Ioneer Ltd (“Ioneer”) (ASX: INR, NASDAQ: IONR), moved one step closer toward construction at its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron site, following the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) planned issuance of the project’s draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as referenced in the BLM’s statement on 12 April 2024.[1] The pending release of this draft EIS is the first to be issued from the Biden Administration as part of its efforts to accelerate domestic lithium production. It is the result of years of effective collaboration between Ioneer and federal, state and local agencies and Tribal Nations. It marks a key milestone in the environmental permitting review process for the proposed greenfield project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, set to inject a critical supply of integral transition materials into the U.S. EV battery production supply chain.

The draft document will include Ioneer’s efforts to redesign and relocate proposed project activity away from Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered species classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in December 2022. The draft EIS will also detail Ioneer’s investments as part of a formal protection plan and propagation strategy for the Nevada plant.

The draft EIS will be available for public comment beginning Friday, 19 April. Reaching this stage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process reflects federal inter-agency collaboration and agreement that the draft document is ready for public input. Following the prescribed 45-day comment period, which will include BLM-organized public meetings, the BLM will incorporate feedback into a final draft and issue a final EIS and a Record of Decision (ROD), expected in October 2024. Upon issuance of a positive ROD, construction at Rhyolite Ridge can begin following a Final Investment Decision (FID). Based on that timeline, Ioneer anticipates production to begin in 2027.

“The forthcoming release of the draft EIS represents six years of hard work to help build America’s critical minerals supply chain and reaffirms the viability of our investment in Nevada. Rhyolite Ridge will help accelerate the electric vehicle transition and secure a cleaner future for our children and grandchildren. As we move through the final steps in the federal permitting process, Ioneer will keep working to ensure this world-class project will operate efficiently and sustainably,” said James Calaway, Ioneer’s Executive Chairman.

“This news sets a clear path forward to construction and brings us one step closer to making Rhyolite Ridge a reality. Rhyolite Ridge will be a significant, reliable and sustainable source of critical minerals for the United States,” said Bernard Rowe, Ioneer’s Managing Director. “Ioneer is committed to working with the local community, Tribal Nations and state and federal agencies to help the U.S. secure a domestic supply of the critical minerals vital to the clean energy transition.”

Once operational, Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project will be a leading example of responsible and sustainable mining. In July 2022, Ioneer submitted a revised plan of operations for federal permitting review, to avoid any direct impact to Tiehm’s buckwheat. After listing and designation of critical habitat, which the company supported, Ioneer worked closely with the agencies and stakeholders to develop a third iteration to detail plans to further reduce indirect impacts to the plant and reduce activity within designated critical habitat.

At the request of the BLM and FWS to further minimise impacts to the plant and its critical habitat, Ioneer’s revised design, set to be released on Friday, additionally changed the location of the quarry and overburden storage facilities to avoid any direct impacts to nearby subpopulations of Tiehm’s buckwheat and mitigate any potential indirect impacts.

Figure 1 (Refer to Images 1-3): Summary of progressive changes to avoid direct impacts to Tiehm’s buckwheat subpopulations (solid purple areas) and minimise disturbance within the designated critical habitat (dashed purple line). Project related surface disturbance is shown in solid grey areas. The critical habitat extends 500m in all directions from the sub-populations and covers 368 hectares (910 acres).

To date, Ioneer has voluntarily invested $2.5 million in conservation efforts and committed an additional $1 million annually to ensure the plant and its surrounding habitat are protected. Ioneer will work to ensure the plant and its habitat for pollinators are protected as it works to transplant seedlings grown at its dedicated greenhouse. (https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Frhyolite-ridge.ioneer.com%2Fioneer-shares-promising-results-in-growing-tiehms-buckwheat%2F&esheet=53929624&newsitemid=20240414358303&lan=en-US&anchor=transplant+seedlings+grown+at+its+dedicated+greenhouse&index=1&md5=efe4f40a65059f40a7a949318fe252cb)

Ioneer’s investments to protect Tiehm’s buckwheat represent one piece of a comprehensive sustainability strategy at the proposed site. The on-site processing facility, supported by the company’s $700 million conditional loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, will generate excess steam sufficient to power the entire project - meaning the operation will not be required to be connected to the energy grid and be entirely energy independent.

Ioneer’s approach to water management also differs from other current and proposed domestic producers. Rhyolite Ridge will recycle half of all water used. The Project will not have evaporation ponds or tailings dams and large parts of the quarry will be backfilled with overburden as mining progresses and ultimately concludes.

Estimated Project Timeline

Ioneer’s estimated timing for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project is as follows:

Table 1: Ioneer Milestones (estimated and subject to change)

(To view the table, please visit https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240414358303/en/)

This ASX release has been authorised by Ioneer Managing Director, Bernard Rowe.

About Ioneer

Ioneer Ltd is an emerging lithium-boron producer and the 100% owner of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project located in Nevada, USA. Rhyolite Ridge is the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America and one of only two known such deposits in the world. Once operational, the low-cost, world-class project is expected to power upward of 50 million electric vehicles and will instantly become a globally significant source of critical materials vital to the clean energy transition.

In September 2021, Ioneer entered into an agreement with Sibanye-Stillwater where, following the satisfaction of conditions precedent, Sibanye-Stillwater will acquire a 50% interest in the Project, with Ioneer maintaining a 50% interest and retaining the operational management responsibility for the joint venture. In January 2023, Ioneer received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office for up to $700 million of debt financing.

Ioneer signed separate offtake agreements with Ford Motor Company and PPES (joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic) in 2022 and Korea’s EcoPro Innovation in 2021.

To learn more about Ioneer, visit www.Ioneer.com/investors.

Important notice and disclaimer

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements and comments about future events, including Ioneer’s expectations about the Project and the performance of its businesses. Forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as ‘expect’, ‘anticipate’, ‘likely’, ‘intend’, ‘should’, ‘could’, ‘may’, ‘predict’, ‘plan’, ‘propose’, ‘will’, ‘believe’, ‘forecast’, ‘estimate’, ‘target’ and other similar expressions within the meaning of securities laws of applicable jurisdictions. Indications of, and guidance on, the Conditional Commitment, financing plans, future earnings or financial position or performance are also forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there is a risk that such predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. Forward-looking statements are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied on as an indication or guarantee of future performance. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainty and other factors which can cause Ioneer’s actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates, and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements and many of these factors are outside the control of Ioneer. Such risks include, among others, uncertainties related to the finalisation, execution, and funding of the DOE financing, including our ability to successfully negotiate definitive agreements and to satisfy any funding conditions, as well as other uncertainties and risk factors set out in filings made from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Australian Securities Exchange. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and no representation or warranty is made by any person as to the likelihood of achievement or reasonableness of any forward-looking statements, forecast financial information or other forecast. Nothing contained in this announcement, nor any information made available to you is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise, representation, warranty or guarantee as to the past, present or the future performance of Ioneer.

Except as required by law or the ASX Listing Rules, Ioneer assumes no obligation to provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

[1] “BLM takes next step on proposed Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine in Nevada,” 12 April 2024. https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-takes-next-step-proposed-rhyolite-ridge-lithium-boron-mine-nevada
[2] Note: all dates are estimates only and are subject to change.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240414358303/en/

언론연락처: Ioneer Ltd Ioneer USA Corporation Investor Relations (USA) Chad Yeftich FGS Global Media Relations (USA) Daniel Francis

이 뉴스는 기업·기관·단체가 뉴스와이어를 통해 배포한 보도자료입니다.한화생명이 또 한번 디지털 혁신에 나섰다. 지금까지 보험금 접수·심사·지급 업무를 로봇이 사람을 대신한 데 이어 보험업계 최초로 상품개발을 위한 데이터 산출까지 AI(인공지능)를 활용하며 디지털 전환 속도를 높였다.

한화생명이 보험업계 최초로 최근 3년간의 보험금 청구서류 약 500만 건을 분석, 이 통계를 근거로 주요 3대암(위·간·폐) 특약을 출시했다고 15일 밝혔다.

특약 개발에는 ‘AI OCR’ 기술을 활용했다. 이는 AI가 진료비 세부내역서를 분류하고 문자를 추출해, 의료기관 및 치료 행태별 횟수, 비용 등을 자동으로 데이터화 해주는 기술이다.

특히 한화생명은 AI 전문 스타트업 ‘업스테이지’와 손잡고, 업계 최초 진료비 세부내역서를 AI OCR로 분석했다. 진료비 세부내역서는 병원마다 양식과 기재방법이 달라 인식이 까다롭기 때문이다.

기존 OCR 기술로는 진료비 영수증과 같이 정형화된 문서를 판독하는데 그쳤다. 이제는 딥러닝을 통해 AI가 서류를 스스로 판단하며 학습하게 해 상품개발을 위한 경험 통계 산출까지 AI를 활용하게 됐다.

AI로 3대암(위·간·폐) 데이터 들여다봐… ‘신규 특약 3종’ 신설

한화생명은 이 통계를 근거로 고객들이 자주 청구하는 주요 3대 암(위·간·폐)3)을 선정해 ‘한화생명 시그니처암보험 3.0’에 특약으로 탑재했다.

가장 주목할 보장은 ‘3대특정암 항암약물방사선 암통원자금’이다. ‘AI OCR’을 통해 확보한 통계를 분석한 결과, 항암약물치료에 고액의 비용이 발생하는 사례가 다수 확인됐기 때문이다.

예를 들어 항암 세기조절 방사선치료는 1회 평균 치료비 부담액(본인부담금 및 비급여)은 약 59만원이지만, 치료 빈도수가 많아 1인당 평균 14회 이상을 받는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 한번 치료를 시작하면 총 826만원에 이르는 비용이 발생한다는 의미다. 이에 한화생명은 항암약물방사선 약물치료를 구분해 담보를 신설해 집중 보장받을 수 있도록 했다.

한화생명은 이외에도 환자 개인의 유전자 변이를 빠르게 확인해 항암치료 시 개인에게 잘 맞는 치료제를 선택할 수 있도록 ‘3대특정암 급여 NGS 유전자패널검사비용’ 급부를 신설하고, 위암·간암·폐암 진단시 자주 발생하는 절제술 보장을 위한 ‘3대특정암 절제수술자금’ 급부도 신규 개발했다.

한화생명 구창희 일반보장팀장은 “이번 신규특약은 AI솔루션이 적용된 당사만의 자체통계 DB를 통해 고객에게 실제로 발생하는 일을 면밀히 관찰해 고객에게 필요한 급부를 제공하게 돼 의미가 크다”라며 “첫 사례로 발병률이 높은 주요 3대암(위·간·폐) 특약을 개발했으며 추후 적용 범위를 넓혀 보다 다양한 질병에 대해 실질적인 보장을 제공해 나갈 것이다”라고 말했다.

‘한화생명 시그니처 암보험 3.0’의 가입가능연령은 일반가입형 간편가입형 모두 15세에서 80세(가입조건별 상이)까지다.

40세, 100세만기, 20년납 일반가입형 해약환급금 미지급형 주계약(암수술) 일반암진단특약 암진단후생활비보장특약(80세만기), 비급여 표적항암약물허가치료특약, 암로봇수술특약(다빈치&레보아이, 10년 갱신형), 위간폐암 치료지원특약 각각 가입금액 1000만원(암진단후생활비보장특약은 연 100만원, 위간폐암치료지원특약 200만원) 가입 시 월 보험료(4회차 이후 기준)는 남성 5만4795원, 여성 5만1330원이다.

언론연락처: 한화생명 홍보실 02-789-8863

이 뉴스는 기업·기관·단체가 뉴스와이어를 통해 배포한 보도자료입니다.[대한행정일보]