Andromeda Metals has announced the termination of the research agreement concerning its carbon capture and conversion project (CC&C project) conducted by the University of Newcastle’s Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN).
Andromeda cited ongoing delays in the process of the CC&C project, including the certification process for components of the carbon capture pilot plant and its set up and installation by GICAN after its arrival in Newcastle as the reasons for the termination.
Andromeda will retain control of the CC&C project’s business opportunities and ownership of the intellectual property, as well as its physical carbon capture pilot plant. The company retains the right to continue the project and can seek to further develop the project with suitable partners.
Andromeda executive director James Marsh said the mutual termination does not prevent Andromeda from continuing to progress the opportunities presented by the unique properties of the halloysite-kaolin resources underpinning the Great White Project (GWP).
“With the recent approval of the program for environment and rehabilitation (PEPR), our priority is to get the GWP up and running as it brings Andromeda closer to becoming a globally significant producer of halloysite-kaolin products,” Marsh said.
“We remain excited by the emerging business opportunities to collaborate with partners going forward to progress the development of halloysite-derived nanomaterial and critical mineral, HPA, solutions for solving the global decarbonisation challenge.”
The GWP is located 15 kilometres south-west of Poochera, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia and is wholly owned by Andromeda.
Andromeda recently received approval of the PEPR for the GWP from South Australia’s Department for Energy and Mining, which was the second and final stage of the SA Government’s two-stage regulatory process. The approval permits the processing of up to 300,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of ore, producing up to a nominal 150,000 tpa of halloysite-kaolin products from the GWP.