Australia-based Firebird Metals has secured a mining lease for its wholly owned Oakover manganese project, situated 85km east of Newman in Western Australia.
The step is part of the company’s long-term strategy to develop its stage-two, low-cost manganese-based cathode material operations.
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The granted lease is subject to the approval of a mining proposal by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS).
Environmental surveys, reports and mining studies are ongoing to support the mining proposal to the DEMIRS.
The Oakover Project is estimated to have a mineral resource of 176.7 million tonnes (mt) at 9.9% manganese, including 105.8mt at 10.1% in the indicated category.
Firebird Metals managing director Peter Allen said: “The granting of mining lease 52/1086 is a significant milestone for Firebird and the Oakover Project, marking an important step in our long-term downstream processing and vertical integration strategy.
“Oakover is a large and near-surface manganese project with robust economics and an 18-year life-of-mine. Our vision is to become a global leader in the manganese industry by seamlessly integrating our mining operations and innovative downstream processing solutions, to support the advancement of the Li-ion [lithium-ion] and Na-ion [sodium-ion] battery sectors.
“The location of our proposed manganese sulphate plant in China places us at the forefront of this market and with the integration of Oakover will allow us to maintain a competitive advantage by ensuring a 100% owned and secure supply of high-quality manganese feedstock.”
In addition to the Oakover project, Firebird’s portfolio in the East Pilbara manganese province of Western Australia includes a total resource of 234mt, offering further exploration and development opportunities.
The company’s strategy is to establish a natural cost advantage in lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cathode production by integrating manganese sulphate (MnSO₄) from its proposed production facility in China.
In February 2025, Firebird Metals entered into an agreement with French miner Eramet for the supply of manganese ore to be used in the first phase of Firebird’s China facility.
The Hunan Firebird Battery Technology in the Jinshi High-Tech Industrial Park in China will have a production capacity of 50,000 tonnes (t) of manganese sulphate and 10,000t manganese oxide.
