Interview with Michael Rowley, President & CEO of Stillwater Critical Minerals

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/group-ten-metals-pge-pges-nickel-and-copper-time-to-reward-patient-investors-343

Recording date: 5th June 2025

Stillwater Critical Minerals has positioned itself as a leading domestic critical minerals investment opportunity, combining substantial polymetallic resources with strategic institutional backing and favorable policy tailwinds. The company's recent transformation from Group 10 Metals reflects management's conviction in their Montana asset, which sits within America's most established platinum group element mining district.

The investment proposition centers on a significant resource base containing 1.6 billion pounds of nickel, copper, and cobalt alongside 3.8 million ounces of platinum group elements and gold. This polymetallic endowment addresses multiple critical mineral supply chains simultaneously, providing natural commodity diversification and reducing single-metal price risk. The resource represents a potential 10-20 year mine life operation with bulk tonnage scenarios exceeding $50 per ton gross value.

Glencore's strategic 15.4% investment provides crucial institutional validation and operational expertise. The global commodity giant has made two separate investments and secured board representation, indicating serious commercial interest beyond passive investment. This partnership brings established market access, technical knowledge, and potential development capital to advance the project through feasibility studies.

The project's location within Montana's Stillwater Complex offers significant operational advantages. Positioned within 500 meters of Sibanye-Stillwater's active East Boulder mine, the company can potentially leverage existing infrastructure, processing facilities, and skilled workforce. This proximity reduces development capital requirements and project execution risk compared to greenfield opportunities in remote locations.

Management has assembled proven technical expertise through recruitment from Ivanhoe Mines, bringing direct experience developing complex polymetallic deposits. The team's geological model applies successful Bushveld Complex strategies to similar rock formations, reducing exploration risk and accelerating resource definition. Their reinterpretation of 40,000 meters of historical and recent drilling data has identified previously unrecognized economic potential within the lower Stillwater Complex.

Federal policy alignment creates exceptional development opportunities. The project directly addresses U.S. critical mineral security objectives, with potential access to Defense Production Act funding and regulatory support. Montana's pro-mining jurisdiction and established permitting frameworks provide additional development advantages, while congressional support has been demonstrated through direct engagement with the state's delegation.

The development timeline offers near-term catalysts for value recognition. Management expects to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment by Q3 2026, following additional drilling and resource modeling work. This milestone will provide crucial economic validation and establish the foundation for advanced feasibility studies and potential strategic partnerships.

Market dynamics strongly favor domestic critical mineral development. Supply chain vulnerabilities, energy transition demand, and strategic stockpiling trends create sustained growth drivers across Stillwater's commodity portfolio. The company's polymetallic approach provides exposure to multiple market segments while reducing dependence on individual commodity cycles. Strategic optionality enhances investment appeal through multiple potential development pathways. These include strategic partnerships with neighboring operators, infrastructure sharing agreements, independent development scenarios, or potential acquisition by major mining companies seeking domestic critical mineral exposure.

With approximately $15 million invested against a current market capitalization of C$63 million, Stillwater represents compelling value creation potential. The combination of substantial resources, institutional backing, policy support, and proven management positions the company to capitalize on America's critical mineral security imperative while delivering significant investor returns through systematic project advancement and strategic value realization.

View Stillwater Critical Minerals' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/stillwater-critical-minerals

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