Everest Metals Corporation Ltd (URRNF) Mt Edon Project Gains International Recognition Through European Strategic Initiatives
Everest Metals Corporation Ltd (ASX:EMC) (OTCMKTS:URRNF) has been accepted into the European Union's Raw Materials Mechanism (RMM) under the EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform and its flagship Mt Edon Rubidium Project selected as Australia's representative project and one of only five globally selected study sites in the five-year German Government-funded GeoSpex Program.
Together, these initiatives strengthen Mt Edon's international profile, supporting Europe's objective of developing secure and diversified critical raw materials supply chains while creating opportunities to engage with European industry, strategic partners and potential investors.
As part of the GeoSpex Program, EMC has executed a Cooperation Agreement with the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Germany's national research centre for Earth sciences, providing access to advanced exploration technologies and internationally recognised scientific expertise.
Highlights
- Everest Metals accepted into the European Union's Raw Materials Mechanism (RMM), strengthening engagement with European industry, investors and strategic partners
- EMC's European collaboration strategy further strengthened by the selection of the Mt Edon Project as Australia's representative project and one of only five globally selected study sites in the five-year German Government-funded GeoSpex Program
- Cooperation Agreement executed with Germany's Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) under the GeoSpex Program, providing access to advanced exploration technologies and internationally recognised scientific expertise
- International recognition of EMC's Mt Edon Project continues to strengthen, supporting future global strategic partnerships, financing and potential offtake opportunities
EMC's Executive Chairman and CEO Mark Caruso commented:
"The international recognition of Mt Edon through these European initiatives reflects the significant technical and commercial progress EMC has achieved over the past 12 months. Beyond enhancing the Project's technical credentials, these initiatives create opportunities to build strategic partnerships, attract investment and engage with potential future offtake partners as Mt Edon advances towards development. We believe Mt Edon is well positioned to establish Australia's first primary rubidium industry and become a future supplier of strategically important rubidium to Western and allied markets."
European Union's Raw Materials Mechanism
The European Union's Raw Materials Mechanism (RMM) is a market-based initiative developed by the European Commission under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act to strengthen and secure strategic raw material supply chains. The RMM connects European buyers with global suppliers, financial institutions and stockpiling providers, enhancing market transparency, facilitating investment and supporting the long-term supply requirements of Europe's green, digital and defence industries.
The RMM supports the development of strategic raw materials projects by:
- Connecting European off-takers with global suppliers and strategic stockpiling solutions
- Linking project developers with financing opportunities and co-development partners
- Strengthening European supply chain resilience through diversification and demand aggregation
The RMM is designed to help European industry diversify its supply chains while supporting the development of new strategic raw materials projects by facilitating connections between project developers, industrial users and investors and financing partners.
Geospex Project
Mt Edon has been selected for the European Geospex Program (Geo Spectral Exploration), a five-year international research initiative dedicated to raw material exploration using spectral remote sensing technologies. The program provides access to non-dilutive research funding, world-leading technical expertise and advanced exploration technologies including EnMAP hyperspectral satellite data and multi-scale imaging spectroscopy.
Mt Edon is one of only five globally selected study sites, with workstreams targeting the following critical mineral projects:
- Rb -Li-Cs-Ta pegmatites at Mt Edon, Australia;
- High-grade REE mineralisation within the Ondoto carbonatite complex, Namibia;
- REE mineralisation in the Ice River and Adamant Alkaline Complex, BC, Canada;
- Iron oxide-copper-gold and porphyry Cu-Au-Mo systems at Productora and Cortadera, Chile;
- Lateritic nickel deposits in Barro Alto, Brazil.
The GeoSpex Program is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the initiative titled "From Data to Discovery: Advanced Multi-Scale Imaging Spectroscopy for Mineral Exploration". EMC will initially provide an in-kind contribution and collaborate with GFZ through the program to enhance exploration outcomes and improve the geological understanding of the Mt Edon Project.
The project combines innovative, low-impact approaches to critical mineral exploration using state-of-the-art spectral remote sensing technologies across the visible-near infrared (VNIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and longwave infrared (LWIR) ranges. Its overarching goal is to improve exploration success by integrating multi-scale imaging spectroscopy with machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) to develop predictive models that enhance identification, quantification, and characterisation of mineralogical and geochemical indicators of critical raw materials.
These collaborations reinforce Mt Edon's technical credentials and commercial potential as a strategically significant, non-Chinese source of rubidium. These initiatives build on the Company's technical and strategic collaborations, including ongoing work with CSIRO and its membership of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), reinforcing Mt Edon's growing international profile as a strategically significant critical minerals project. They also position EMC to play a leading role in establishing Australia's first primary rubidium industry.
MT EDON PROJECT
Mt Edon Critical Mineral Project is located 5km southwest of Paynes Find, in the Mid-West region of Western Australia, approximately 420km northeast of Perth (Figure 1*).
Mt Edon has an Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 4.3 million tonnes grading 0.23% Rb2O and 0.10% Li2O, reported at a 0.10% Rb2O cut-off grade (Table 1*). The MRE contains more than 9,800 tonnes of contained Rb2O and 4,400 tonnes of contained Li2O. The MRE also includes a high-grade subset of 1.56 Mt at 0.31% Rb2O and 0.10% Li2O, reported at 0.25% Rb2O cut-off grade, representing nearly 49% of the total contained Rb2O tonnes.
This verifies the tier-1 scale and grade of the Mt Edon deposit. The MRE is constrained to a strike length of only 620m within a 1.2km lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite corridor and extends to a vertical depth of approximately 140m below surface.
Further resource growth potential remains at Mt Edon, with mineralisation open along strike to both the northeast and southwest and multiple geological and geophysical targets identified across the broader project area. Combined with recent technical, commercial and international milestones, the project continues to strengthen its position as a potential long-term supplier of rubidium to emerging Western critical minerals supply chains.
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/H4E5P7SL
Mark Caruso Executive Chair & CEO Phone: +61 (08) 9468 9855 Email: enquiries@everestmetals.au Simon Phillips Business Development & IR Phone: +61 (08) 9468 9855 Email: enquiries@everestmetals.au
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