Only a month after shares soared following a US proposal to throw US$600M at the project, Australian Strategic Materials (ASX:ASM) has received similar interest from Canada.
Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada’s official export credit agency, has ultimately said it’s not unwilling to consider throwing A$400M at Dubbo itself.
ASM shares were up 3.5% to $1.03/sh heading into the second hour of trade.
That possible funding decision from EDC came by way of a letter of interest (LOI) and is entirely separate to already-existing interest from the USA. (Notably, ASM teamed up with US Rare Earths in August last year.)
The critical mineral REE play Dubbo, based in NSW, is currently the subject of a FEED study being undertaken by Bechtel.
As for today’s news, the EDC would ultimately offer A$400M to execute construction and execution of the Dubbo project, presumably, with product to then be sent to Canada.
Canada’s LOI also spells out, according to ASM, its desire to have Canadian companies used in the construction of Dubbo.
Export Finance Australia has also previously considered A$200M for Dubbo, meaning that ASM has three governments now potentially ready to back the play through its hardest stages: actually getting to the point of REE production.
All in all, should all entities progress with a positive decision, ASM is looking at around A$1.5B in support.
“We are thrilled with the support received to date from prospective financiers for the Dubbo Project, especially this latest letter of interest from Export Development Canada,” ASM chief Rowena Smith said.
“Our focus has been on building strategic partnerships in North America that support the development of our mine to metals strategy.
“We see the growing strength of those relationships and the momentum in financial support as recognition of the strength of the Dubbo Project and its significance as a reliable, responsible and secure source of critical minerals.”
In the background of all this interest Dubbo is receiving is the ‘five eyes’ countries’ desires to secure supply chains for crucial raw materials that would be hard to disrupt should China decide to weaponise commodity flows.
All of this critical mineral strategy has come to the fore not long after the world got double whammy’d by COVID affecting global supplies for everything, and then, watched how Russia used gas to put Europe under strain in the early days of the Ukraine war.
An escalating trade war between the US and China, once again, as well as renewed concerns about Taiwan, have made these policies more pertinently felt by lawmakers everywhere across “the West.”
ASM last traded at $1.03/sh.