UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
6-K
REPORT
OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the month of December, 2024.
Commission
File Number 000-54260
First
Phosphate Corp.
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
1055
West Georgia Street, 1500 Royal Centre, P.O. Box 11117, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 4N7
(Address
of principal executive office)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
☒
Form 20-F ☐ Form 40-F
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ___
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ___
SUBMITTED
HEREWITH
The
following documents of the Registrant are submitted herewith:
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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First Phosphate Corp. |
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(Registrant) |
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Date: December 4, 2024 |
By |
/s/“Bennett Kurtz” |
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(Signature)* |
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Bennett Kurtz, Chief Financial Officer |
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* Print the name and title under the signature of the
signing officer. |
Exhibit
99.1
First
Phosphate Announces Positive Results of
Preliminary
Economic Assessment at its Bégin-Lamarche
Property in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada
NOT
INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR THE UNITED STATES
Saguenay,
Quebec – December 4, 2024 – First Phosphate Corp. (“First Phosphate” or the “Company”)
(CSE:PHOS) (OTCQB: FRSPF) (FSE:KD0) is pleased to announce the positive results of its Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”)
on the Bégin-Lamarche Property (the “Property” or the “Project”) located 75 km northwest
of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada.
The
PEA provides a potentially viable case for developing the Property by open pit mining for the primary production of phosphate concentrate
and secondary bi-product recovery of magnetite concentrate.
Highlights
(all dollar amounts in Canadian dollars on a 100% project ownership basis unless otherwise indicated):
- The Project would produce an annual average
of 900,000 tonnes of beneficiated phosphate concentrate at 40% P2O5 content and 380,000 tonnes of magnetite at
92% Fe2O3 content over a 23-year mine life.
- The Project generates a pre-tax internal
rate or return (IRR) of 37.1% and a pre-tax net present value (NPV) of $2.100 Billion at an 8% discount rate at an approximate 3-year
trailing average phosphate price plus a premium for purity and potential secure source of supply, and a 2-year trailing average magnetite
price plus a premium for purity.
- The Project generates an after-tax internal
rate or return (IRR) of 33.0% and an after-tax net present value (NPV) of $1.590 Billion at an 8% discount rate.
- The Project would generate an after-tax
cash flow of $700 Million in years 1 to 3, resulting in a 2.9-year payback period from start of production. Pre-tax cash flow in years
1 to 3 is $783 Million for a 2.6-year payback period.
- The Project benefits from adjacent paved
provincial road access and nearby electrical power line, and year-round accessible deep-sea Port of Saguenay at approximately 85 km driving
distance. Initial capex for the Project is limited to $675 million.
- The PEA used Indicated and Inferred Mineral
Resources in its calculations.
- The Project has no outstanding royalties
or financing streams registered against it.
“We
are pleased with the results and timely completion of this PEA. Existing local infrastructure keeps our capex low, our mine size
controlled and our mine economics robust,” says First Phosphate CEO, John Passalacqua. “Our internal Pre-Feasibility
work is also near completion and we are now in a position to determine the timing on our Feasibility Study.”
PEA
BASE CASE FINANCIAL SUMMARY (all dollar amounts in $Canadian unless otherwise noted, presented on a 100% ownership basis):
Pre-Tax
Net Present Value (8% discount rate) |
$2.100
Billion |
After-Tax
Net Present Value (8% discount rate) |
$1.590
Billion |
Pre-Tax
Internal Rate of Return |
37.1% |
After-Tax
Internal Rate of return |
33.0% |
After-Tax
Payback |
2.9
Years |
Pre-production
Capital |
$675
Million |
Sustaining
Capital |
$317
Million |
Mine
Life |
23
Years |
Process
Plant Throughput |
18,000
tpd |
Concentrate
Prices |
|
Phosphate
(40% P2O5) |
$350/t
USD |
Magnetite
(92% Fe2O3) |
$168/t
USD |
Exchange
Rate $CAD:$USD |
$1.37
(0.73) |
PEA
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Mine
Life |
23
years |
Mine
Plan Tonnage |
150.5
Million tonnes |
Process
Plant Feed Grade |
|
P2O5 |
5.76% |
Fe2O3 |
10.32% |
Strip
Ratio (Waste:Process Plant Feed) |
1.5:1 |
Operating
Cost (per tonne of process plant feed) |
$28.31 |
Pit-Constrained
Mineral Resource Estimate at 2.5% P2O5 Cut-off (1-4) |
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Classification |
Zone |
Tonnes
(M) |
P2O5
(%) |
P2O5
(kt) |
Fe2O3
(%) |
Fe2O3
(Mt) |
TiO2
(%) |
TiO2
(kt) |
|
Indicated |
Mountain |
9.3 |
8.19 |
758 |
9.95 |
0.9 |
3.23 |
299 |
|
Northern |
32.2 |
6.00 |
1,934 |
10.91 |
3.5 |
3.33 |
1,073 |
|
Total |
41.5 |
6.49 |
2,692 |
10.69 |
4.4 |
3.31 |
1,372 |
|
Inferred |
Mountain |
6.8 |
8.57 |
584 |
10.34 |
0.7 |
3.68 |
251 |
|
Northern |
44.3 |
6.98 |
3,090 |
11.14 |
50 |
3.26 |
1,442 |
|
Southern |
162.9 |
5.63 |
9,177 |
10.85 |
17.6 |
3.73 |
6,080 |
|
Total |
214.0 |
6.01 |
12,851 |
10.89 |
23.3 |
3.63 |
7,773 |
|
Note:
P2O5 = phosphorus pentoxide, Fe2O3 = iron oxide/ferric oxide, TiO2
= titanium dioxide.
1.
Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability.
2.
The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation socio-political, marketing,
or other relevant issues.
3.
The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and
must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded
to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration.
4.
The Mineral Resources were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral
Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices Guidelines (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions
and adopted by the CIM Council.
The
mine plan uses conventional truck/shovel open pit methods utilizing 90-tonne capacity haulage trucks and shovels equipped with 10 cubic
metre buckets. The open pit will be mined over a period of 22 production years and six months of pre-stripping. Low-grade mineralization
that is stockpiled over the life-of-mine will be processed for an additional production year. Mineralized material will be transported
by haulage trucks to the nearby process plant, and waste rock will be stored at a facility located approximately 800 metres southeast
of the open pit. Backfilling of the mined-out open pit with 61 Mt of waste rock is planned, which will reduce the amount required to
be stored on surface and lead to proactive restorative measures. Mining is to be conducted at an initial rate of 15 Million total tonnes
per annum (Mtpa), and will reach a peak of 28 Mtpa based on process plant feed and waste rock removal requirements.
The
process plant feed is contained within an optimized subset of the Mineral Resource set out in the table above. The open pit contains
150.5 Mt of process plant feed (inclusive of mining dilution and loss factors) averaging 5.76% P2O5 and 10.32%
Fe2O3. The process plant feed is associated with 219 Mt of waste rock and overburden resulting in an overall life-of-mine
strip ratio of 1.5:1. It is notable that all Mineral Resources considered for mining are in the Indicated and Inferred classifications.
Extensive
metallurgical testing was carried out at SGS, Quebec City. The test work has indicated process recoveries of phosphate and magnetite
to be reasonably high and relatively consistent. The most recent tests focused on circuit stability and maximizing concentrate recovery.
Elements of potential concern in traditional phosphate operations based on sedimentary phosphate deposits used for fertilizers are not
an issue since the Bégin-Lamarche Mineral Resource is based on a clean igneous rock deposit. Moreover, the low sulphur content
suggests the tailings material would not create an environmental risk for acid generation or for metal leaching. Lastly, dry stack tailings
and waste rock management are designed for closure and the elimination of concerns for acid drainage or metal leaching.
Initial
Capital Costs ($Canadian Millions)
Pre-Stripping |
6 |
Process
Plant Equipment and Building |
262 |
Mining
Equipment (leased) |
23 |
Tailings
Management Facility |
29 |
Indirects,
EPCM and Owner’s Costs |
154 |
Site
Infrastructure |
89 |
Contingency |
112 |
Total
Initial Capital |
675 |
LOM
Sustaining Capital Costs ($Canadian Millions)
Mining |
100 |
Process
Plant |
63 |
Tailings
Management Facility |
39 |
Site
Infrastructure |
45 |
EPCM |
4 |
Reclamation |
16 |
Contingency |
50 |
Total
Sustaining Capital |
317 |
LOM
Operating Costs ($Canadian per tonne)
Mining
Cost per Tonne Mined Material (waste and mineralized material |
2.73 |
|
|
Mining
Cost per Tonne Process Plant Feed |
6.71 |
Processing
Cost per Tonne Feed |
12.56 |
G
& A per Tonne Process Plant Feed |
1.28 |
Tailings
and Water Management |
3.45 |
Concentrate
Handling and Transport |
4.31 |
Total
Cost per Tonne Process Plant Feed |
28.31 |
The
Project site is within the ancestral lands of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan First Nation, which confers certain rights to indigenous
peoples in the area. First Phosphate recognizes the traditional rights of Indigenous people and acknowledges the exercising of treaty
rights to preserve their cultural identity and customs. A formal collaboration agreement with Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan First Nation
was signed on April 9, 2024 which includes the ability for the First Nation to become involved financially in the mining activity and
other related downstream facilities to be developed by First Phosphate.
Qualified
Persons
The
scientific and technical disclosure for First Phosphate included in this News Release have been reviewed and approved by Gilles Laverdière,
P.Geo. VP Exploration for First Phosphate and Mr. Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, President of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. Messrs.
Laverdière and Puritch are Qualified Persons under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects. Mr.
Puritch is independent of First Phosphate.
About
First Phosphate Corp.
First
Phosphate (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQB: FRSPF) (FSE: KD0) is a mineral development company fully dedicated to extracting and purifying phosphate
for the production of cathode active material for the Lithium Iron Phosphate (“LFP”) battery industry. First Phosphate is
committed to producing at high purity level, in a responsible manner and with low anticipated carbon footprint. First Phosphate plans
to vertically integrate from mine source directly into the supply chains of major North American LFP battery producers that require battery
grade LFP cathode active material emanating from a consistent and secure supply source. First Phosphate is owner and developer of the
Bégin-Lamarche Property in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec, Canada that consists of rare anorthosite igneous phosphate rock that
generally yields high purity phosphate material devoid of harmful concentrations of deleterious elements.
About
P&E Mining Consultants Inc.
P&E
was established in 2004 and provides geological and mine engineering consulting reports, Mineral Resource Estimate technical reports,
Preliminary Economic Assessments and Pre-Feasibility Studies. P&E is affiliated with major Toronto based consulting firms for the
purposes of joint venturing on Feasibility Studies. P&E’s experience covers over 450 NI 43-101 Technical Reports including
First Phosphate’s Bégin-Lamarche NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate which was completed in October 2024.
For
additional information, please contact:
Bennett
Kurtz
Chief
Financial Officer
bennett@firstphosphate.com
Tel:
+1 (416) 200-0657
Investor
Relations: investor@firstphosphate.com
Media
Relations: media@firstphosphate.com
Website:
www.FirstPhosphate.com
Follow
First Phosphate:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FirstPhosphate
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-phosphate/
-30-
Forward-Looking
Information and Cautionary Statements
This
news release contains certain statements and information that may be considered “forward-looking statements” and “forward
looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking
statements and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “targets”,
“expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “an opportunity exists”, “is positioned”,
“estimates”, “intends”, “assumes”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”
or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”,
“could”, “would”, “might”, “will” or “will be taken”, “occur”
or “be achieved” and other similar expressions. In addition, statements in this news release that are not historical facts
are forward looking statements, including, among other things,: the Company’s planned exploration and production activities; the
properties and composition of any extracted phosphate; the Company’s plans for vertical integration into North American supply
chains; the calculation of mineral resources at the project and the possibility of eventual economic extraction of minerals from the
Project; the projected yearly production profile from operations; life of mine sustaining costs; process plant throughput and average
grades; the projected economics of the Project, including total sales, premiums, margins, taxes, average annual production; the net present
value of the Project; the internal rate of return on the Project; Project payback period, average yearly free cash flow, life of mine
unit costs, projected mine life, the total initial capital and sustaining capital costs; and the project design, including the location
of the tailings management facility, process plant, infrastructure area, stockpile areas, remediation plans and the proposed mine and
transportation plans.
These
statements and other forward-looking information are based on assumptions and estimates that the Company believes are appropriate and
reasonable in the circumstances, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, the various assumptions set forth
herein and in the Company’s public disclosure record including the short form base prospectus dated June 5, 2024, as well as: there
being no significant disruptions affecting the activities of the Company or inability to access required Project inputs; permitting and
development of the Project being consistent with the Company’s expectations; the accuracy of the current mineral resource estimates
for the Company and results of metallurgical testing; certain price assumptions for P2O5 and Fe2O3;
inflation and prices for Project inputs being approximately consistent with anticipated levels; and the Company’s relationship
with Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan First Nation and other Indigenous parties remaining consistent with the Company’s expectations.
There
can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from
those anticipated in such statements. There can be no assurance that any opportunity will be successful, commercially viable, completed
on time or on budget, or will generate any meaningful revenues, savings or earnings, as the case may be, for the Company. In addition,
the Company will incur costs in pursuing any particular opportunity, which may be significant. These factors and assumptions are not
intended to represent a complete list of the factors and assumptions that could affect the Company and, though they should be considered
carefully, should be considered in conjunction with the risk factors described in the Company’s other documents filed with the
Canadian and United States securities authorities, including without limitation the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s
Management Discussion and Analysis dated October 23, 2024 and Annual Report on 20-F dated July 8, 2024, which are available on SEDAR
at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results
to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking information or information, there may be other factors that cause actions,
events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking
information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Certain
forward-looking statements in this press release may also constitute a “financial outlook” within the meaning of applicable
securities laws. A financial outlook involves statements about the Company’s prospective financial performance, financial position
or cash flows and is based on and subject to the assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action and the risk factors
in relation to such financial outlook noted in this press release. Such assumptions are based on management’s assessment of the
relevant information currently available, and any financial outlook included in this press release is provided for the purpose of helping
readers understand the Company’s current expectations and plans for the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on any financial
outlook may not be appropriate for other purposes or in other circumstances and that the risk factors described above, or any other factors
may cause actual results to differ materially from any financial outlook. The actual results of the Company’s operations will likely
vary from the amounts set forth in any financial outlook and such variances may be material.
First Phosphate (QB) (USOTC:FRSPF)
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