Meridian Mining, formerly known as Brazil Manganese Corporation (BMC), has signed a 20,000 mt high-grade manganese sales contract to an international customer. The material will be supplied by the company’s mining project in the Brazilian state of Rondonia.
Meridian said this week the deal was an important milestone for the company, as it represents about one-third of its estimated production for 2017.
"With the commissioning of our pilot plant expected in the coming weeks, we are well on the way to growing production capacity to 50,000 mt per year, helping us to better address the growing global demand for high-grade manganese,” said the company’s CEO, Anthony Julien.
According to Meridian, the sales contract consists of two shipments of high-grade manganese to be completed before year-end 2017. The first shipment of 10,000 mt is expected to be delivered in September this year, while the second is anticipated for December.
High-grade manganese has a number of applications beyond steel production, including the manufacture of batteries and use as a fertilizer, the company noted.
Including the new deal, the company’s total sales orders for 2017 have reached 18,799 mt in sold and delivered shipments, as well as another 32,463 mt shipments committed.