December 11, 2025

From Wall Street to Mining: Chris Showalter's Journey and Vision for Sustainable Nickel Production

28 minutes

In today's show, we're joined by Chris Showalter, CEO of Lifezone Metals, the company behind the Kabanga Nickel Project in north‑west Tanzania, one of the world’s highest‑grade, development‑ready nickel sulphide deposits.

We discuss how the company fits into the evolving critical minerals landscape, its role in building Western refining capacity, and why its Hydromet Technology could be a game-changer compared to traditional smelting. Chris will also share highlights from the recent Feasibility Study and the key milestones Lifezone is targeting over the next 12–24 months.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

LifeZone's innovative approach leverages chemistry to process ores, reducing the carbon footprint and operational costs associated with high-temperature smelting.

The recent feasibility study for the Kabanga project revealed a net asset value of $1.58 billion and a 23.3% internal rate of return (IRR) at conservative nickel pricing

LifeZone is actively seeking partnerships and funding to support the development of the Kabanga project. The company is working with the U.S. Development Finance Corporation and other international entities to secure approximately $700 million in debt financing

Over the next 12 to 24 months, LifeZone aims to finalise its equity consortium and advance its project financing. Additionally, the company is exploring other opportunities, such as recycling metals from autocatalytic converters

BEST MOMENTS

"We are going to be one of the most critical sources of nickel with byproducts of cobalt and copper for the Western nations to wean away from the tightly controlled Indonesian market."

"HydroMet is focusing on water-based solutions and really letting the chemistry do the hard work in a much more energy-efficient process."

"Our total ore production is 52.2 million tons, creating 1.98% nickel, which is very high... that drives the economics."

"Kabanga's time has come. This mine will be built. It's these flagship projects with this kind of grade, and this is the right time for Kabanga."

GUEST RESOURCES

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifezone-metals/

Website: https://lifezonemetals.com/

Email address: [email protected]

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Mail: ⁠[email protected]⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠

Web: ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠

CONTACT METHOD

⁠[email protected]⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠

Podcast Description

Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

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By Rob Tyson

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