NMG Starts Commissioning its Coating Line Completing its Integrated Anode Material Production & Discloses Annual General Meeting Voting Results
NMG Starts Commissioning its Coating Line Completing its Integrated
Anode Material Production & Discloses Annual General Meeting Voting
Results
• Construction of NMG’s coating unit essentially completed safely and on budget;
cold commissioning is now underway.
• The only operational integrated North American natural graphite production, from
mine to battery material: NMG now has the facilities to fully support the anode
material qualification with its potential customers.
• The coating line completes the development of NMG’s Phase 1, providing a strong
foundation for the scale up to full commercial operations for 100,000 tpa of high-
purity flake graphite at the Matawinie Mine and 42,000 tpa of CSPG at the
Bécancour Battery Material Plant.
MONTRÉAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 2022--Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (“NMG”,
“Nouveau Monde” or the “Company”) (NYSE: NMG, TSXV: NOU) held yesterday its hybrid
Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) from its Phase-1 plant in
Saint-Michel-des-Saints, an occasion to showcase its brand-new coating line with a nameplate
capacity of 2,000 tonnes per annum (“tpa”). Completing the Company’s integrated anode
material production, from ore to battery material, the coating module was built over H1-2022 to
complement NMG’s portfolio of advanced materials.
The ultimate beneficiation step, coating is instrumental to battery technology. Coating helps
create a stable electrolyte interface layer in the battery system and increase initial coulombic
efficiency and discharge capacity, thus extending the battery performance over time. With this
addition, NMG now operates the only fully integrated North American natural graphite
production and is positioned to provide customers with a variety of customizable high-purity
advanced materials to meet their specifications, desired environmental footprint, and quality
standards.
Arne H Frandsen, Chair of NMG, said: “NMG’s scaled development plan has reached a
significant milestone: Phase 1 now covers the full value chain! From extraction and
concentration to advanced processing and battery testing in our laboratory, we have engineered
processes, designed operations, and built facilities that demonstrate our proprietary
technologies and production capability. This constitutes a springboard for executing our Phase 2
to develop what is projected to be North America’s largest fully integrated natural graphite
operation. As an early mover, timing is superb for NMG considering the pressure battery and
electric vehicles (“EV”) manufacturers are experiencing due to growth in demand for cleantech
and limited raw materials.”
NMG’s innovative coating technology is projected to generate up to 25% energy reduction
compared to the dominant manufacturing operations, with a minimal environmental footprint
thanks to the Company’s access to clean hydropower and its strong ESG operational parameters.
The technology built in this Phase 1 is planned to be replicated and scaled up for the Phase-2
Bécancour Battery Material Plant, for a planned 42,000-tpa production at the commercial level.
The Company’s engineering team in collaboration with specialized firms have secured a
technology that provides versatility for the use of different precursors as research and
development advances.
Cold commissioning of the kiln and utilities is underway with NMG’s and the equipment’s
supplier technical team onsite; hot commissioning is expected to start shortly after with the
objective of processing the first tonne of material at the beginning of Q3-2022. The Company
expects stable production by the end of Q3-2022 to support product qualification, operational
optimization, and detailed engineering of the Phase 2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant.
Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President, and CEO of NMG, commented: “I am extremely proud of
our team who has delivered a highly technical project safely and on budget amidst a complex
environment shaken by logistical turbulences, labor shortages and rising inflation. We are now
set to provide a turnkey supply of anode material to our potential customers, reinforcing our
active commercial discussions and bringing us one step closer to signing an offtake agreement
with a strategic anchor customer.”
Spherical purified graphite (“SPG”) extracted from the Company’s Matawinie deposit and
produced through its Phase-1 concentrator, shaping unit and purification facility, will be refined
with a nano layer of carbon to qualify the material for anode application. Production of coated
spherical purified graphite (“CSPG”) in commercial-like settings, with NMG’s ore, technology
and facilities, further advances commercial discussions with potential customers with a view
towards the completion of an offtake agreement.
Matters Voted upon at the Meeting and Results
The Company also announced today the results of voting at the Meeting. Each of the seven
nominees listed in the Company’s management information circular dated May 12, 2022,
provided in connection with the Meeting were elected as directors of the Company.
Shareholders also adopted all other resolutions submitted for their approval, including the
appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the auditors of the Company to hold office until
the close of the next annual meeting of the Company and the authority given to directors to set its
compensation, and the ratification and confirmation of the stock option plan of the Company.
The complete voting results for each item of business are as follows:
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Name of Nominee Votes in Favor % Votes in Favor Votes Withheld % Votes Withheld
Daniel Buron 27,047,382 99.38% 169,213 0.62%
Eric Desaulniers 27,195,576 99.92% 21,019 0.08%
Arne H Frandsen 26,278,327 96.55% 938,268 3.45%
Jürgen Köhler 27,188,195 99.90% 28,400 0.10%
Nathalie Pilon 27,202,861 99.95% 13,734 0.05%
James Scarlett 27,034,959 99.33% 181,636 0.67%
Andrew Willis 27,164,762 99.81% 51,833 0.19%
APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION OF AUDITORS
Votes in Favor % Votes in Favor Votes Withheld % Votes Withheld
30,130,892 99.81% 56,359 0.19%
RATIFICATION AND CONFIRMATION OF THE COMPANY’S STOCK OPTION PLAN
Votes in Favor % Votes in Favor Votes Against % Votes Against
26,120,204 95.97% 1,096,391 4.03%
Details of the voting results on all matters considered at the Meeting are available in the
Company’s report of voting results, which is available under Nouveau Monde’s profile on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
About Nouveau Monde Graphite
Nouveau Monde Graphite is striving to become a key contributor to the sustainable energy
revolution. The Company is working towards developing a fully integrated source of carbon-
neutral battery anode material in Québec, Canada for the growing lithium-ion and fuel cell
markets. With low-cost operations and enviable ESG standards, NMG aspires to become a
strategic supplier to the world’s leading battery and automobile manufacturers, providing high-
performing and reliable advanced materials while promoting sustainability and supply chain
traceability. www.NMG.com
Subscribe to our news feed: https://NMG.com/investors/#news
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release including,
but not limited to those describing the impact of the foregoing on the project economics, the
intended production capacity of the Company’s Phase-2 operations, the potential results and
benefits of the Company’s proprietary coating technology, including the potential reduction in
energy consumption, the timelines of the various initiatives and deliverables described in this
press release, future demand for batteries and EVs, the objective of developing the largest fully
integrated natural graphite operation in North America, and those statements which are
discussed under the “About Nouveau Monde” paragraph and elsewhere in the press release
which essentially describe the Company’s outlook and objectives, constitute “forward-looking
information” or “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”)
within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities securities laws, and are based on
expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking
statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while
considered reasonable by the Company as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject
to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These
estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Moreover, these forward-looking
statements were based upon various underlying factors and assumptions, including the current
technological trends, the business relationship between the Company and its stakeholders, the
ability to operate in a safe and effective manner, the timely delivery and installation of the
equipment supporting the production, the Company’s business prospects and opportunities and
estimates of the operational performance of the equipment, and are not guarantees of future
performance.
Forward-looking statements are subject to known or unknown risks and uncertainties that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current
expectations include, among others, delays in the scheduled delivery times of the equipment, the
ability of the Company to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and whether such
strategic initiatives will yield the expected benefits, the availability of financing or financing on
favorable terms for the Company, the dependence on commodity prices, the impact of inflation
on costs, the risks of obtaining the necessary permits, the operating performance of the
Company’s assets and businesses, competitive factors in the graphite mining and production
industry, changes in laws and regulations affecting the Company’s businesses, political and
social acceptability risk, environmental regulation risk, currency and exchange rate risk,
technological developments, the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the
governments’ responses thereto, and general economic conditions, as well as earnings, capital
expenditure, cash flow and capital structure risks and general business risks. A further
description of risks and uncertainties can be found in NMG’s Annual Information Form dated
March 22, 2022, including in the section thereof captioned “Risk Factors”, which is available
on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Unpredictable or unknown
factors not discussed in this Cautionary Note could also have material adverse effects on
forward-looking statements.
Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause,
actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be
accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing
information about management’s expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company
disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to
explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking
statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.
The market and industry data contained in this press release is based upon information from
independent industry publications, market research, analyst reports and surveys and other
publicly available sources. Although the Corporation believes these sources to be generally
reliable, market and industry data is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with
complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary
nature of the data-gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties inherent in any
survey. The Corporation has not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources
referred to in this press release and accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of such data is
not guaranteed.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this release.
Further information regarding the Company is available in the SEDAR database
(www.sedar.com), and for United States readers on EDGAR (www.sec.gov), and on the
Company’s website at: www.NMG.com
Contacts
MEDIA
Julie Paquet
VP Communications & ESG Strategy
+1-450-757-8905 #140
INVESTORS
Marc Jasmin
Director, Investor Relations
+1-450-757-8905 #993