Our Project
We mine our own Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt, process it with our own mine-mouth electricity, and manufacture Li-NMC rechargeable battery cells.
We are focused on the fast growing ASEAN market, and specifically Indonesia, which is de facto a closed market, with any prospect of penetrating it requiring domestic production (despite multiple claims of Chinese-origin factories establishing in Indonesia, there have been few concrete advances). Additionally, our location in Indonesia provides us with a strategic position to export throughout the ASEAN Free Trade Area.
Our focus on NMC is squarely aimed at the fast growing and large volume transport market in ASEAN and throughout the world. Including our sister electric motorcycle project. The development of electric transport is driven by a strong environmental trend, but is also advancing due to oil shortages in the region.
Our Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt and Coal mining concessions are located in Eastern Indonesia, with a cluster of Nickel-Cobalt and Coal concessions north of Ambon, and Manganese concessions to the south, in West Timor.
The manganese assets are located in Indonesian West Timor, immediately next to the already producing SMR manganese mine.
The manganese mining locations have been explored over the previous decade, with initial surveys by the Indonesian state geologists and subsequent surveys by the private company that secured the mining licenses which Aurora now holds. Aurora itself has conducted geophysical surveys and trenching/drilling throughout the licensed areas.
Manganese: 44 - 58 %
The nickel and cobalt assets are located north of the provincial capital of Ambon, throughout the western side of Seram Island.
The nickel-cobalt mining locations have been explored over the previous decades, with initial surveys by the Indonesian state owned mining holding (ANTAM) and subsequent geophysical surveys and trenching/drilling by the private company that secured the mining licenses which Aurora now holds.
Nickel: 1.6 - 2.7 %
Cobalt: 0.1 - 0.47 %
The thermal coal asset is located in the immediate vicinity of its Nickel and Cobalt assets, allowing us to take advantage of a cheap and reliable source of electricity at an otherwise comparatively remote mining and processing site.
The thermal coal concession that is immediately adjacent to the nickel-cobalt concessions, provides a unique opportunity for the construction of a mine-mouth coal power plant, and the creation of a cheap supply of electricity immediately adjacent to the nickel-cobalt mining sites, thereby reducing logistics and processing costs.
Our high-grade manganese ore is proceeded using a proprietary hydrometallurgy process, to derive manganese-sulfate, which is then directly used in the manufacture of rechargeable battery cells.
The process is optimized for the production of rechargeable battery precursors, rather than for large-scale metallurgy. This allows the construction of a smaller scale plant, which is specifically targeted at the more profitable sulfate production instead of being oriented towards the declining metallurgical market.
Our nickel-cobalt laterite ore is proceeded using a proprietary hydrometallurgy process, to derive nickel- and cobalt-sulfates, which are then directly used in the manufacture of rechargeable battery cells.
The process is uniquely designed to utilize seawater, which is readily available at the site of our mining concessions, and is optimized for the production of rechargeable battery precursors, rather than for large-scale metallurgy. This allows the construction of a smaller scale plant, which is specifically targeted at the more profitable sulfate production instead of being oriented towards the declining metallurgical market.
The tropical location of our concessions and plants, with constant 28°C - 34°C temperatures, provides additional energy savings during the hydrometallurgy processes.
Finally, we manufacture Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2 or NMC) Rechargeable Battery Cells. We produce the standard 18650 and 20700, and subsequently other, format rechargeable Li-NMC battery cells.
