Interview with Simon Clarke, CEO & Director of American Lithium Corp.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/american-lithium-tsxvli-peru-lithium-resource-increase-unlocks-huge-production-potential-4366

Recording date: 20th November 2023

American Lithium recently secured a pivotal court victory upholding its ownership rights over key mining concessions in Peru containing valuable lithium and uranium resources. With this major legal uncertainty now resolved, the company is aggressively moving to capitalize on strengthening lithium markets and rising uranium prices.

The unanimous court ruling affirmed American Lithium's titles to 32 disputed concessions after earlier claims by regulators that concession fees were not properly paid. The decision is a resounding win that removes any doubts over the company's lithium and uranium assets tied to the concessions. Management sees the clear legal endorsement as accelerating development timelines.

American Lithium's prime focus is now rapidly advancing its flagship Falchani lithium project towards initial production in 2025 based on current permitting and development timelines. With the recent court decision in hand, the company can confidently incorporate substantial lithium resources from the disputed concessions as it works to complete an updated preliminary economic assessment of Falchani in coming weeks.

A doubling of the total resource estimate earlier this year provides a world-class foundation for development. CEO Simon Clarke believes strategic partners are likely to provide funding assistance to construct what he calls “one of the best lithium projects globally” amid deepening supply shortfalls, especially in the Americas.

Given favorable treatment of lithium projects under Peru’s mining regulations, Clarke suggests final permitting could be secured within 12 months, supporting final investment decisions by mid-2025. The compressed timeline is a rarity amongst lithium development stories.

Uranium Spin-Out Unlocks Additional Value
While focused squarely on bringing Falchani into production, American Lithium also controls highly prospective uranium resources in Peru. With uranium prices rising sharply in recent months, the company is now actively evaluating options to spin these assets into a standalone entity.

The strategic rationale is to attract dedicated capital to accelerate resource expansion and systematic development work. Management aims to structure any spin-out to help crystallize the substantial underlying value of its uranium holdings. By pursuing separate paths forward, American Lithium can also concentrate financial and operational resources more intently on lithium production growth.

Given persistent weakness in equity capital markets, timing and valuation will be critical considerations around an eventual uranium spin-out. However, with bullish supply-demand projections for nuclear power supporting multi-year price upside, the company looks to be exploring the concept from a position of strength.

With concession ownership certainty finally attained through a definitive court ruling, American Lithium holds a clear path forward in bringing its impressive Peruvian lithium and uranium assets into production. The company appears poised to aggressively capitalize on deeply undersupplied lithium markets over the next few years, targeting first production from Falchani potentially as early as mid-2025.

Meanwhile, a strategically planned uranium spin-out could help unlock significant embedded value to support longer-term growth initiatives. After multiple years spent overcoming permitting obstacles, American Lithium seems perfectly positioned to create substantial shareholder value as macro tailwinds accelerate development across its asset portfolio.

View American Lithium's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/american-lithium

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