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Sibanye secures debt financing for Finland lithium mine as costs downturn

Sibanye Stillwater said on Thursday it had actually protected an extra 500 million euros ($ 557.30 million) debt financing to finish a brand-new lithium mine in Finland, forging ahead with the project amidst a. slump in costs for the battery metal.

The Johannesburg-based precious metals producer said the. loan funding, partly moneyed by the European Financial Investment Bank. ( EIB), will assist it bring the Keliber lithium project to. production from 2026.

Sibanye, which mines gold and platinum metals in South. Africa and the U.S., will continue to advance the mine and. processing plant as it sees possible for recovery in lithium. rates, James Wellsted, the representative, said.

We still have a strong conviction that there is going to be. ( lithium supply) deficits in the market and rates are going to. increase, Wellsted informed Reuters.

Albemarle, the world's largest lithium manufacturer,. last month said it would slash costs for the second time this. year, starting an extensive review of its operating. structure due to toppling costs for the metal utilized to make. electrical lorry batteries.

A basket of lithium costs tracked by Benchmark Mineral. Intelligence shows they have fallen about 70% over the previous year. since of weaker-than-expected global need for electrical. cars, due in part to high loaning costs and worldwide. economic unpredictability.

The Keliber task, in which Finnish Minerals Group owns. minority stake, is anticipated to produce about 15,000 metric heaps. of battery-grade lithium every year for a minimum of 16 years.

While the project might provide European electrical lorry. makers and gigafactories, Sibanye hasn't started selling. the offtake yet, Wellsted said.

Sibanye prepares to begin processing third-party spodumene. materials at the Keliber plant in 2025 and focuses from its. own mine the year after, he added.

Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman stated in an earlier statement the. latest funding package will assist enhance the business's. liquidity, effectively ring-fencing the existing group. facilities for functional requirements, Froneman included.

Sibanye formerly raised about 250 million euros through. equity to fund the job.

(source: Reuters)