Prophecy and Northwest Nonferrous Metals Mining Group Enter Technical Advisory and Cooperation Agreement to Advance Gibellini Vanadium Project
Prophecy and Northwest Nonferrous Metals Mining Group
Enter Technical Advisory and Cooperation Agreement to
Advance Gibellini Vanadium Project
Vancouver, British Columbia, March 12, 201 8 – Prophecy Development Corp. (“Prophecy ” or the
“Company”) (TSX:PCY, OTCQX:PRPCF, Frankfurt:1P2N) is pleased to announce it has entered into a
technical advisory and cooperation agreement with Northwest Nonferrous Metals Mining Group Co., Ltd.
(“NWME”) to advance the Gibellini vanadium project located in the mining-friendly Battle Mountain region
in northeastern Nevada, USA.
The scope of work for NWME includes technical design and engineering of vanadium ore processing
facilities to recover vanadium pentoxide at Gibellini with the goal of producing a high grade vanadium
pentoxide commercial product on site.
NWME owns and is currently operating the world’s largest black -shale vanadium mine in China with an
environmentally friendly, hydrometallurgical leach processing technology without the need of a pre-roasting
step.
NWME is an affiliated enterprise of Shaanxi Huayuan Mining Co., Ltd. which is one of the largest
comprehensive geological and mineral resources research and development institutions in northwest China
with over 5,000 employees. NWME owns and operates over a dozen mines (lead-zinc, gold, vanadium) in
China, and has extensive experience in vanadium exploration, mining, processing and recovery.
During a recent visit to NWME’s headquarters and mines in China, Prophecy was particularly i mpressed
with their vanadium operation, which is generating positive cash-flow according to NWME. NWME’s
modern laboratory center represents the forefront of research in black-shale vanadium processing with
comprehensive geological and metallurgical data collected from many dozens of private and government-
owned black shale vanadium projects in China.
As part of the agreement, NWME review ed the historic Gibellini feasibility study commissioned by the
project’s previous operator, including metallurgical studies , prepared by SGS and McClelland labs of
Denver, Colorado.
The NWME technical team recently concluded a visit to the Gibellini site and collected representative oxide
and supergene samples. The samples will be used in metallurgical work to enhance heap leaching of the
black-shale vanadium ore and process rec overies which averaged 66% in prior studies with low acid
consumption and no pre-roasting.
Michael Drozd, Prophecy’s Vice-President, Operations, met with NWME officials in Nevada, where the
parties engaged in productive technical exchanges toward an optimized vanadium processing flowsheet
and engineering design specific to Gibellini’s mineral suite to produce high purity vanadium pentoxide on
site.
John Lee, Prophecy’s Executive Chairman, states:
“NWME’s patented leaching, processing and extraction technology is commercially proven to produce
99.9% pure vanadium pentoxide while carrying a low carbon foot print. With over 12 operating mines and
hundreds of geologists and metallurgists, NWME reduces the processing risk for the Gibellini project and
is an ideal partner endowed with technological and financial capabilities.”
According to a January 2018 Bloomberg article, the vanadium pentoxide price soared more than 130% in
2017, outperforming better -known battery components like cobalt, lithium and nickel. Further, Bank of
Montreal research published in January 2018 stated that Chinese vanadium pricing would see significant
further upside as the market adjusts to lower Chinese shipments due to the upgrade of Chinese rebar
standards and the growing adoption of vanadium redox batteries . Fittingly, the vanadium pentoxide price
has increased 40% in 2018 to date, with European V2O5 price at US$14.1/lb., surpassing the Chinese V2O5
price of $13.8/lb., an anomaly not often seen, demonstrating global shortage of vanadium inventories.
High purity vanadium pentoxide (99%+), which sells at up to a 50% premium to standard vanadium
pentoxide (98%), is required for the vanadium redox flow battery and other high-tech applications such as
aerospace engines and composites.
In November 2017, the Company received an independent technical report titled “Gibell ini Vanadium
Project Nevada, USA NI 43- 101 Technical Report” with an effective date of November 10, 2017
(the “Report”) prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc. ( “AMEC”) on the Gibellini project.
The Report disclosed an estimated 49.62 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide in the measured category
and 79.67 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide in the indicated category for the Gibellini deposit.
(1) The Qualified Person for the estimate is Mr. E.J.C. Orbock III, RM SME, an AMEC employee. The
Mineral Resource estimate has an effective date of 10 November, 2017.
(2) Mineral Resources are reported at various cut-off grades for oxide, transition, and reduced material.
(3) Mineral Resources are reported within a conceptual pit shell that uses t he following assumptions:
mineral resource V2O5 price: $10.81/lb; mining cost: $2.21/ton mined; process cost: $13.14/ton processed;
general and administrative (G&A) cost: $0.99/ton processed; metallurgical recovery assumptions of 60%
for oxide material, 70% for transition material and 52% for reduced material; tonnage factors of 16.86 ft3/ton
for oxide material, 16.35 ft3/ton for transition material and 14.18 ft3/ton for reduced material; royalty: 2.5%
net smelter return (NSR); shipping and conversion costs : $0.37/lb. An overall 40º pit slope angle
assumption was used.
(4) Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between
tons, grade and contained metal content. Tonnage and grade measurements are in US units. Grades are
reported in percentages.
Prophecy has initiated discussion of environmental and permitting work with both the state of Nevada and
federal regulatory agencies. A plan of operation accompanied by baseline studies are expected to be filed
in Q2 2018 along with state permit applications. Because of prior baseline and feasibility work carried out
by Gibellini’s prior project operator, Prophecy anticipates significant cost and time savings in environmental
impact statement preparation and the state permitting process. At the same time, the Company expects to
receive an independent economic study in April that demonstrates the robustness of the Gibellini project at
recent vanadium pentoxide prices.
The Prophecy team looks forward to collaborating with NW ME and the project’s key stakeholders to
advance Gibellini through engineering, permitting, and construction, to eventual production to become
America’s first primary vanadium mine.
Qualified Person
The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Christopher M.
Kravits, CPG, LPG, General Mining Manager of Prophecy. Mr. Kravits is a Qualified Person as defined in
NI 43-101. Mr. Kravits is a consultant to the Company and is not independent of the Company s ince most
of his income is from the Company.
About Prophecy
Prophecy Development Corp. is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The
Company aims to provide exposure and leverage to rising vanadium prices by defining and adding
attributable vanadium resources in the ground in politically safe jurisdictions. Further information on
Prophecy can be found at www.prophecydev.com.
PROPHECY DEVELOPMENT CORP.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
“JOHN LEE”
Executive Chairman
For more information about Prophecy, please contact Investor Relations:
+1.888.513.6286
www.prophecydev.com
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements which may contain words such as
“expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates”, or similar expressions, and statements
related to matters which are not historical facts, are forward- looking information within the meaning of
applicable securities laws. Such forward- looking statements, which reflect management’s expectations
regarding Prophecy’s future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and
opportunities, are based on certain factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and
uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different
from future results, performance, or achievements expr essed or implied by such forward- looking
statements. These estimates and assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, economic,
competitive and other uncertainties and contingencies, many of which, with respect to future events, are
subject to change and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any
forward-looking statements made by Prophecy. In making forward-looking statements as may be included
in this news release, Prophecy has made several assumptions that it believes are appropriate, including,
but not limited to assumptions that: all required third party contractual, regulatory and governmental
approvals will be obtained for the development, construction and production of Prophecy’s properties and
the Chandgana power plant; there being no significant disruptions affecting operations, whether due to
labour disruptions or other causes; currency exchange rates being approximately consistent with current
levels; certain price assumptions for vanadium, silver, coal and other metals, prices for and availability of
fuel, parts and equipment and other key supplies remain consistent with current levels; production forecasts
meeting expectations; the accuracy of Prophecy’s current mineral resource estimates; labour and materials
costs increasing on a basis consistent with Prophecy’s current expectations; any additional required
financing will be available on reasonable terms; and market developments and trends in global supply and
demand for vanadium, energy, silver, coal and other metals meeting expectations. Prophecy cannot assure
you that any of these assumptions will prove to be correct.
Numerous factors could cause Prophecy’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
in the forward-looking statements, including the following risks and uncertainties, which are discussed in
greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in Prophecy’s most recent Management Discussion and
Analysis and Annual Information Form as filed on SE DAR and posted on Prophecy’s website: Prophecy’s
history of net losses and lack of foreseeable positive cash flow; exploration, development and production
risks, including risks related to the development of Prophecy’s mineral properties; Prophecy not havi ng a
history of profitable mineral production; commencing mine development without a feasibility study; the
uncertainty of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; the capital and operating costs required to
bring Prophecy’s projects into production and the resulting economic returns from its projects; foreign
operations and political conditions, including the legal and political risks of operating in Bolivia and
Mongolia, which are developing countries and being subject to their local laws; the avai lability and
timeliness of various government approvals, permits and licenses; the feasibility, funding and development
of Prophecy’s projects; protecting title to Prophecy’s mineral properties; environmental risks; the
competitive nature of the mining bus iness; lack of infrastructure; Prophecy’s reliance on key personnel;
uninsured risks; commodity price fluctuations; reliance on contractors; Prophecy’s need for substantial
additional funding and the risk of not securing such funding on reasonable terms or at all; foreign exchange
risk; anti-corruption legislation; recent global financial conditions; the payment of dividends; the inability of
insurance to cover all potential risks associated with mining operations; and conflicts of interest.
These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Prophecy’s
forward-looking statements. Prophecy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward- looking
statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are
reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In addition,
although Prophecy has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or
results to differ materially from those described in forward- looking statements, there may be other factors
that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Prophecy undertakes
no obligation to release publicly any future revisions to forward- looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of this news or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as
expressly required by law.