The Neometals Ltd (ASX: NMT) share price is rocketing today. This comes after the company provided an update on its wholly-owned Barrambie Titanium and Vanadium Project (Barrambie).
At the time of writing, the advanced materials company's shares are up 9.9%, trading at $1.11 apiece.
Pilot plant online for offtake agreement
Investors appear to welcome the company's progress, sending the Neometals share price higher today.
In its release, Neometals advised it has successfully brought its gravity beneficiation plant online at Menzies in Western Australia. This will see around the production of titanium-rich gravity concentrate samples for evaluation by potential Chinese offtake counterparties.
Neometals said it would produce and ship around 150 tonnes of gravity concentrates in the first quarter of 2022.
About 100 tonnes of the product will be distributed towards titanium slag producer, Jiuxing Titanium Materials (Liaonging).
In April, Neometals entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Liaonging for commercial-scale trials as part of its offtake evaluation process.
The company said delivery of the mixed gravity concentrate represented the final stage of the Jiuxing Barrambie offtake due diligence.
Jiuxing commercial smelting trials are scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022. It is anticipated that this will lead to advance negotiations for formal offtake agreements in October 2022.
Subject to the successful Jiuxing trial, positive pre-feasibility study, and board approval, execution of a Barrambie contract could come as early as December 2022.
The remaining mixed gravity concentrate bulk sample is expected to go to other potential off-takers.
Neometals share price summary
Over the past 12 months, the Neometals share price has zoomed upwards by more than 384%, with year-to-date up 323%.
The company's shares hit an all-time high of $1.19 this month, before treading slightly lower.
Neometals commands a market capitalisation of around $605 million and has approximately 548 million shares on issue.
