Research and Development Update

24 January 2018

Alexander Mining plc

("Alexander" or the "Company")

Research and Development Update

Alexander is pleased to provide an update on its research and development activities.

HyperLeach®

Alexander has committed to funding a preliminary study into the use of its proprietary HyperLeach® process for the potential recovery of high-purity nickel and cobalt salts from nickel flotation tailings. The consensus forecast is for increases in demand for electric vehicles and energy storage solutions which will require significant several fold increases of 'Class 1' nickel and cobalt supply over current levels of production from global resources. The uncertainty surrounding the long-term stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has opened up the cobalt market to other supply opportunities. The need to be in production in the short to medium-term to meet the predicted demand is an additional driving force for the reprocessing of existing, readily mined surficial resources.

HyperLeach® also has the potential to process ore or concentrate at the mine site producing a range of products. There is the additional potential to lower the cut-off grade at producing mines by giving greater return at the mine gate through the production of higher-value products instead of concentrates.

Alexander's CEO, Martin Rosser, said "This project offers Alexander the opportunity to gain extremely valuable information on the treatment of the nickel-cobalt bearing tailings produced by a sulphide flotation plant. The potential production of high-purity salts via HyperLeach® would be an excellent outcome and, if successful, it would give the Company an exciting opportunity to be able to produce battery grade nickel and cobalt salts in the medium-term." 

This initiative is the most recent part of Alexander's longer-term strategic involvement in energy metals, notably lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and vanadium.

Lithium - research and development joint venture

The initial results from the joint venture with Alexander's Principal Technical Consultant, Dr. Nicholas Welham, on lithium heap leaching from hard rock resources have been delayed due to procedural issues beyond Alexander's control.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014. 

ENDS

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