PERTH: Pure Minerals Limited announced the appointment of Dr Stephen Grocott as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Dr. Grocott will play a key role with Pure Minerals and will drive the technical and marketing activities of the Company, including development of relationships with global automotive, battery and cathode companies that are the prospective customers for the battery chemicals and co-products that are proposed to be produced at the Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH Project).

Dr. Grocott is an accomplished executive in the mining and mineral processing sector with nearly 40 years of international experience. Most recently, he was the Chief Technical Development Officer at Clean TeQ Holdings Limited where he was accountable for all technical and process development, and supported technical marketing, Due Diligence, and project funding for the A$2 billion Sunrise nickel, cobaltand scandium project in New South Wales.

Dr Grocott’s exposure to EV and battery producers and world-class expertise in process development for minerals processing and battery chemicals will underpin the progress of the Company. Prior to his time at Clean TeQ Holdings Limited, Dr. Grocott was Chief Advisor of Processing at Rio Tinto for 9 years. Leading a global team, he was tasked with generating over US$1 billion in savings for various projects across the Rio Tinto Group’s project portfolio covering a wide range of areas including minerals processing, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, tailings, and bulk materials handling. He was also intimately involved with feasibility studies, project evaluation, and M&A&D support.

Prior to Rio Tinto, Dr. Grocott held similar positions with companies including BHP Billiton, Alcoa, Comalco, Southern Pacific Petroleum and Worsley Alumina. He is experienced in minerals processing, process development and industrial chemistry across a range of commodities including nickel laterites and sulfides, bauxite, alumina, uranium, titania, copper, cobalt, rare earths, shale oil, biofuels and GHG emissions reduction. Recently, he also served as the Chair of AMIRA International, the preeminent organisation that develops and facilitates much of the precompetitive, collaborative research for the world’s minerals industry.

He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a PhD in Physical & Inorganic Chemistry from The University of Western Australia. He is an Adjunct Professor in Applied Sciences at the Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry at RMIT University.

Dr. Grocott commented: “The global growth in battery electric vehicle sales is staggering. Through government economic stimulus policies, the COVID crisis is only accelerating this growth. What is missing however is the supply of the very battery chemicals that the TECH project will produce. A projected 1.3Mtpa of nickel alone is required by 2028. “Not only does the Pure Minerals TECH project have this market pull in its favour, but it combines technology, a high-grade ore supply and a location to get to market faster and with lower risk than battery chemical production alternatives. I am delighted to join the Pure Minerals team at this time and to assist the path to project development, project funding and commercial production.”

Managing Director John Downie commented: “We are delighted to have Stephen on board and I welcome him to the organisation. His exposure and international networks within the EV battery sector will be invaluable to the Company as we step up our marketing efforts to potential customers and strategic investors. Stephen’s experience and world class metallurgical capability will also be critical as we advance through feasibility and pilot work and then engineering for the TECH project.”