Battery Age Minerals stakes more ground as China tightens gallium and germanium exports

Battery Age Minerals (ASX: BM8) has staked additional exploration licences at its Bleiberg Zinc-Lead-Germanium Project in Austria, with plans to accelerate exploration activities in light of China’s planned export controls on gallium and germanium. 

“Based on our early desktop studies and a site visit, we have identified additional prospective land which merited strategic expansion of our claims,” said Battery Age CEO Gerard O’Donvan. 

Documentation for the staking process has been completed and submitted to the Austrian Mining Department, with formal documentation expected over the next 6-8 weeks.

China flexes critical metals muscles 

On 3 July, China said it would restrict exports of two metals used in semiconductors and EVs, escalating a technology war between the United States.

This is already causing panic in the market, with Freiberger Compound Materials – the world’s largest gallium buyer – rushing to stockpile the critical metal, Reuters reported. The company has a 65% market share in gallium arsenic wafers for smartphone power amplifiers. 

 "My clients are not relaxed about this at all. There's now a burst of orders being placed to increase inventory levels. The industry is very much on edge," chief executive Michael Harz told Reuters.

Harz said his Chinese suppliers will stop deliveries when the export controls take effect on 1 August and potentially resume a month later, when licence requests have been processed.

The ASX-listed landscape

Gallium and germanium are extremely niche metals and China has managed to push out most rivals by undercutting them on price. It’s also one of those commodities that nobody cares about until something like this happens.

As for ASX-listed companies with exposure, I could only find two:

1. Battery Age Minerals (ASX: BM8)

2. Mount Burgess Mining (ASX: MTB)

Mount Burgess is striking while the iron is hot – Recently announcing a ‘significant gallium exploration target ‘at its Kihabe Deposit in Botswana.

Understanding the Bleiberg Project

Bleiberg is a 700-year-old polymetallic mine, known for its zinc, germanium, lead, fluorite, and cadmium deposits. The mine was among the top six largest germanium producers in the world, with extensive infrastructure, numerous scientific publications and known mienralised bodies.

According to Multi Metal Development, numerous authorities and researchers suggest a geological target between 13 million to 50 million tonnes at historic grades of:

• Zinc 5% to 7%

• Lead 0.5% to 1.5%

• Germanium 150 ppm to 250 ppm

Battery Age currently has a 15% stake in the project with an earn-in of up to 80%, subject to various milestones including exploration expenditures and the delivery of a bankable feasibility study.

Battery Age Minerals price chart (Source: Market Index)

Disclaimer: Market Index helps small-cap ASX-listed companies connect with Australian investors through clear and concise articles on key developments. Battery Age Minerals was a client at the time of publishing. All coverage contains factual information only and should not be interpreted as an opinion or financial advice.