Global Geoscience hires former BHP and Rio Tinto project manager
Global Geoscience’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada.
Australian-based mineral explorer and developer Global Geoscience (ASX: GSC) has hired former BHP (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) Project Manager Matt Weaver as its inaugural Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations.
Weaver has almost three decades’ experience in project development, and has worked on projects ranging in value from several million up to $5 billion. He was appointed following an extensive four-month global search by Global Geoscience.
Weaver brings to the table significant experience with projects that involve acid-leach processing, which will likely prove useful at Global Geoscience’s 100%-owned Rhyolite Ridge Project in Nevada, U.S.A.
Recent results from the pre-feasibility study being conducted at Rhyolite Ridge have doubled the high-grade resource and shown that the large, shallow deposit is amenable to low-cost mining and simple acid-lead processing.
Weaver will be based in Nevada and be responsible for managing all engineering and operational aspects of the Rhyolite Ridge Project and taking it from development into full production of lithium and boron.
“We are delighted to announce Matt Weaver’s appointment and welcome the wealth of industry experience and judgement he brings to the Company,” said Global Geoscience’s Managing Director, Bernard Rowe. “Matt will manage operations in Nevada and will continue to build on our world class technical team tasked with transforming the Company into a leading supplier to the lithium and boron markets.”
The Rhyolite Ridge Project possesses a unique resource. Although it was initially mischaracterised as a clay project, it was later found to contain minerals which can be effectively and economically processed into a lithium and boron.
Lithium is experiencing high demand thanks to worldwide interest in electric vehicles (EV), with Bloomberg estimating EV production to increase thirtyfold by 2030. Boron is a less-known commodity but has a wide variety of applications in ceramics, semiconductors and agriculture.
Weaver isn’t the only high-profile hire Global Geoscience has made recently.
Within the last year, the company’s Board has been joined by former Chairman of Orocobre (TSX: ORL, ASX: ORE) James D. Calaway, former CEO of Rio Tinto Energy and Minerals Alan Davies, and former president of Shell Oil USA (LSE: RDSA) John Hofmeister.
“Joining Global Geoscience at this early stage of project development is a great fit with my skill set and experience,” said Weaver. “The unique nature of the Rhyolite Ridge resource provides a terrific opportunity for me to help realise its potential to be a long-life and low-cost producer of lithium and boron.”