INFORMAZIONI SU QUESTO EPISODIO
In this episode we chat to Mark Smith, Chairman and CEO of NioCorp Developments, a company advancing the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in Nebraska, USA.
We discuss the development of this unique critical minerals project, the challenges of securing funding and bringing new mines into production and the growing importance of establishing a domestic critical minerals supply chain in the United States.
We also get Mark's perspective on what separates successful mining projects from those that never get built, and the challenges facing the industry over the next decade.
And finally, Mark will be at the upcoming Resourcing Tomorrow conference in London from 1 to 3 December. The conference is the anchor event of London Mining Week, bringing more than 2,300 senior decision-makers together including ministers, mining CEOs, and investors in one room, with a practical focus on how capital gets deployed, projects get approved and how the industry delivers the metals and minerals the world need. As a media partner to the event, use code DIGDEEP15 for 15% off the current early bird price.
Register here and get your tickets now before prices go up: https://hubs.ly/Q04y7L590
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Unprecedented Multi-Mineral Diversity: NioCorp’s Elk Creek project in Nebraska is uniquely positioned to produce eight distinct critical mineral products—including niobium, scandium, titanium, and magnetic rare earths—from a single polymetallic ore body, creating built-in revenue diversification.
- Nearing the Finish Line on Project Financing: Having secured over $500 million in equity cash and all major permits, NioCorp is in the final stages of securing debt financing through the U.S. Export-Import Bank to trigger its 35-month construction phase.
- Industry-Leading Metallurgical Recovery: Through extensive technical development, NioCorp has achieved exceptional metallurgical recovery rates—such as 87% for niobium and over 92% for scandium and magnetic rare earths—drastically improving project economics.
- Solving the Talent and Power Bottlenecks: While AI data center construction has strained the U.S. skilled labor pool and power grid, emerging shifts in construction demand and technologies like scandium-enabled solid oxide fuel cells offer critical pathways forward for domestic mining
BEST MOMENTS
"If you have a good ore body, if you have good metallurgy, and you have good people, you're going to be successful in the mining industry."
"We cannot be dependent on one nation—especially if you don't get along with that nation—for our mineral and the little things that we need to make all of our electronics work."
"You can have a mineral in the ground, but if you can't recover it, it means nothing."
"Safety is a value to me. It's not a priority, it's a value."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Mail: rob@mining-international.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast
Web: http://www.mining-international.org
GUEST RESOURCES
- https://www.niocorp.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/niocorp-developments/home/
- https://x.com/NioCorp
- https://www.youtube.com/@NioCorpDevelopments
Podcast Description
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
