Natural Rewards is back — and we’re starting with fire and Bitcoin.In this episode, I speak with Stefan Michaelides and Dragan Jovanovic, founders of Sterling Digital PLC, a company set to IPO in London that’s mining Bitcoin from flared natural gas in Texas.By converting stranded gas directly into power, they’re producing Bitcoin at around $21,000 per coin - roughly one-fifth of the current market price. The model combines real-world energy innovation with digital finance, and the economics could make Sterling one of the lowest-cost Bitcoin miners globally.We discuss:The Texas flare-gas model and how it cuts costsScaling from 4 MW to 30 MW+The upcoming IPO and use of proceedsFounder backgrounds and prior success in private operationsWhat it means for London’s small-cap marketPost-IPO plans include deploying ~4 MW and starting production within weeks of listing. No pre-IPO placements, a tight capital structure, and credible City oversight under Chairman Guy Winterflood.🎧 Listen to the full discussion on the Natural Rewards podcast and read the full write-up on Substack:👉 https://naturalrewards.substack.com

Asiamet Resources Management Presentation: BKM Optimisation Update

Management presentation led by Chairman Tony Manini and CEO Darryn McClelland, focusing on key updates for the BKM Copper Project’s optimisation programme. Further updates are expected to follow. The main highlights included:

1.⁠ ⁠Material Capex Reductions:
•⁠ ⁠Significant Savings and Efficiencies: The optimisation programme for the BKM Copper Project has initially resulted in substantial reductions in capital expenditure (Capex). These savings are expected to significantly strengthen project economics and financing options.
•⁠ ⁠Further Potential Capex Reductions: Ongoing assessments are expected to lead to additional Capex reductions, particularly due to the implementation of a staged construction approach. Pre-production Capex savings are expected to range between US$50-80 million, significantly reducing the US$235.4 million estimated in the 2023 Feasibility Study.

2.⁠ ⁠Biomass Power Station:
•⁠ ⁠Critical Path Item: The Biomass Power Station is a crucial element of the project, and its development will ensure sustainable energy supply for the BKM project. Management provide further detail on progress including strong interest from Independent Power Producers in delivering the preferred Build, Own, Operate model.

Link to original RNS “Material Capex Reductions from BKM Copper Mine Development Engineering”

asiametresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240822-ARS-Material-Capex-Reductions-from-BKM-Copper-Mine-Development-Engineering.pdf

Darryn McClelland, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"Our key focus is on delivering material updates to shareholders, the first of which is a reduction in upfront capex in excess of US$26 million. The resizing of equipment, revisions of suppliers and simplification of the process flowsheet for the staged construction of BKM are key drivers of these savings, and we expect anticipate further updates to detail significant additional capex reductions as we finalise our engineering assessments.

It is particularly exciting that these material savings will not only reduce overall funding requirements but also enhance our ability to secure favourable financing terms, which will be a positive development for our shareholders.

Solid progress is being made on multiple fronts, including evaluation of a local process limestone source and advancing the Biomass Power Supply project. These developments, combined with the optimisation programme, will enable us to re-engage project lenders with a more highly competitive and financially robust project in hand.

The medium to long-term fundamentals of the copper market remain strong and BKM is well-positioned to benefit by delivering copper cathode into a future market characterised by increasing demand and constrained supply. This leverage to rising prices bodes well for longer term financial outcomes.

Several workstreams have completed, and others are progressing extremely well. As we report above, we are pleased that our optimisation plans have already demonstrated savings in excess of US$26 million in capex, and we are confident this number will grow. We look forward to building upon this momentum and sharing more capex-related wins with shareholders in the near future."