SASKATOON, SK, July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Great Western
Minerals Group Ltd. ("GWMG" or the "Company") (TSX.V: GWG / OTCQX:
GWMGF), a leader in the manufacture and supply of rare earth-based
metal alloys and high purity metals with a low cost, high-grade
critical rare earth asset (the "Steenkampskraal Project" or "SKK"),
has delivered its high-purity yttrium oxide supply chain assessment
to the Department of Defense ("DoD"). In close coordination with
major defense contractors, the Company found that military
requirements from 2011 to 2015 for high-purity yttria are 40 to 50
tonnes per year higher than previous DoD life-cycle sustainment
estimates, and that there are processing gaps in the supply
chain.
Source |
Low
(tonnes) |
Medium
(tonnes) |
High
(tonnes) |
DoD Life-Cycle Sustainment Estimate, Average
2011-2015 (Sept. 2012) |
126 |
168 |
168 |
Additional Demand Identified by Field Work |
40 |
40 |
50 |
Additional Uncertainty |
0 |
10 |
20 |
Total Average Military Requirement |
166 |
218 |
238 |
Mitigation Options
(2015) |
Minimum - Maximum
Foreign Dependence
(tonnes REO)
% Military Requirement |
Scenario 1: Domestic Raw Yttrium Supply &
Processing Only ("Domestic Production") |
(154 - 211)
78% - 89% |
Scenario 2: Domestic Production, DoD Recycling
with Foreign Toll-Processing |
(99 - 156)
50% - 66% |
Scenario 3: Domestic Production, Consignment of
All non-Chinese Yttrium Supply with Foreign Toll-Processing |
(79 - 136)
40% - 57% |
Scenario 4: Domestic Production, DoD Recycling and
Consignment of All non-Chinese Yttrium Supply with Foreign
Toll-Processing |
(24 - 81)
12% - 34% |
"In addition to the growing magnitude of military requirements,
our report concludes that newly-mined and recycled yttria in
the United States will be unable
to meet this requirement until about 2019," stated GWMG President
and CEO Marc LeVier. "Considering
the long-lived bottlenecks for raw yttrium production and yttria
refining indicated by this work, the high-grade resource at SKK
once funded and producing is capable of delivering this critical
material to military contractors."
Yttrium oxide is used in a wide variety of ceramics and
phosphors for military systems including thermal barrier coatings
for jet engines, investment casting of titanium parts, night vision
crystals and high-temperature superconductors. Importantly, the
Company's Manufacturing Services segment also manufactures
specialty metal alloys which include nickel, cobalt, titanium,
magnet, aluminum and yttrium.
About GWMG
Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. is a leader in the manufacture
and supply of rare earth-based alloys and high purity metals with a
low cost, high-grade critical rare earth asset. Its specialty
alloys are used in the battery, magnet and aerospace
industries. Produced at the Company's wholly-owned
subsidiaries, Less Common Metals Limited in Ellesmere Port, U.K.
and Great Western Technologies Inc. in Troy, Michigan, these alloys contain
transition metals, including nickel, cobalt, iron and other rare
earth elements. As part of the Company's vertical integration
strategy, GWMG also holds 100% equity ownership in Rare Earth
Extraction Co. Limited, which controls the Steenkampskraal monazite
mine in South Africa. The
Company also holds interests in four rare earth exploration and
development properties in North
America that are not active.
The Company routinely posts news and other information on its
website at www.gwmg.ca.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statement
Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes
forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements
(often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as
"expect", "may", "could", "anticipate" or "will" and similar
expressions) may describe expectations, opinions or guidance that
are not statements of fact and which may be based upon information
provided by third parties. Forward-looking statements are based
upon the opinions, expectations and estimates of management of GWMG
as at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety
of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that
could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from
those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Those factors include, but are not limited to the assumptions and
estimates in the preliminary economic assessment of the
Steenkampskraal project proving to be accurate over time; the
construction, commissioning and operation of the proposed monazite
processing facility and separation facility within estimated
parameters; mine refurbishment activities; reliance on third
parties to meet projected timelines and commencement of production
at Steenkampskraal; risks related to the receipt of all required
approvals including those relating to the commencement of
production at the Steenkampskraal mine, delays in obtaining
permits, licenses and operating authorities in Canada, South
Africa and China,
environmental matters, water and land use risks; risks associated
with the industry in general, commodity prices and exchange rate
changes, operational risks associated with exploration, development
and production operations, delays or changes in plans, including
those estimated in the preliminary economic assessment of the
Steenkampskraal project; risks associated with the uncertainty of
resource estimates; health and safety risks; uncertainty of
estimates and projections of production, costs and expenses; risks
that future Steenkampskraal and region exploration results may not
meet exploration or corporate objectives; the adequacy of the
Company's financial resources and the availability of additional
cash from operations or from financing on reasonable terms or at
all; political risks inherent in South
Africa and China; risks
associated with the relationship between GWMG and/or its
subsidiaries and communities and governments in Canada and South
Africa, radioactivity and related issues, dependence on one
mineral project; loss of, and the inability to attract, key
personnel; the factors discussed in the Company's public disclosure
record; and other factors that could cause actions, events or
results not to be as anticipated. In light of the risks and
uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements, readers
are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking
information. Although GWMG believes that the expectations reflected
in the forward-looking statements set out in this press release or
incorporated herein by reference are reasonable, it can give no
assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct.
Except as required by law, GWMG does not assume any obligation to
update forward looking statements as set out in this news release.
The forward-looking statements of GWMG contained in this News
Release, or incorporated herein by reference, are expressly
qualified, in their entirety, by this cautionary statement and the
risk factors contained in GWMG's Annual Information Form available
at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.