Name of the Mine
Zavalievsky graphite (ZG) mine.

Location  
Adjacent to the town of Zavallya, in Ukraine, about 280 km south of Kyiv and 230 km north of the main port of Odessa.

Mine Owner/s  
Volt Resources (70%) and Ukraine entities (30%).

Brief Description  
The ZG Group is a very long-life asset, with exploration upside. The mine and processing facilities have been in operation since 1934.

The operation manufactures graphite products across the range and has potential to significantly increase high-value, large flake production.

Brief History  
The ZG mine and processing facilities have been in operation since 1934 and are near key markets with significant developments in lithium-ion battery production.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Graphite, of which 90% is fine mesh suitable for lithium-ion batteries.
    
Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The geology of the ZG mine is characterised by its significant deposits of high-grade natural flake graphite. The orebody primarily consists of graphitic schists, which are metamorphic rocks rich in carbon content. The schists were formed through regional metamorphism of organic-rich sedimentary rocks. The deposit has an average grade of about 6.8% carbon, with substantial exploration potential in the south-east zone. 

Reserves  
Not stated.

Resources  
The project has mineral resources of 22.9-million tons at a grade of 6.8% carbon – subset of overall deposit based on the south-east zone only (non-Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant and about 20% of Russian code resources)

Type of Mine
Openpit.

Mining Method  
Truck-and-shovel.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Flotation, concentration and purification are done at the mine.

The project has excellent transport infrastructure covering road, rail, river and sea freight combined with reliable grid power, ample potable ground water supply and good communications.

Prospects  
In June 2023, ZG Group was identified as a strategic asset by European agencies, EIT and ERMA, shortlisting it as one of only a few graphite projects included in about 50 investment cases to meet European demand for critical and strategic materials. This recognition is expected to open new business development opportunities for Volt in Europe. 

It has been noted over many years that ZG hosts various minerals that are naturally occurring within the orebody, including garnet. Garnet is an industrial mineral used in applications such as water filtration, abrasive blasting, water jet cutting, abrasive powders and other applications. Ordinarily ZG Group has treated it as a waste material and disposed of it to the tailings storage facility or stockpiled the mined material. 

Volt believes that given the ZG mine’s proximity to European markets there is an opportunity to develop a viable industrial garnet business. A business development plan is now in preparation to determine if garnet can be extracted in an economically viable manner. In association with this, discussion have started with potential customers. 

Adding a secondary revenue stream to the ZG Group will assist Volt to achieve its aim of making the business financially independent.

Contact Details 
Volt Resources
Tel +6 8 9486 7788
Email contact@voltresources.com

Sources
Volt Resources. Website: https://voltresources.com/