Speewah gets funding boost

Tivan (ASX: TVN) has progressed towards securing full project financing for the Speewah fluorite project in WA with support from the Federal Government.

The company has received a non-binding conditional letter of support from the Federal Government’s Export Finance Australia (EFA) and progressed to the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) due diligence phase.

Located 100km south of the port of Wyndham in the Kimberley region, the operation was awarded major project status in 2024 following the addition of fluorine to the Federal Government’s critical minerals list.

Downstream fluorine products are used in strategically important sectors including semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicle (EV) batteries, refrigerants, aluminium fluxing and uranium enrichment.

Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson says the company is very pleased to have made timely progress with EFA and NAIF.

“From Tivan’s perspective, this reflects the strong alignment of the Speewah fluorite project with Australia’s Critical Mineral Strategy, our partnership with Sumitomo Corporation and JOGMEC and our northern location,” he said.

“We look forward to collaborating closely in maturing the debt finance pathway, in support of building a new, critical export sector for Australia and making a durable economic contribution to the East Kimberley region.”

Progression of the project follows formal advice from the NAIF that it has completed its strategic assessment phase and, as a result, Tivan will prepare a formal investment proposal for the NAIF to consider.

The incorporated joint venture (IJV) aims to develop the Speewah project as Australia’s first fluorite mining and processing operation for export into global markets.

While the NAIF has not yet committed to financing the project, the conditional letter is a major milestone towards potential concessional debt support.