Titanium Sands has bolstered its war chest and is racing into the home stretch, with environmental studies wrapping up and the mining approvals process now gathering pace in Sri Lanka.
Snagging the Industrial Mining Licence (IML) would mark a major milestone for the company and could unlock a golden ticket, as regulatory hurdles begin to fall away.
Titanium Sand’s application is currently lodged with the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau in Colombo. The processing of the IML is set to kick off once Sri Lanka’s new National Mineral Policy is ratified by parliament.
The government’s policy aims to boost foreign exchange by 2029 through value-added processing of graphite, quartz, and heavy mineral sands - a strategy that would seem to fit the company's plans like a glove.
Notably, the company says its laser focus on sustainable and optimal resource use has emerged as a key pillar of the upcoming national policy, aligning it squarely with the government’s stated long-term economic goals.
At the same time, the company has secured an additional A$400,000 in funding to drive its Mannar project through the final stages of environmental reporting and the all-important mining licence application process.
Arranged through corporate adviser CPS Capital Group, the advance follows on from an A$800,000 facility secured late last year. Titanium Sands says the fresh funding will provide the working capital required to push the project into its next development phase, including permitting, studies and general operations.
Under the terms of the deal, the A$400,000 loan carries an interest rate of 10 per cent per annum and is repayable by the end of December 2026.
Notably, the facility also includes an option for the lender to convert the debt into equity at 0.5 cents per share. This flexibility could be a positive for the company’s finances as the project advances. The company expects to hold a general meeting in early June to seek shareholder approval of the new financing arrangements.
In preparation for the licence, the company’s environmental consultants have now wrapped up field investigations and data collection at Mannar. Titanium Sands expects the final Environmental Impact Assessment report to land in the coming weeks.
Titanium Sands managing director Dr James Searle said: “Lodgement of the IML application was a key step in moving this project forward. Completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment will be another.”
The scale of the company’s opportunity at Mannar is significant. A scoping study, updated in 2023 for the stage one development, projected an eye-watering life-of-mine revenue of A$2 billion and a robust pre-tax net present value of A$545 million.
The project is underpinned by a hefty total mineral resource of 318 million tonnes at 3.54 per cent total heavy minerals, featuring a higher-grade zone of 93 million tonnes at 5.24 per cent total heavy minerals.
Titanium Sands’ already impressive inventory is further underscored by an even richer dredge-ready zone of 82 million tonnes at 6.03 per cent total heavy minerals. The super-high-grade zone has been earmarked for stage-one development and is expected to deliver 150,000 tonnes of heavy minerals annually
The study also points to low-cost surface extraction and simple processing requirements, which could see Titanium Sands ringing the till as global demand for titanium feedstocks continues to hum along.
If the mining licence lands as flagged by the government, it may be a classic case of the stars aligning for the potential powerhouse project. With cash in the tin and technical milestones converging, Titanium Sands looks like a runner coiled at the starting blocks, ready to sprint into Sri Lanka’s burgeoning minerals sector.
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By Murray Ward
