and exploration activities; (xi) the risks associated with changes
in the mining regulatory regime governing the resulting issuer;
(xii) the risks associated with the various environmental
regulations the resulting issuer is subject to; (xiii) risks
related to regulatory and permitting delays; (xiv) risks related to
potential conflicts of interest; (xv) the reliance on key
personnel; (xvi) liquidity risks; (xvii) the risk of potential
dilution through the issue of common shares; (xviii) the Company
does not anticipate declaring dividends in the near term; (xix) the
risk of litigation; and (xx) risk management. Forward-looking
information is based on assumptions management believes to be
reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not
limited to, continued exploration activities, no material adverse
change in metal prices, exploration and development plans
proceeding in accordance with plans and such plans achieving their
stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals,
and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although
the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in
the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that
cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.
There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information
will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events
could differ materially from those anticipated in such
forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has
been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in
understanding the Company's business, operations and exploration
plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly,
readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of
this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update
such forward-looking information except in accordance with
applicable securities laws.
Focus Graphite Inc.Mr. Don Baxter, P.EngPresident and Chief
Operating
Officer705-789-9706dbaxter@focusgraphite.comwww.focusgraphite.com
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