• Giyani Metals produced high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) at its South African pilot plant, a key step toward its $282.6 million K.Hill project in Botswana.
• The definitive feasibility study (DFS), due in Q1 2026, will update the 2023 assessment that valued the project at $984 million post-tax NPV over 57 years.
• Giyani is in talks with the US EXIM Bank for a potential $225 million loan to finance the project.

Canadian miner Giyani Metals announced on October 6 that it produced high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) at a demonstration plant in South Africa. The company said the milestone represents “a major advance toward optimizing the final process flowsheet” for its $282.6 million K.Hill manganese project in Botswana.

The pilot phase serves as an intermediate step in mine planning. Giyani will integrate the results into the definitive feasibility study (DFS), which is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2026. The company said the data will guide the design and operation of the planned commercial-scale plant in Botswana.

The DFS will update the 2023 preliminary economic assessment, which projected K.Hill could produce 3.5 million tonnes of HPMSM over a 57-year mine life. The study estimated a post-tax net present value of $984 million.

Giyani said it intends to use pilot production results to begin negotiations with potential offtakers for battery-grade manganese. The metal is increasingly used in nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) batteries. The company aims to position itself as a future supplier to the electric vehicle supply chain.

The company noted that financing remains a key hurdle. Giyani is in talks with the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM), which earlier this year proposed a $225 million loan to support development of the K.Hill project.

This article was initially published in French by Aurel Sèdjro Houenou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum