Vanadiumcorp Applauds China'S New Rebar Standard and Increasing Demand FOR New Applications
VANADIUMCORP APPLAUDS CHINA'S NEW REBAR STANDARD AND INCREASING
DEMAND FOR NEW APPLICATIONS
February 27, 2018, VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. (TSX- V: "VRB") is pleased to announce its support
for the new rebar standard announced February 9, 20 18 by the Standardization Administration for the
People's Republic of China.This announcement also i ncludes a special action to cut down on the use
of all substandard steels in China. The new rebar s tandard, and related action, is expected to be
implemented by November 2018.
Adriaan Bakker, Chief Executive Officer of Vanadium Corp stated: "The revised rebar standard bodes
well for long-term vanadium demand and pricing that has already outperformed the energy metals
lithium and cobalt, combined, over the past three y ears. VanadiumCorp is positioned well to establish
new supply streams with its disruptive green-proces s technology jointly developed with Electrochem
Technologies and Materials Inc."
According to the Metal Bulletin, vanadium pricing h as soared greater than 550% over the past three
years. The price range for vanadium pentoxide has continued to strengthen this month, trading as high
as US$13.50/lb. Tightened supply is a recurrent iss ue as vanadium pentoxide production is tailored to
the steel industry, and vanadium producers are not financially motivated to develop processes for
optimized, low-cost production of electrolytes required by vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB). Stricter
steel regulations in China, increasing use in steel alloys, and new applications such as robotics,
supercomputers, and sustainable vanadium- based ene rgy storage technologies are underpinning
continued increase in demand, unsustainable without new supplies.
High-strength low-alloy vanadium steels are the mos t efficient material available for the continued
development of worldwide infrastructure. The new re bar standard will enhance the quality of rebar,
allowing China to build earthquake-resistant homes and mitigate costs throughout the entire supply
chain.
The first key changes to rebar policy in China were made in response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
which killed over 69,000 people and injured 374,176 . The earthquake left approximately 11 million
people homeless. Approximately 15 million people re side in the affected area hit by the 21st deadliest
earthquake of all time. On November 6, 2008, the Central Government of China announced that it would
spend 1 trillion RMB (about US $146.5 billion) over the subsequent three years to rebuild areas ravaged
by the earthquake. As part of the Chinese economic stimulus program, new codes aimed to restrict and
gradually eliminate the use of lower strength bars (Grade II) were introduced.
From 2013 onwards, laws and regulations were more s trictly enforced, however, reports from China
suggest that "fake" rebar of Grade III and above are sometimes sold. To curtail this, many smaller steel
producers have already been shut down in support of this new policy.
China produces approximately 200 million metric tons of rebar each year. Typical vanadium content in
grade 3 rebar is 0.3 kilograms of vanadium per metr ic ton of steel. China's new high- strength rebar
standard is designed to limit the use of inferior s teels in construction. The standard eliminates low
strength Grade 2 rebar and sets out specifications for three different high strength standards: Grade 3
(400MPa), Grade 4 (500MPa), and Grade 5 (600MPa). These will require 0.03% V, 0.06% V, and more
than 0.1% V respectively.
TSX -V: “VRB”
About VanadiumCorp
The energy of tomorrow will be radically different than the past. Innovation will prove essential to meeting
the world's growing energy needs sustainably. Vanad ium electrolyte is the key to sustainable energy
storage and the wide-spread deployment of renewable energy. VanadiumCorp-Electrochem Process
Technology is the world's first environmentally sus tainable, high yield, high efficiency process for
recovering vanadium from virtually any vanadium bea ring source including waste - the key to energy
storage, renewables, and a sustainable energy future.
VanadiumCorp and Electrochem are changing the way the vanadium, titanium, iron is made to support
a sustainable energy future. VanadiumCorp also owns 100% of a significant vanadium- titanium-iron
resource base in Quebec, Canada.
The Company wishes to announce that the Company has granted 7,000,000 incentive stock options to
directors and officers of the Company and 4,800,000 to employees and consultants of the Company at
a price of $0.12 per share exercisable for a period of five years.
For more information, contact Vanadiumcorp:
Adriaan Bakker, President, CEO
By phone: 604-385-4489
By email: [email protected]
Website: www.vanadiumcorp.com
On behalf of the board:
Adriaan Bakker,
President and Chief Executive Officer
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.