Fairmined coltan project in French Guiana

1. SAS au capital de 227 000 € - RCS Orléans 790 856 850 - Code APE 0990Z
2 Chemin du Château 45 530 Seichebrières France
Téléphone : (00 33) (0)6 88 16 76 78 Fax : (00 33) (0)2 38 24 85 66
Site Internet : www.sudmine.org E-Mail : sudmine@sudmine.com
3 exploration licenses
Kourou, Basse-Mana &
Voltaire
122 km2
Le développement raisonné de la mine
Fairmined coltan project
in French Guiana

2. • SUDMINE, which operates under French law as an S.A.S, was initially established, in 2013 january, by a
group of 36 private associates
• First French mining company created by experienced environmental engineers
SUDMINE SAS
• 227 000 €
Capital
• Develop fairmined coltan projects in French Guiana and Africa
• Search for technical and financial partners
• New exploration licenses for coltan and other strategic/energetic transition metals in French Guiana,
France, Gabon
2020 Targets
SUDMINE presentation
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3. SUDMINE presentation – Corporate values
• Participative, reasoned economic model, respectful of populations, the environment and
heritage
• Drive development of locally linked and anchored activities
Participate in the development of French Guiana for strategic metals
by responding to social and environmental challenges
• Disrupt the usual codes of mining by paying attention first to the environment, heritage, local
development and sharing as well as the technical and economic feasibility of the project
Target
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4. SUDLINE presentation – Developing projects
• 3 exploration licenses granted for 3 years : Kourou (35 km2), Basse Mana (49 km2),
Voltaire (38 km2)
• Target : to develop new methodology and transposable and mobile technology to explore, exploit
and ensure the traceability of small, rich and numerous deposits of coltan on French territory
Fairmined coltan in French Guiana
• 2 applications for exploration licenses
Gabon projects for strategic metals and diamonds
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5. Le développement raisonné de la mine
Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world
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6. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Mineralogy and gitology
• Ta and Nb are metals with similarities in their physico-chemical
properties and their geological origin. These are incompatible
elements which are enriched in :
• Advanced magmas : differentiated granites, granites and pegmatites
with rare metals, eg: Beauvoir granite
• Specific magmas : carbonatites, alkaline complex.
• They are mainly in the form of oxides where the elements
replace one another to form mineralogical series between a
pole Ta and a pole Nb
• Colombo-tantalites family ((Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)2O6 (Coltan in central
Africa) from tantalite pole (Fe,Mn)Ta2O6 to columbite pole
(Fe,Mn)Nb2O6
• Pyrochlores family from microlite pole (Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F) to
pyrochlore sensu stricto (Na,Ca)2Nb2O6(OH,F)
Coltan : a niobium and tantalum ore
Coltan grain
Photography SUDMINE, Kourou exploration license
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7. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Mineralogy and gitology
• LCT type (lithium cesium tantalum)
• Enrich in tantalum, niobium, lithium, tin and beryllium, etc.
• Only important pegmatitic fields or giant pegmatites are exploited or exploitables
Rare metals pegmatites
• Tantalum, niobium, lithium, tin, beryllium ore.
• High tonnage low grades
Peraluminous granites
• Alluvial and eluvial concentration (density from 5,2 to 8 increasing with Ta proportion)
resulting from alteration and erosion of primaray ores (LCT pegmatites and peraluminous
granites)
• The placers can be exploited in an artisanal to semi-industrial way, the ore being easily
recoverable by simple gravimetric processes
Placers
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8. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Mineralogy and gitology
Main tantalum deposits and mines in the world
(BRGM, 2011 ; USGS-MRDS, 2011)
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9. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Industrial applications
• Supply difficulties linked to the holding of stocks by
non-European powers
• Applications : miniaturized capacitors (mobile
telephony, computers, wireless devices, automotive
electronics, etc.), superalloys, semiconductors for USB
keys, printer heads, flat screens, etc., medicine (jackets
for pacemakers, orthopedics, surgical instrumentation)
• Hard to replace without loss of performance
Coltan, an important source in the
production of tantalum
Miniaturized
capacitor,
electronic
39,0%
Superalloy
19,0%
Spray targets
12,0%
Carbides
(cutting tools)
9,0%
Chemical
compounds
10,0%
Others;
11,0%
Tantale uses in 2012
Source : Roskill, 2013
World’s total consumption : 1 680 t of Ta
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10. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Coltan in french industry
Distribution of the use of superalloys by sector in 2006
(US Department of Defense, in Roskill, 2009)• Aeronautics and aerospace (Airbus Commercial
Aircraft, ArianeGroup)
• Defense
• Manufacture of capacitors
• Industrial and anti-corrosion equipment (heat
exchangers, etc.)
French industries consuming
coltan
• 86 t Ta consumed in 2014 in France (Le Kiosque
de Bercy)
• The difference in export / import of coltan in
France shows a trade deficit of 7.8 M € in 2014
(ores, crude and intermediate products,
condensers)
Foreign trade and French
industry Aerospace; 75%
Fixed land
turbines; 15%
Automobile
indutry; 6%
Oil and
gas; 2% Tools; 2%
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11. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world – Niobium and tantalum criticity
• High economic importance (hardly
substitutable)
• High supply risk for the European Union
(stocks are held by non-European powers)
Tantalum and Niobium : two strategic
metals
Rwanda
44,5%
DRC
19,2%
Brasil
7,7%
China 4,7%
Nigeria 4,7%
Canada
3,1%
Russia
2,5% Others (Malaysia,
Thailand, Bolivia..)
13,5%
Tantale production in 2013
Sources : USGS, WMD, TIC, BRGM
World total ≈ 1200 t of Ta
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12. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world - Tantalum and energetic transition
Tantalum and energetic transition
Additional metal footprint of a low-carbon energy mix in 2040
compared to the situation in 2016 : Tantalum + 1 022%
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13. Coltan, an essential mineral in the modern world - Tantalum ore price
Source : Paumanok Monthly Report On Passive Electronic Components- June 2019
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Tantalum ore price trend per pound Ta2O5 content
in US Dollars (april 2012 – june 2019)

14. Le développement raisonné de la mine
French Guiana fairmined coltan, an alternative to conflict
minerals in the Great Lakes region of Africa
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15. French Guiana fairmined coltan - an alternative to conflict minerals
• A large part, but difficult to estimate, of world production comes from
artisanal mining in the Great Lakes region of Central and East Africa
(DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, etc.).
• Coltan is extracted from altered pegmatites or placers by simple
gravimetric processes.
• In this region, coltan is at the heart of a deadly conflict, since its
trafficking, produced by illegal artisanal exploitations, finances the
local rebel armies and militias.
• The rise in prices in the 2000s made it possible to strongly develop this
type of exploitation, and thus to exacerbate the tensions that existed in
the region (civil wars in Kivu, clashes between Rwanda and the DRC).
• Tantalum exported from this region is difficult to trace and quantify,
but some sources estimate that the DRC and Rwanda would produce
more than 60% of world production.
State of play
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16. French Guiana fairmined coltan - an alternative to conflict minerals
• Corporate engagement in responsible trade avoiding the purchase of conflict minerals, in accordance with Dodd-
Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Section 1502 of 2010
• Sanction and publication of statistics by the United Nations on the export and production of illegal coltan
• REGULATION (EU) 2017/821 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 May 2017 laying
down obligations relating to the supply chain diligence for Union importers who import tin, tantalum and tungsten,
their ores and gold from conflict or high risk areas
• OECD produced guide on due diligence on mineral supply chains from conflict zones
• Boycott of coltan from the Great Lakes region of East Africa by several manufacturers in the electronics sector
(Apple, HP, etc.)
Initiatives towards an ethical trade in raw materials
• UN recommends tantalum testing procedures along the production chain to improve transparency of conflict
minerals
A "certificate of origin"
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17. French Guiana fairmined coltan - an alternative to conflict minerals
• The German Federal Institute (BGR) has developed an analysis procedure in order to obtain the “fingerprint” of
coltan, depending on its origin
• Study parameters are the age of mineral formation, mineralogical mode and chemical composition
• The procedure is based on the LA-ICP-MS mineral release analysis
• Initial experiments have shown excellent results in characterizing samples from different origins
Coltan traceability procedure (MELCHER et al. 2008)
• Provide a French, ethical and traceable source of supply in tantalum and niobium (eg. works on the traceability
of gold in French Guiana)
SUDMINE’s target in this context
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18. Le développement raisonné de la mine
SUDMINE’s projects in French Guiana
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19. Guianese coltan mining potential - Distribution of major coltan showings in French Guiana
• Alluvial coltan derived from LCT pegmatites (Lithium Cesium Tantalum) associated with granitoids in
a metasedimentary host
• 30 known alluvial / eluvial indices distributed over 8 districts
• French geological surveys exploration from 1950 to 1963
• 90 t of columbo-tantalite were produced in French Guiana from 1954 to 1986
• 38 t of colombo-tantalite produced between 1954 and 1957 on the Vénus creek (Consortium Minier
Guyanais - COMIGU)
• Potential of 900 to 1,000 t of coltan on known indices, with contents of 500 to 1,000 g coltan / m3 in
alluvium, with a coltan containing 13% to 67.8% of Ta2O5
Coltan de Guyane, 2nd known mineral resource in French Guiana after gold
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20. Guianese coltan mining potential - Distribution of major coltan showings in French Guiana
Localisation of known colombite-tantalite placers in french Guiana (modified after Billa et al., 2013)
SUDMINE’s exploration licences are
covering the following known indices :
• Passoura-Cariacou (n°6) and Montagne
des Singes (n°7) placer : « Kourou »
exploration licence
• Valentin (n°19), Agami Maïpouri (n°20) and
Belle-Etoile (n°21) placer : « Basse Mana »
exploration licence
• Voltaire (n°27) placer : « Voltaire »
exploration licence
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21. Guianese coltan mining potential – Geometry of alluvial deposits
• Late orogenic LCT Pegmatites collected
within the granites and surrounding sedimentary
basin and intrusive granites of the
transamazonian orogeny
Source
• Stream (alluvium) or surface runoff (colluvium)
promoting the erosion of beds and pegmatites
by releasing coltan particles
Transport
• Head of streams : higher concentrations
upstream than downstream in the gravel layers
Deposition
Geometry of French Guiana alluvial deposits
(Source : BRGM, 2013)
Humus and overburden
Colombo-tantalite alluvium
Colombo-tantalite pegmatite
Garnet-staurotide schists
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22. SUDMINE’s exploration licences
• 3 exploration licenses
• Granted for 3 years : Kourou and
Basse Mana (august 2018),
Voltaire (october 2019)
• For Ta, Tb, Li, Be, Sn, W, Au
• Covering 122 km2
• Geological potential
• Transamazonian metamorphosed
basement
• Granitoids associated with rare metals
LCT pegmatites (lithium, Cesium,
Tantalum) intersecting
metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary
series
• Deposits located downstream of TTG
granites and LCT pegmatites rich in
coltan
• Deposits in the form of a multitude of
small placers
SUDMINE’s exploration
licence
Kourou
Basse Mana
Voltaire
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23. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Kourou »
• 35,6 km2
• 15 km South-Ouest of Kourou
• Direct paved road access (Nationale 1)
• Existing tracks
« Kourou » exploration licence
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24. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Kourou »
Kourou exploration licence data and potential :
Name of
target
Deposit
type
Grade of the
ore
Ta/Nb ratio
Columbo-
tantalite grade
(g/m3)
Potential
Passoura-
Cariacou
Alluvial
placer
12,9% Ta2O5
49,3% Nb2O5
8,2% TiO2
0,26
>500 mean
9 514 max
364 t columbo-
tantalite
Montagne
des singes
Alluvial
placer
67,8% Ta2O5
17,8% Nb2O5
0,6% TiO2
3,64 >500 mean
10 t columbo-
tantalite
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25. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Basse Mana »
• 49 km2
• 15 km South of National road 1 (Saut
Sabbat)
• Access by canoe on Mana river (1h)
• Existing track from National 1 leads to 5
km of NW licence limit
• Old prospecting tracks
« Basse Mana» exploration
licence
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26. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Basse Mana »
Basse Mana exploration licence data and
potential :
Name of
target
Deposit type
Grade of the
ore
Ta/Nb ratio
Columbo-
tantalite
grade (g/m3)
Potential
Valentin Alluvial placer
54,8% Ta2O5
29% Nb2O5
0,71% TiO2
1,89
<250 mean
1 300 max
2 t columbo-
tantalite
Maîpouri Alluvial placer
50,9% Ta2O5
27,8% Nb2O5
0,63% TiO2
1,83
200 mean
1 000 max
2,25 t
columbo-
tantalite
Agami Alluvial placer - -
1 100 mean
8 000 max
8 t columbo-
tantalite
Belle Etoile Alluvial placer
53,5% Ta2O5
25,3% Nb2O5
2,11
830 mean
1 000 max
Up to 200 t
columbo-
tantalite26

27. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Voltaire »
• 34 km2
• Access by canoe on Maroni (36 km)
and Sparouine river (30 km)
• Existing track from Saint-Laurent-du-
Maroni (70 km, Paul Isnard track and
old Apatou road)
« Voltaire» exploration licence
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28. SUDMINE’s exploration licences : « Voltaire »
Voltaire exploration licence data and potential :
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Name of
target
Deposit
type
Grade of
the ore
Ta/Nb
ratio
Columbo-
tantalite
grade
(g/m3)
Potential
Voltaire
Alluvial
placer
40,27%
Ta2O5
39,34%
Nb2O5
1,02
1 085
mean
12 200
max
38,4 t
columbo-
tantalite

29. SUDMINE’s exploration licences
• Secure the main indices with exploration licences (3 granted and other future
applications)
• Validate the economic potential of coltan ores and develop alluvial resources
• Define a rapid, light, representative, efficient, transportable and reproducible,
exploration method
• Define an economical, light, efficient, mobile and reproducible separation
method of coltan
• Assessing the primary potential : LCT pegmatites at the source of alluvial
deposits
SUDMINE’s targets
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30. Les travaux de SUDMINE en Guyane – un projet d’exploitation
• Semi-industrial exploitation of alluvio-eluvionary deposits (skills and skilled workforce already
present in Guyana)
• Mobile exploitation of several low tonnage and high grade flats
Operating scheme
• Create an ethical, responsible and traceable chain for Guianese coltan
• Valorization of the ore in marketable concentrate
• Study the possibility of a downstream sector (small Ta2O5 production unit)
• Involvement of local community
• Coordinate restoration of exploitation sites for reintegration into the natural environment or
restitution to the community for agricultural or development purposes.
Objectifs d’exploitation SUDMINE
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31. www.sudmine.fr
Michaël LALOUA
Director
m.laloua@orange.fr
For more information, please contact :
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