Interview with Keith Barron, President & CEO of Aurania Resources

Recording date: 21st January, 2025

Aurania Resources, led by CEO Keith Barron, is advancing two strategic projects targeting critical metals in Ecuador and France. The company's flagship asset in southeastern Ecuador comprises a 200,000-hectare land package in the same mineral belt as the high-grade Fruta del Norte gold deposit, a previous discovery by Barron's team.

The company has invested over $60 million in systematic exploration of its Ecuador properties, identifying multiple targets for gold, copper, silver, lead, and zinc mineralization. These include sedimentary-hosted copper deposits similar to those in the DRC, high-grade epithermal gold targets reminiscent of Fruta del Norte, and zones of silver-rich lead-zinc mineralization in limestones. A recent $200,000 induced polarization survey has been completed over a key gold target, with results pending.

Aurania is actively engaging with major mining companies for potential partnerships to advance its Ecuador projects. However, these discussions are temporarily paused pending Ecuador's upcoming national elections. The current pro-mining government is expected to retain power, though political uncertainty remains. The U.S. government has shown strategic interest in Ecuador's critical metals potential, particularly in preventing these resources from being controlled by Chinese interests.

In France, Aurania is pursuing an unconventional nickel opportunity on the island of Corsica. The project involves extracting nickel-rich black sands from beaches, which contain awaruite, a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy. Preliminary sampling has yielded impressive grades of up to 50% nickel, significantly higher than conventional hard rock nickel mines. These deposits, formed from eroded ultramafic rocks and enriched by historical asbestos mining waste, present a unique opportunity for near-term production.

The company plans to extract the nickel-rich sands using a simple dredging operation, with potential production targeted for 2026. The project aligns with Europe's push for domestic critical metal supply chains, particularly for the expanding electric vehicle battery sector. Aurania emphasizes the project's environmental advantages, noting it would produce "clean nickel" without the rainforest impact associated with traditional nickel mining in countries like Indonesia.

The investment thesis for Aurania centers on its exposure to critical metals essential for the clean energy transition, experienced management team, and potential near-term cash flow from the Corsica project. Key catalysts include Ecuador's election results, geophysical survey results, potential partnership announcements, and advancement of the Corsica nickel project. While both projects remain speculative, they offer strategic positioning in the growing market for battery and clean energy metals.

Learn more: https://cruxinvestor.com/companies/aurania-resources

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