Can you provide an introduction to Pan American Energy and the firm’s Horizon project?

Pan American Energy Corp. is a North American mining exploration company that is focused on expanding the boundaries of the lithium supply chain through the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The company has a diversified asset base in Canada and the US, including hard rock lithium in Ontario, lithium brine in Utah, and claystone lithium in Nevada. The Horizon lithium project, a 17,334-acre land package, is highly prospective for claystone lithium and is located in the world-renowned Big Smoky Valley, Nevada. We are adjacent to American Battery Technology and proximal to American Lithium, and we are actively exploring technology and partnership synergies. We are thrilled with the government support in the region, such as the Department of Energy’s recent award of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant of US$115 million to American Battery Technology to build a first-of-its-kind commercial lithium hydroxide plant next door to Horizon.

Can you explain your partnership with Respec at Horizon?

Our partnership with Respec, a global leader in geoscience, engineering, data, and integrated technology solutions for major industry sectors, is focused on designing and executing our maiden drill program at Horizon. Respec has evaluated the exploration program(s) of our adjacent peers and designed an up to 22-hole drill program that has been submitted to the Bureau of Land Management for permitting. This drill plan gives excellent coverage across the property and will help characterize mineralization near the surface and at a maximum drill depth of 1,000 ft per hole.

 What is the long-term plan to create value for Pan American’s shareholders?

Our goal is to execute a best-in-class exploration program to validate our geological hypothesis at Horizon, and our objective is to develop a 43-101 compliant resource. In tandem with our exploration efforts, we are excited about opportunities for technology implementation and partnerships. As part of our strategy, we are continuously looking at new technologies and have built a technical advisory team to guide this effort. Our diversified asset base presents an opportunity to move one asset to production more quickly and use subsequent profits to support the exploration of our longer-term projects. Our primary objective is to generate value for our shareholders through successful exploration and development of our mineral properties.

How would Horizon play a role in feeding the lithium market?

According to the 2022 analysis from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, annual production of 11.2 million t of LCE will be needed by 2050 – a 20 times increase compared to today. Benchmark anticipates that by 2040, all of the lithium mined last year will only meet one month’s demand, even with the supply from recycled batteries. The reality is that it takes years for a lithium mine to come into production. Horizon’s highly prospective claystone lithium land package could be a significant contributor to meeting the growing demand for lithium.

With the Department of Energy (DOE) grant to ABTC’s Tonopah Flats project in September, what is your outlook for the funding of future lithium projects?

Our outlook on North American government support for lithium projects and critical minerals is at an all-time high. The DOE’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing grant was valued at US$2.8 billion, and supported several lithium projects. We are also starting to see similar support in Canada. To meet carbon reduction goals, it is critical to support new technologies such as direct lithium extraction and claystone processing optimization. We believe that this government support will continue to provide funding for future lithium projects.