VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/13/15 -- Alabama Graphite Corp. ("AGC" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:ALP)(OTCQX:ABGPF)(FRANKFURT:1AG) is pleased to announce the appointment of George C. Hawley as Senior Technical Advisor and Chairman of the Company's Technical Advisory Board. A leading international industrial minerals expert, specializing in the development and marketing of graphite and value-added graphite products, Mr. Hawley adds more than a half-century of experience to AGC's world-class team of graphite industry professionals. With a Bachelor of Science from the University of London, Mr. Hawley's background is in chemistry, chemical engineering and polymer materials. Having successfully developed several innovative processes involving graphite; Mr. Hawley's graphite work has encompassed nuclear, chemical, rocket nozzles, anodes, friction materials, heat management, electrodes, and carbon brushes. A member of the U.S. Society of Plastics Engineers, American Chemical Society, and Society of Mining Engineers, his experience includes research and development for one of the world's largest producers of synthetic graphite products, the Morgan Crucible Company (now Morgan Advanced Materials), and lead acid battery manufacturer Chloride Exide Limited, as well as for government agencies and various mining companies in the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, Africa, and Canada. Mr. Hawley specializes in natural graphite anodes for lithium-ion batteries, and has consulted for Quinto Mining Corporation (now Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.), Northern Graphite Corporation and Focus Graphite Inc., prior to joining Alabama Graphite Corp. Mr. Hawley has published more than 50 technical papers on industrial mineral products pertaining to technical and marketing topics, in addition to regularly presenting at global graphite and industrial mineral conferences worldwide.
Ron S. Roda, President and co-Chief Executive Officer commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Company, we welcome George Hawley to AGC. We are excited to have one of the world's foremost value-added graphite experts join us as we accelerate the advancement of our flagship Coosa Graphite Project in Coosa County, Alabama, USA - the premiere flake graphite project in the continental United States of America. Our corporate strategy moving forward is to develop Coosa with a primary focus on value-added graphite products to supply the growing lithium-ion and grid-storage battery industries from a secure, high-quality American source."
"George Hawley has the requisite skillset and demonstrated experience critical to ensuring that we achieve our value-add objectives in the most efficient and effective manner possible, providing a further competitive advantage for the Company, while creating superior-performing and cost-effective solutions for our future customers and maximum value for our shareholders," stated co-Chief Executive Officer, Donald Baxter. "On a personal note, I am thrilled to be working with George again as we fast track AGC's battery-ready graphite initiatives. His experience in graphite research, process and product development is unrivalled. The term 'expert' is thrown around pretty loosely in the mining industry. There may be a lot of so-called experts, but few truly good ones. George is one of most talented graphite industry experts in the world."
As announced on June 25, 2015, AGC has commenced development and testing of value-added graphite products for use in lithium-ion batteries, specifically the production of coated spherical graphite ("CSPG" or "battery-ready graphite") for use in lithium-ion battery anodes.
Companies producing electric vehicles and other green energy products/applications are understandably being held accountable for the environmental footprint of their input materials. This trend is growing, as is the market, opening the door for environmentally sustainable mining and production of graphite in the Western Hemisphere, namely in Alabama, USA. AGC has the potential to be the first and only graphite producer in the continental United States. The current world consumption of flake graphite is 400,000 tonnes per year. A key, enduring demand driver for graphite, the market for batteries alone, beyond 2020, is estimated to be 1.7 million tonnes.
The battery-ready graphite market has been identified as the market segment with the largest growth potential, while providing the potential for much higher margins than conventional run-of-mine graphite production. Alabama Graphite Corp. is one of very few companies in the graphite development space with management that has actual graphite experience, including mining, processing, operations and value-added graphite production expertise.
Mr. Hawley joins Dr. Nitin Chopra on the Alabama Graphite Corp. Technical Advisory Board.
Qualified Person
Donald K. D. Baxter, P.Eng., co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument (NI) 43-101 guidelines, and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release.
About Alabama Graphite Corp.
Alabama Graphite Corp.'s mission is to become one of the greenest graphite producers in the world. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Alabama Graphite Company Inc., is conducting exploration and development both at its flagship Coosa Graphite Project in Coosa County, Alabama, USA and the recently acquired Bama Mine Project in Chilton County, Alabama, USA. Alabama Graphite holds a 100% interest in the mining leases in respect of these two advanced-stage projects, both of which are on private land. The two projects encompass over 43,000 acres and are located in an area with significant historical production of crystalline flake graphite. The Company has the largest NI 43-101 indicated flake graphite resource in the United States based on drilling 0.18 square miles (0.3% of the total acreage). The Alabama deposits are unique in that a significant portion of the graphite-bearing material is oxidized and has been broken down into an extremely soft rock. Both projects have in place critical infrastructure, are within close proximity to transportation routes and enjoy a hospitable climate allowing for year-round production and delivery.
For further information and updates on the Company, please visit www.alabamagraphite.com.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements") that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect Alabama Graphite Corp.'s current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of Alabama Graphite Corp. with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of graphite; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. Forward-looking statements are also based on a number of assumptions, including that contracted parties provide goods and/or services on the agreed timeframes, that equipment necessary for exploration is available as scheduled and does not incur unforeseen breakdowns, that no labour shortages or delays are incurred, that plant and equipment function as specified, that no unusual geological or technical problems occur, and that laboratory and other related services are available and perform as contracted.
Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and Alabama Graphite Corp. undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements (unless required by law) if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
Alabama Graphite Corp. cautions that the foregoing list of material factors and assumptions are not exhaustive. When relying on Alabama Graphite Corp. forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and assumptions and other uncertainties and potential events. Alabama Graphite Corp. has also assumed that the material factors and assumptions will not cause any forward-looking statements to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors and assumptions is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.
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Contacts:
Alabama Graphite Corp.
Donald K. D. Baxter, P.Eng.
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
(705) 789-9706
dbaxter@alabamagraphite.com
Alabama Graphite Corp.
H. (Ron) S. Roda, CA, MBA, BSc
President, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
(609) 785-1581
rroda@alabamagraphite.com
www.alabamagraphite.com
