Titan Mining Corp. announced that its subsidiary, Empire State Mines, LLC (ESM), and the U.S. Department of the Army have executed a term sheet establishing the principal commercial terms for an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) to develop a critical minerals processing facility on U.S. Army property. Under the proposed framework, ESM would develop, finance, build, own and operate a commercial-scale graphite processing facility designed to produce value-added natural graphite products, including Purified Micronized Graphite (PMG) in phase I and Coated Spherical Purified Graphite (CSPG) following customer qualifications.
The term sheet contemplates developing the proposed facility on approximately 97 acres of underutilized Army property at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, giving Titan a pathway to establish downstream graphite processing capacity within an existing strategic U.S. defense installation. Development would leverage established infrastructure, site access and coordinated utilities planning to support the fast-track construction of the facility.
“Developing within an existing Army installation provides important infrastructure and strategic advantages and creates a pathway to establish large-scale domestic graphite processing without having to develop an entirely new industrial site from the ground up. Importantly, this is more than securing a site,” said Rita Adiani, president and CEO of Titan. “The proposed framework combines long-duration site control, strategic U.S. defense infrastructure and financing flexibility with Kilbourne’s domestic natural flake graphite resource, our existing operating infrastructure and expertise in New York, and our growing customer qualification programs.
“Together, these elements provide a pathway to build a secure American graphite supply chain from mine through value-added purified graphite products,” she continued. “With the potential for up to 100 years of site tenure, we are establishing the foundation for a long-term domestic processing platform capable of supporting U.S. defense, advanced manufacturing and energy supply chains for decades to come.”
The proposed facility would extend Titan’s domestic graphite platform downstream into purified and coated graphite products critical to U.S. defense, advanced manufacturing and energy applications. It would also provide the Army with a right of first offer to purchase certain uncommitted PMG and CSPG produced at the facility.
The proposed framework incorporates mechanisms to adjust development milestones for specified permitting, regulatory and other project circumstances outside ESM’s control. It includes an initial 50-year lease term with two additional 25-year renewal options exercisable by ESM and the Army, providing the potential for up to 100 years of operating tenure.
Titan and the Army said they will continue working toward execution of the definitive EUL and completion of the remaining project-development requirements, which remain subject to customary conditions.
The post Titan Mining and U.S. Army to Develop Graphite Processing Facility appeared first on E & MJ.
