Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Asset Management / Scandium International Mining Corp.

Scandium International Mining Corp.

scy · TSX Financial Services
Claim this profile
Ticker scy
Exchange TSX
Sector Financial Services
Industry Asset Management
Employees 1-10
← All annual reports
FY2019 Annual Report · Scandium International Mining Corp.
Sign in to download
Loading PDF…
UNITED STATES  
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
Washington, D.C. 20549 

FORM 10-K 

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE 
ACT OF 1934 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 

[  ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES 
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 

For the transition period from _______________ to _______________ 

000-54416 
(Commission File Number) 

Scandium International Mining Corp. 
(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its charter) 

British Columbia, Canada 
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation 
or organization) 

98-1009717 
(I.R.S. Employer  
Identification No.) 

1430 Greg Street, Suite 501 
Sparks, Nevada 
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) 

89431 
(Zip Code) 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code:  (775) 355-9500  

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:  None 

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: 

 Common Shares without par value 

(Title of class) 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the 
Securities Act.   Yes [  ]  No [X] 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 
15(d) of the Act.   Yes [  ]  No [X] 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period 
that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements 
for the past 90 days.  Yes [X]  No [  ] 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indicate  by  check  mark  whether  the  registrant  has  submitted  electronically  every  Interactive  Data  File 
required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the 
preceding  12  months  (or  for  such  shorter  period  that  the  registrant  was  required  to  submit  such  files).     
Yes [X]   No [  ] 

Indicate  by  check  mark  whether  the  registrant  is  a  large  accelerated  filer,  an  accelerated  filer,  a  non-
accelerated  filer,  a  smaller  reporting  company  or  an  emerging  growth  company.   See  the  definitions  of 
“large  accelerated  filer,”  “accelerated  filer”  “smaller  reporting  company”  and  “emerging  growth 
company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one): 

Large Accelerated Filer             
Non-Accelerated Filer             

  Accelerated Filer                   
Smaller Reporting Company 
Emerging Growth Company  

If  an  emerging  growth  company,  indicate  by  check  mark  if  the  registrant  has  elected  not  to  use  the 
extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided 
pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act  [   ] 

Indicate  by  check  mark  whether  the  registrant  is  a  shell  company  (as  defined  in  Rule  12b-2  of  the 
Exchange Act).  Yes [  ]   No [X] 

State  the  aggregate  market  value  of  the  voting  and  non-voting  common  equity  held  by  non-affiliates 
computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was sold, or the average bid and asked 
price  of  such  common  equity,  as  of  the  last  business  day  of  the  registrant’s  most  recently  completed 
second fiscal quarter:  $16,990,618 as at June 30, 2019.  

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common equity, as of the 
latest practicable date: 312,482,595 common shares as at February 25, 2020. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 

Portions of the registrant's Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by 
reference into Part III of this Form 10-K, which Proxy Statement is to be filed within 120 days after the 
end of the registrant's fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Note about Forward-Looking Statements ..................................................................................................... 4 

Glossary of Terms ......................................................................................................................................... 4 

ITEM 1.  BUSINESS .................................................................................................................................... 8 

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS ...................................................................................................................... 12 

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES ............................................................................................................................. 13 

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS ........................................................................................................... 33 

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES ............................................................................................... 33 

ITEM 5.  MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS’ COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER 

MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES .................................................... 33 

ITEM 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA .............................................................................................. 35 

ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ................................................................................................................... 35 

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK ........ 42 

ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA ............................................ 42 

ITEM 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND 

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE ..................................................................................................................... 42 

ITEM 9A.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES ........................................................................................ 42 

ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION ........................................................................................................ 43 

ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SCHEDULES ...................................................... 44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note about Forward-Looking Statements 

PART I 

Certain  statements  contained  in  this  annual  report  on  Form  10-K  and  the  documents  incorporated  by 
reference herein constitute "forward-looking statements.”  Forward-looking statements may include, but 
are not limited to, statements with respect to the future price of commodities, the estimation of mineral 
resources,  the  realization  of  mineral  resource  estimates,  the  timing  and  amount  of  estimated  future 
production,  costs  of  production,  capital  expenditures,  costs  and  timing  of  the  development  of  new 
deposits,  success  of  exploration  activities,  our  ability  to  fund  property  acquisition  costs,  our  ability  to 
reach  targeted  time  frames  for  establishing  feasibility,  permitting  time  lines,  currency  fluctuations, 
requirements  for  additional  capital,  government  regulation  of  mining  operations,  environmental  risks, 
unanticipated  reclamation  expenses,  title  disputes  or  claims,  our  ability  to  raise  funds  necessary  for 
ongoing  and planned  expenditures  and operations,  and  regulatory  approvals.    In  certain  cases,  forward-
looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans,” "expects" or "does not expect,” 
"is expected,” "scheduled,” "estimates,” "intends, "anticipates" or "believes,” or variations of such words 
and  phrases  or  state  that  certain  actions,  events  or  results  "may,”  "could,”  "would"  or  "will  be  taken,” 
"occur" or "be achieved.”  Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties 
and  other  factors  which  may  cause  our  actual  results,  performance  or  achievements  to  be  materially 
different  from  any  future  results,  performance  or  achievements  expressed  or  implied  by  the  forward-
looking statements. Such factors may include, among others, risks related to our joint venture operations; 
actual  results  of  current  exploration  activities  or  production  technologies  that  we  are  currently  testing; 
actual results of reclamation activities; future metal prices; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of 
the  mining  industry;  delays  in  obtaining  governmental  or  regulatory  approvals  or  financing  or  in  the 
completion  of  development  activities,  as  well  as  those  factors  discussed  in  the  section  entitled  "Risk 
Factors" and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that 
could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward looking 
statements,  there  may  be  other  factors  that  cause  actions,  events  or  results  not  to  be  as  anticipated, 
estimated  or  intended.  There  can  be  no  assurance  that  forward-looking  statements  will  prove  to  be 
accurate,  as  actual  results  and  future  events  could  differ  materially  from  those  anticipated  in  such 
statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.  

Glossary of Terms 

“Company,”  “SCY,”  “we,”  “us,”  “our”  and  similar  words  of  similar  meaning 
ScandiumInternational Mining Corp. 

refer 

to 

$, A$, C$ 

mean respectively, United States dollars, Australian dollars and Canadian dollars. 

Alteration  

Usually referring to chemical reactions in a rock mass resulting from the passage of 
hydrothermal fluids. 

Assay  

An  analysis  to  determine  the  presence,  absence  or  quantity  of  one  or  more 
components, elements or minerals. 

. 

4 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Core 

The long cylindrical piece of a rock, up to several inches in diameter, brought to the 
surface by Diamond drilling. 

Diamond drilling  A  drilling  method  in  which  the  cutting  is  done  by  abrasion  using  diamonds 
embedded in a matrix rather than by percussion.  The drill cuts a core of rock, which 
is recovered in long cylindrical sections.  

Fractures  

Breaks in a rock, usually due to intensive folding or faulting. 

Grade 

The concentration of a valuable mineral within an Ore. 

Hydrothermal  

Hot fluids, usually water, which may or may not carry metals and other compounds 
in solution to the site of mineral deposition or wall rock alteration. 

Igneous  

A rock formed by the cooling of molten silicate material. 

Intrusion  

A general term for a body of igneous rock formed below the surface of the earth. 

Kg 

Km 

Kilogram which is equivalent to approximately 2.20 pounds. 

Kilometer which is equivalent to approximately 0.62 miles. 

Mineralization  

A term used to describe the presence of minerals of possible economic value.  Also 
used to describe the process by which concentration of economic minerals occurs. 

Net Smelter 
Returns Royalty 

NI 43-101 

A share of the net revenues generated from the sale of metal produced by a mine. 

National Instrument 43-101 – Standards for Disclosure of Mineral  Projects,  being 
the  regulation  adopted  by  Canadian  securities  regulators  that  governs  the  public 
disclosure of technical and scientific information concerning a mineral property. 

Ore  

A naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be 
profitably extracted. 

Outcrop  

An exposure of rock at the earth’s surface. 

ppm 

Pyrite  

Parts per million. 

Iron sulphide mineral. The most common and abundant sulphide mineral and often 
found in association with copper and gold. 

Qualified Person  Means  a  Qualified  Person  as  defined  in  National  Instrument  43-101,  including  an 
engineer or geoscientist in good standing with their professional association, with at 
least five years of relevant experience. 

Quartz  

The second most common rock forming mineral in the earth’s crust. SiO2. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Resource 

Means any of a measured, indicated or inferred resource as used in NI 43-101, and 
having the following meanings: 

“measured resource” is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade 
or quality, densities, shape, and physical characteristics are so well established that 
they can be estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application 
of  technical  and  economic  parameters,  to  support  production  planning  and 
evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. The estimate is based on detailed 
and  reliable  exploration,  sampling  and  testing  information  gathered  through 
appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and 
drill  holes  that  are  spaced  closely  enough  to  confirm  both  geological  and  grade 
continuity. 

 “indicated resource” is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade 
or  quality,  densities,  shape  and  physical  characteristics,  can  be  estimated  with  a 
level of confidence sufficient to allow the appropriate application of technical and 
economic  parameters,  to  support  mine  planning  and  evaluation  of  the  economic 
viability  of  the  deposit.  The  estimate  is  based  on  detailed  and  reliable  exploration 
and  testing  information  gathered  through  appropriate  techniques  from  locations 
such  as  outcrops,  trenches,  pits,  workings  and  drill  holes  that  are  spaced  closely 
enough for geological and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. 

“inferred resource” is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade 
or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling 
and  reasonably  assumed,  but  not  verified,  geological  and  grade  continuity.  The 
estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate 
techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. 

 For  the  purposes  of  the  above  a  “mineral  resource”  means  a  concentration  or 
occurrence of diamonds, natural solid inorganic material, or natural solid fossilized 
organic material including base and precious metals, coal, and industrial minerals in 
or on the Earth’s crust in such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that 
it  has  reasonable  prospects  for  economic  extraction.  The  location,  quantity, grade, 
geological  characteristics  and  continuity  of  a  Mineral  Resource  are  known, 
estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge. 

(Please refer to “Item 2. Properties - Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding 
Resource Estimates” in regards to the use of the above terms in this Form 10-K.) 

Sulphide  

A  class  of  minerals  characterized  by  the  linkage  of  sulphur  with  a  metal  (such  as 
Pyrite (FeS2)). 

Tpd/Tpa 

Tonnes per day/tonnes per annum. 

Tonne 

A metric ton which is equivalent to approximately 2,204 pounds.   

Sediments  

The  debris  resulting  from  the  weathering  and  breakup  of  rocks  that  have  been 
deposited  by  or  carried  by  runoff,  streams  and  rivers,  or  left  over  from  glacial 
erosion or sometimes from wind action. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vein  

A geological feature  comprised  of  minerals (usually dominated by quartz) that  are 
found filling openings in rocks created by faults or replacing rocks on either side of 
faults or fractures. 

7 

 
 
 
 
ITEM 1.  BUSINESS 

General 

We  were  incorporated  on  July  17,  2006  under  the  laws  of  British  Columbia,  Canada  under  the  name 
Golden Predator Mines Inc.  We were incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Metals Corp. 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  precious  metals  and  certain  specialty  metals  assets.    In  order  to  focus  on 
specialty  metals,  during  February  2009  we  transferred  most  of  our  precious  mineral  assets  to  our  then 
wholly-owned  subsidiary  Golden  Predator  Corp.,  and  on  March  6,  2009  we  completed  a  spin-out  of 
Golden  Predator  Corp.  to  our  shareholders.  Effective  March  12,  2009,  we  changed  our  name  to  EMC 
Metals  Corp. In order to reflect a new emphasis on mining  for scandium  minerals, effective  November 
19, 2014, we changed our name to Scandium International Mining Corp (“SCY” or the “Company”). 

We  are  a  reporting  issuer  in  the  Canadian  Provinces  of  British  Columbia,  Alberta  and  Ontario  and  our 
common shares are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “SCY.”  

Our  head  office  is  located  at  1430  Greg  Street,  Suite  501,  Sparks,  Nevada  89431.  The  address  of  our 
registered office is 1200 - 750 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 2T8.      

Our focus of operations is the development of the Nyngan scandium project located in New South Wales, 
Australia (the “Nyngan Scandium Project”).  We also hold a scandium mineral property located nearby 
Nyngan  known  as  the  “Honeybugle  Scandium  property”  and  a  reservation  on  an  exploration  license  in 
Finland, known as the “Kiviniemi Scandium property.” 

Our plan of operation for the remainder of 2020 is to obtain offtake sales agreements with counterparties 
for Nyngan Scandium Project product and seek additional funding for project construction and corporate 
working capital.  We also plan to continue to test and develop unique scandium recovery and finishing 
techniques, including the processing of intermediate scandium aluminum products. 

Intercorporate Relationships 

The chart below illustrates our corporate structure on December 31, 2019, including our subsidiaries, the 
jurisdictions of incorporation, and the percentage of voting securities held. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recent History 

Nyngan Feasibility Study 

On April 18, 2016, the Company announced the results of an independently-prepared feasibility study on 
the Nyngan Scandium Project.  The technical report on the feasibility study entitled “Feasibility Study – 
Nyngan Scandium Project, Bogan Shire, NSW, Australia” is dated May 4, 2016 and was independently 
compiled  pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  NI  43-101.    The  report  was  filed  on  May  6,  2016  and  is 
available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Company’s website (www.scandiummining.com) and 
the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).  A summary of the report is provided herein under “Item 2. Properties 
– Description of Mineral Projects – Nyngan Scandium Project – Nyngan Feasibility Study.”  

Transactions with Scandium Investments LLC    

In June of 2017, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Scandium Investments LLC 
(“SIL”) for the purchase of SIL’s 20% interest in EMC Metals Australia Pty Ltd (“EMC Australia”) in 
exchange for 57,371,565 common shares of SCY as well as an additional 1,459,080 common shares as a 
royalty  adjustment  payment.    Closing  of  the  purchase  of  the  EMC  Australia  shares  was  subject  to 
shareholder  approval,  which  the  Company  obtained  at  a  special  meeting  of  shareholders  held  on 
September 11, 2017.  The transaction subsequently closed on October 9, 2017, with SCY holding a 100% 
ownership interest of EMC Australia.  Under the terms of the share exchange agreement, SIL was granted 
the right to nominate two individuals to the board of the Company for so long as SIL held at least 15% of 
SCY’s issued and outstanding shares, and one director for so long as SIL held at least 5% but less than 
15% of SCY’s issued and outstanding shares.  Pursuant to the nomination rights, Peter Evensen and R. 
Christian Evensen were appointed as directors to the SCY Board on closing of the transaction. 

Business Operations 

Company Summary 

We are a mineral exploration and development company that is primarily focused on the development of 
scandium  mineral  resources,  and  scandium  end-use  markets,  through  identification  of  value-added 
applications  for  scandium  in  aluminum  alloys  and  end  products.    The  Company  has  also  considered 
exploration and development interest in rare earth minerals, and other specialty metals, including nickel, 
cobalt,  boron,  manganese,  tantalum,  titanium  and  zirconium.  We  have  not  commenced  development  of 
any of our scandium projects, and as a result we are an exploration stage company.   

We  have  established  a  16.9  million  tonne  measured  and  indicated  resource  on  the  Nyngan  property 
(grading 235ppm at a 100ppm cut-off) and we have also established a 1.43 million tonne mineral reserve 
(combined proven and probable) on the Nyngan Scandium Project, based on economics presented in our 
2016 feasibility study.  

Our principal project is the Nyngan Scandium Project located in New South Wales, Australia, in which 
we own 100% of the mineral rights, including exploration licenses and a mining lease grant on the portion 
of the property that corresponds to the feasibility study development. In April 2014, we also acquired an 
exploration license referred to as the Honeybugle Scandium property, a prospective scandium exploration 
property  located  24  kilometers  from  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.    During  August  2018,  we  were 
granted an exploration license for the Kiviniemi Scandium property in central Finland from the Finnish 
regulatory body governing mineral exploration and mining in Finland.   

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate Objectives and Strategy 

Our  corporate  focus  is  to  produce  and  sell  scandium  (Sc)  and  scandium-based  products.  None  of  our 
current  properties  have  advanced  to  the  development  or  production  stage  and  we  are  currently  an 
exploration  stage  company.    We  have  completed  an  independently  prepared  definitive  feasibility  study 
(“DFS”)  of  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.    Subject  to  successfully  financing  of  construction  costs,  we 
intend  to  develop  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  for  production,  with  a  view  to  supplying  anticipated 
demand  for  scandium  oxide  and  scandium-content  materials.    For  further  information  on  the  Nyngan 
Scandium  Project,  please  refer  to  “Item  2.  Properties  -  Description  of  Mineral  Projects  –  Nyngan 
Scandium Project” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”   

Concurrently  with  our  analysis  of  the Nyngan  Scandium  Project,  we  are  developing  and  testing  unique 
mineral recovery techniques as well as techniques to produce high quality intermediate scandium-content 
aluminum alloy products.  If effective at a commercial level, these mineral recovery techniques, scandia 
finishing techniques and intermediate product developments are expected to provide increased economic 
margins and returns on capital on any future scandium production.   

Presently our recovery and finishing technology is completed to a degree that supports engineering and 
flow sheet design for our +15%/-5% DFS, although further development work will continue in both areas.  
There is no guarantee that we will be able to benefit from the commercial application of such techniques 
or that we will have scandium production in the future. 

Global Scandium Production and Market  

Scandium is the 31st most abundant element in the earth’s crust (average 33 ppm), which makes it more 
common  than  lead,  mercury  and  precious  metals,  but  less  common  than  copper.    Scandium  has 
characteristics that are similar to rare earth elements, and it is often classified as a member of that group, 
although it is technically a light transition metal. Scandium occurs in nature as an oxide, rarely occurs in 
concentrated quantities because it does not selectively combine with the common ore-forming anions, and 
is  very  difficult  to  reduce  to  a  pure  metal  state.    Scandium  is  typically  produced  and  sold  as  scandium 
oxide (Sc2O3), more properly known as scandia. 

Global annual production estimates of scandium range from 15 tonnes to 20 tonnes, but accurate statistics 
are  not  available  due  to  the  lack  of  public  information  from  countries  in  which  scandium  is  currently 
being produced.  There are five known, primary production sources globally today:  stockpiles from the 
former Zhovti Voty uranium mine in Ukraine, the rare earth mine at Bayan Obo in China, apatite mines 
on the Kola Peninsula in Russia, by-product production from titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment refiners in 
China, and recent start-up production of scandium oxide concentrates from the Taganito Nickel Mine in 
the Philippines (Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.). 

There is no reliable pricing data on global scandium oxide trading. The U.S. Geological Survey (“USGS”) 
in its latest available report (dated January 2020) documents the 2019 price of scandium oxide (99.99% 
grade)  at  US$3,900/kg,  indicating  a  reduction  from  the  2018  price  estimate  of  US$4,600/kg.    Small 
quantities of scandium oxide, suitable for laboratory investigations, are currently offered on the internet 
by traders for prices at this level.  Larger quantities of oxide product at varying purities are available at 
considerably lower prices, typically below US$2,000/kg.  Scandium oxide grades of 95% or greater are 
considered  commercially  suitable,  with  99.9%  grade  used  for  electrical  applications,  and  grades  higher 
than 99.9% reserved for science and new technical applications.  Scandium oxide grades of 95-99% are 
generally considered suitable for aluminum alloy applications.   

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scandium  oxide  is  typically  traded  in  small  quantities,  between  private  parties,  and  pricing  is  not 
transparent to other buyers or sellers as there is no clearing facility as is more common with commercially 
traded  metals  and  commodities.    Prices  do  vary,  based  on  purity  and  quantity  supplied.    Small  sale 
quantities  tend  to  command  premium  prices,  and  large  quantities  (over  one  tonne)  are  simply  not 
available to establish appropriate commercial pricing. 

Scandium  can  also  be  effectively  purchased  in  the  form  of  aluminum-scandium  (Al-Sc)  master  alloy, 
typically  containing  2%  scandium  by  weight.  This  product  is  the  preferred  form  for  manufacture  of 
aluminum alloys containing scandium.  The latest available 2019 USGS report indicates the 2018 price 
for  Al-Sc  2%  master  alloy  at  US$360/kg,  slightly  higher  than  the  2017  USGS  average.    Recent  USGS 
estimated  prices  for  Al-Sc  2%  master  alloy  have  also  been  high  relative  to  commonly  available  prices, 
which have trended under US$100/kg and are available in one tonne lots or greater today.  

Principal  uses  for  scandium  are  in  high-strength  aluminum  alloys,  high-intensity  metal  halide  lamps, 
electronics,  and  laser  research.    Recently  developed  applications  include  welding  wire  and  fuel  cells 
which are expected to be in future demand.  Approximately 15 different commercial aluminum-scandium 
alloys have  been  developed,  and  some  of  them  are  used  for  aerospace  applications.    In  Europe  and  the 
U.S., scandium-containing alloys have been evaluated for use in structural parts in commercial airplanes 
and high stress parts in automobile engines and brake systems.  Military and aerospace applications are 
known to be of interest, although with less specificity.  The combination of high strength, weldability and 
ductility  makes  aluminum-scandium  alloys  potentially  attractive  replacements  for  existing  aluminum 
alloys in a number of applications where improved alloy properties can add value to final products. 

Competitive Conditions  

We  compete  with  numerous  other  companies  and  individuals  in  the  search  for  and  the  acquisition  or 
control  of  attractive  rare  earth  and  specialty  metals  mineral  properties.  Our  ability  to  acquire  further 
properties will depend not only on our ability to operate and develop our properties but also on our ability 
to select and acquire suitable properties or prospects for development or mineral exploration.   

In regard to our plan to produce scandium, there are a limited number of scandium producers presently.  If 
we are successful at becoming a producer of scandium, our ability to be competitive will require that we 
establish  a  reliable  supply  of  scandium  to  the  market,  delivered  at  purity  levels  demanded  by  various 
applications,  and  that  our  operating  costs  generate  margins  at  prices  that  will  be  set  by  customers  and 
competitors in a market yet to mature.   

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Laws 

The  development  of  any  of  our  properties,  and  specifically  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project,  will  require 
numerous  local  and  national  government  approvals  and  environmental  permits.  For  further  information 
about governmental approvals and permitting requirements, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors”.  

Employees 

As at January 1, 2020, we have 5 full and part time employees and 5 individuals working on a consulting 
basis. Our operations are managed by our officers with input from our directors. We engage geological, 
metallurgical,  and  engineering  consultants  from  time  to  time  as  required  to  assist  in  evaluating  our 
property interests and recommending and conducting work programs.  

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In addition to the factors discussed elsewhere in this Form 10-K, the following are certain material risks 
and uncertainties that are specific to our industry and properties that could materially adversely affect our 
business, financial condition and results of operations.   

Risks Associated with the Nyngan Scandium Project  

There are technical challenges to scandium production that may render the Nyngan Scandium Project 
not economic.  The economics of scandium recovery are known to be challenging.  There are very few 
facilities  producing  scandium  and  the  existing  scandium  producers  are  secretive  in  their  techniques  for 
recovery. In addition, the recovery of scandium product from laterite resources, such as are found on the 
Nyngan  property,  has  not  been  demonstrated  at  an  operating  facility.    The  Nyngan  processing  facility 
design,  if  constructed,  will  be  the  first  of  its  kind  for  scandium  production.    These  factors  increase  the 
possibility that we will encounter unknown or unanticipated production and processing risks.  Should we 
encounter any of these risks, they could increase the cost of production thereby reducing margins on the 
Nyngan Scandium Project or rendering it uneconomic.  

There  is  no  guarantee  that  we  will  be  able  to  finance  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  for  production.  
Any  decision  to  proceed  with  production  on  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  will  require  significant 
production financing.  Scandium projects are uncommon, and economic and production uncertainty may 
limit  our  ability  to  attract  the  required  amount  of  capital  to  put  the  project  into  production.    If  we  are 
unable to source production financing on commercially viable terms, we may not be able to proceed with 
the project and may have to write off our investment in the project.  

If  we  are  successful  at  achieving  production,  we  may  have  difficulty  selling  scandium.    Scandium  is 
characterized  by  unreliable  supply,  resulting  in  limited  development  of  markets  for  scandium  oxide. 
Markets may take longer to develop than anticipated, and Nyngan and other potential scandium producers 
may  have  to  wait  for  products  and  applications  to  create  adequate  demand.  Certain  applications  may 
require lengthy certification processes that could delay usage or acceptance. In addition, certain scandium 
applications  require  very  high  purity  scandium  product,  which  is  much  more  difficult  to  produce  than 
lower  grade  product.  If  we  commence  production,  our  inability  to  supply  scandium  in  sufficient 
quantities, in a reliable and timely manner, and in the correct quality, could reduce the demand for any 
scandium produced from our projects and possibly render the project uneconomic. 

General Risks Associated with our Mining Activities and Company 

We  may  not  receive  permits  necessary  to  proceed  with  the  development  of  a  mining  project.    The 
development  of  any  of  our  properties,  including  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project,  will  require  the 
acquisition and sustained possession of numerous local and national government approvals and permits.  
Our ability to secure all necessary permits required to develop any of our projects is unknown until such 
permits are received.  If we cannot obtain or retain all necessary permits, the Nyngan Scandium Project 
cannot be developed, and our investment in the project will potentially be lost.  While the critical permits 
for the Nyngan Scandium Project have been received, other permits remain outstanding at this time and 
continuing compliance with the terms of the permits is required.  Our future market value will likely be 
significantly  reduced  to  the  extent  one  or  more  of  our  projects  cannot  proceed  to  the  development  or 
production stage due to an inability to secure all required permits.   

Mineral Resource Estimates on our properties are subject to uncertainty and may not reflect what may 
be  economically  extracted.    Resource  estimates  included  for  scandium  on  our  Nyngan  property  are 
estimates only and no assurances can be given that the estimated levels of scandium minerals will actually 
be  produced  or  that  we  will  receive  the  metal  prices  assumed  in  determining  our  resources.    Such 

12 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
estimates  are expressions  of  judgment based on knowledge,  mining experience,  analysis  of drilling  and 
exploration  results  and  industry  practices.    Estimates  made  at  any  given  time  may  change  significantly 
when new information becomes available or when parameters that were used for such estimates change.  
By  their  nature  resource  estimates  are  imprecise  and  depend,  to  a  certain  extent,  upon  statistical 
inferences which may ultimately prove unreliable.  Furthermore, market price fluctuations in scandium, as 
well as increased capital or production costs or reduced recovery rates, may limit our ability to establish 
reserves at some future point on Nyngan, or on any of our properties.  The extent to which more Nyngan 
project  resources  may  ultimately  be  reclassified  as  proven  or  probable  reserves  is  dependent  upon  the 
demonstration of their profitable recovery. The evaluation of reserves or resources is always influenced 
by  economic  and  technological  factors,  which  may  change  over  time.    Accordingly,  further  current 
resource estimates on our material properties may never be converted into reserves, or be economically 
extracted,  and  we  may  have  to  write  off  such  properties  or  incur  a  loss  on  sale  of  our  interest  on  such 
properties, which will likely reduce the value of our shares. 

Our  potential  for  a  competitive  advantage  in  specialty  and  rare  metals  production  depends  on  the 
availability  of  our  technical  processing  abilities,  as  currently  provided  by  our  Chief  Technology 
Officer.  We are dependent upon the personal efforts and commitment of Willem Duyvesteyn, our CTO, a 
director  and  significant  shareholder  of  the  Company,  for  the  continued  development  of  new  extractive 
technologies related to scandium and other rare and specialty metals production.  The loss of the services 
of Mr. Duyvesteyn would likely limit our ability to use or continue the development of such technologies, 
which would remove the potential competitive and economic benefit of such technologies.   

Our  operations  are  subject  to  losses  due  to  exchange  rate  fluctuation.    We  maintain  accounts  in 
Canadian,  Australian,  Euro  and  U.S.  currency.    Our  equity  financings  have  to  date  been  priced  in 
Canadian dollars. All of our material projects and non-cash assets are located outside of both Canada and 
the USA, however, and require regular currency conversions to local currencies where such projects and 
assets  are  located.  Our  operations  are  accordingly  subject  to  foreign  currency  fluctuations  and  such 
fluctuations  may  materially  affect  our  financial  position  and  results.    We  do  not  engage  in  currency 
hedging activities. 

We do not currently earn any revenue and without additional funding, we will not be able to carry out 
our business plan, and if we raise additional funding existing security holders may experience dilution.  
As an exploration stage mining company, none of our principal properties are in operation and we do not 
currently earn any revenue.  In order to continue our exploration activities and to meet our obligations on 
the Nyngan Scandium Project, we will need to raise additional funds.  Recently, we have relied entirely 
on the sale of our securities to raise funds for operations.  Our ability to continue to raise funds from the 
sale  of  our  securities  is  subject  to  significant  uncertainty  due  to  volatility  in  the  mineral  exploration 
marketplace.  If we are able to raise funds from the sale of our securities, existing security holders may 
experience  significant  dilution  of  their  ownership  interests  and  possibly  to  the  value  of  their  existing 
securities. 

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES 

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding Resource Estimates 

Certain  terms  used  in  this  section  are  those  used  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  securities 
laws  in  effect  in  Canada,  which  differ  from  the  requirements  of  U.S.  securities  laws.    Canadian 
requirements, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and resource information contained herein may not be comparable to 
similar information disclosed by U.S. companies.  

In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term “resource” does not equate to 
the term “reserves.”  The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of “reserves” are not the same as 
those  of  the  SEC,  and  reserves  reported  in  compliance  with  NI  43-101  may  not  qualify  as  “reserves” 
under SEC standards.  Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a “reserve” unless 
the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or 
extracted at the time the reserve determination is made.  

The  SEC’s  disclosure  standards  normally  do  not  recognize  information  concerning  “measured  mineral 
resources.”  “indicated  mineral  resources”  or  “inferred  mineral  resources”  or  other  descriptions  of  the 
amount  of  mineralization  in  mineral  deposits  that  do  not  constitute  “reserves”  by  U.S.  standards,  in 
documents filed with the SEC.  In addition, resources that are classified as “inferred mineral resources” 
have  a  great  amount  of  uncertainty  as  to  their  existence  and  great  uncertainty as  to  their  economic  and 
legal feasibility.  It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an “inferred mineral resource” will ever be 
upgraded  to  a  higher  category.  Under  Canadian  rules,  estimated  “inferred  mineral  resources”  may  not 
generally form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies.  Investors are cautioned not to assume that 
all or any part of an “inferred mineral resource” exists or is economically or legally mineable.   

Disclosure  of  “contained  ounces”  in  a  resource  is  permitted  disclosure  under  Canadian  regulations, 
however,  the  SEC  normally  only  permits  issuers  to  report  mineralization  that  does  not  constitute 
“reserves” by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.  

Accordingly,  information  concerning  mineral  deposits  set  forth  herein  may  not  be  comparable  with 
information presented by companies using only U.S. standards in their public disclosure.  

Description of Mineral Projects  

Nyngan Scandium Project 

Property Description and Location 

The Nyngan Scandium Project site is located approximately 450 kilometres northwest of Sydney, NSW, 
Australia  and  approximately  20  kilometres  due  west  from  the  town  of  Nyngan,  a  rural  town  of 
approximately  2,900  people.    The  deposit  is  located  5  kilometres  south  of  Miandetta,  off  the  Barrier 
Highway that connects the town of Nyngan to the town of Cobar.  The license area can  be reached via 
the  paved  Barrier  Highway,  which  allows  year-round  access,  but  final  access  to  the  site  itself  is 
reached by  clay  farm  tracks. The general area can be characterized as flat countryside and is classified 
as  agricultural  land,  used  predominantly  for  wheat  farming  and  livestock  grazing.  Infrastructure  in  the 
area is good, with available water and electric power in close proximity to the property boundaries. 

The Nyngan property is classified  as an Australia Property for purposes of financial statement segment 
information. 

The scandium resource is hosted within the lateritic zone of the Gilgai Intrusion, one of several Alaskan-
type mafic and ultramafic bodies which intrude Cambrian-Ordovician metasediments collectively called 
the Girilambone Group. The laterite zone, locally up to 40 meters thick, is layered with hematitic clay at 
the surface followed by limonitic clay, saprolitic clay, weathered bedrock and finally fresh bedrock.  The 
scandium mineralization is concentrated within the hematitic, limonitic, and saprolitic zones with values 
up to 350 ppm scandium.  

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  general  location  of  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  is  provided  in  Figure  1  below.      The  specific 
location of the exploration licenses that we may earn an interest in are provided in Figure 2 below. 

Figure 1:  Location of Nyngan Scandium Project 

Note: None of the Existing Mines identified in Figure 1 produce scandium.  

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2:  Location of the Exploration Licenses and Mining Lease for the Nyngan Scandium 
Project 

Mineral License Details 

The scandium resource is held under Exploration License (EL) 8316 (Block Number 3132, units d, e, j, k 
and Block no. 3133, unit f) and EL 6096 (Block 3132, unit p, and Block 3133, units l, m, r and s); a total 
of ten (10) graticular units. The exploration licenses allow the license holder to conduct exploration  on 
private land (with landowner consents and signed compensation agreements in place) and public lands not 
including wildlife reserves, heritage areas or National Parks. The scandium resource is fully enclosed on 
private agricultural land.   

The Company’s Australian subsidiary holds legal title to both the surface and mineral exploration rights 
on the Nyngan Scandium Project.    

During  2017,  an  additional  EL  (EL  8448)  was  granted.  Figure  2  provides  details  of  the  location  of  EL 
8448 and the locations of Mining Lease 1792 and Mining Lease Application 531, both of which overlay 
the exploration license area. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The exploration licenses cover 29.25 square kilometers (2,925 hectares).  The resource site is located at 
geographic coordinates MGA zone 55, GDA 94, Lat: - 31.5987, Long: 146.9827, Map Sheets 1:250k – 
Cobar (SH/55-14) and 1:100k Hermidale (8234). 

The  project  surface  rights  (freehold)  total  810  acres  (370  hectares)  on  the  portion  of  the  exploration 
license area corresponding to the Mine Lease 1792 area.  The freehold property boundaries are defined by 
standard land survey techniques undertaken by the Lands Department and currently presented in the form 
of  Cadastral  Deposited  Plans  (DP)  and  Lots.  The  land  associated  with  the  project  rights  is  DP  752879, 
Lots 6 and 7 (Appendix 2, Lots 6 and 7 - Nyngan). 

The  Company  is  required  to  lodge  individual  A$10,000  environmental  bonds  with  the  NSW  Mines 
Department for each license, and must meet total minimum work requirements annually of approximately 
A$65,000, covering both licenses.  

Royalties attached to the properties include a 1.5% Net Profits Interest royalty to private parties involved 
with the early exploration on the property, a 1.7% Net Smelter Returns Royalty payable to Jervois for 12 
years after production commences, subject to terms in the settlement agreement, and a 0.7% royalty on 
gross mineral sales to a private investor. Another revenue royalty is payable to private interests of 0.2%, 
subject  to  a  US$370k  cap.    A  NSW  minerals  royalty  will  also  be  levied  on  the  project,  subject  to 
negotiation, currently 4% on revenue. 

Metallurgy Development 

The  Company  has  invested  in  and  developed  methodology  for  extracting  scandium  from  the  Nyngan 
property resource since 2010.   A portion of the work done over this period has been superseded by work 
that  followed,  but  subsequent  test  programs  universally  benefitted  from  prior  efforts.    In  summary,  the 
programs have been as follows: 

•  2010  –  The  Company  inherited  work  done  on  Nyngan  from  the  previous  property  owner,  and 
applied that work to a quick flowsheet and capital estimate done for management by Roberts & 
Schaefer of Salt Lake City, Utah; 

•  2011 – The Company employed Hazen Research, Inc., of Golden, Colorado, USA (“Hazen”) to 
test  acid  baking  techniques  and  solvent  extraction  (“SX”)  processes  with  Nyngan  resource 
material.    The  Company  also  employed  SGS-Lakefield  (Ontario)  to  test  pressure  acid  leach 
techniques on Nyngan resource, as a replacement for or an enhancement to acid bake techniques 
done earlier in the year by Hazen; 

•  2012 – The Company engaged SNC-Lavalin to do an economic study for management, utilizing 

an acid bake flowsheet and SX work from the Hazen test program; 

•  2014  –  The  Company  published  a  preliminary  economic  assessment  (“PEA”)  entitled  NI  43-
101F1 Technical Report on the Feasibility of the Nyngan Scandium Project, authored by Larpro 
Pty Ltd, utilizing both Hazen and SGS-Lakefield test work results; and  

•  2015  –  The  Company  amended  and  refiled  the  2014  PEA  Report  as  the  “Amended  Technical 
Report and Preliminary Economic Analysis on the Nyngan Scandium Project, NSW, Australia.”  
•  2016  –  The  Company  published  an  independently  prepared  definitive  feasibility  study (“DFS”) 
on  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.    The  technical  report  on  the  feasibility  study  entitled 
“Feasibility Study – Nyngan Scandium Project, Bogan Shire, NSW, Australia” was independently 
compiled pursuant to the requirements of NI 43-101 and incorporated the results of current and 
previous test work. 

Nyngan Feasibility Study  

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On April 18, 2016, the Company announced the results of an independent definitive feasibility study on 
the Nyngan Scandium Project.  The technical report on the feasibility study entitled “Feasibility Study – 
Nyngan Scandium Project, Bogan Shire, NSW, Australia” is dated May 4, 2016 and was independently 
compiled pursuant to the requirements of NI 43-101 (the “Feasibility Study” or “DFS”).  The report was 
filed  on  May  6,  2016  and  is  available  on  SEDAR  (www.sedar.com)  and  on  the  Company’s  website 
(www.scandiummining.com) and the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).   A full discussion on the technical 
report was provided in the Company’s Form 10Q for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2016, as filed 
with the SEC and on SEDAR on May 13, 2016. 

The  Feasibility  Study  concluded  that  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  has  the  potential  to  produce  an 
average of 37,690 kilograms of scandium oxide (scandia) per year, at grades of 98.0%-99.8%, generating 
an  after-tax  cumulative  cash  flow  over  a  20  year  project  life  of  US$629  million,  with  an  NPV10%  of 
US$177  million.  The  average  process  plant  feed  grade  over  the  20  year  project  life  is  409ppm  of 
scandium. 

The  financial  results  of  the  Feasibility  Study  are  based  on  a  conventional  flow  sheet,  employing 
continuous high pressure acid leach (HPAL) and solvent extraction (SX) techniques.  The flow sheet was 
modeled  and  validated  from  METSIM  modeling  and  considerable  bench  scale/pilot  scale  metallurgical 
test work utilising Nyngan resource material.  A number of the key elements of this flowsheet work have 
been protected by the Company under US patent applications.   

The Feasibility Study has been developed and compiled to an accuracy level of +15%/-5%, by a globally 
recognized engineering firm that has considerable expertise in laterite deposits and process facilities, as 
well  as  in  smaller  mining  and  processing  projects,  and  has  excellent  familiarity  with  the  Nyngan 
Scandium Project location and environment.  

Nyngan Scandium Project Highlights  

•  Capital cost estimate for the project is US$87.1 million, 
•  Annual scandium oxide product volume averages 37,690 kg, over 20 years, 
•  Annual revenue of US$75.4 million (oxide price assumption of US$2,000/kg), 
•  Operating cost estimate for the project is US$557/kg scandium oxide, 
•  Project Constant Dollar NPV10% is US$177 million, (NPV8% is US$225 million), 
•  Project Constant Dollar IRR is 33.1%, 
•  Oxide product grades of 98-99.8%, as based on customer requirements, 
•  Project resource increases by 40% to 16.9 million tonnes, grading 235ppm Sc, at a 100ppm cut-

off in the measured and indicated categories, and 

•  Project Reserve totalling 1.43 million tonnes, grading 409ppm Sc was established on part of the 

resource. 

DFS Conclusions and Recommendations 

The production assumptions in the Feasibility Study are backed by solid independent flow sheet test work 
on the planned process for scandium recovery.  The Feasibility Study consolidates a significant amount of 
metallurgical test work and prior study on the Nyngan Scandium Project, including important test work 
results completed since the PEA was generated in 2014. The entire body of work demonstrates a viable, 
conventional  process  flow  sheet  utilizing  a  continuous-system  HPAL  leaching  process,  and  good 
metallurgical recoveries of scandium from the resource. The metallurgical assumptions are supported by 
various bench and pilot scale independent test work programs that are consistent with known outcomes in 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
other laterite resources. A number of the key elements of this flowsheet work have been protected by the 
Company  under  US  Patent  Applications.  The  continuous  autoclave  configuration,  as  opposed  to  batch 
systems explored in previous flow sheets, is also a more conventional and current design choice. 

The  level  of  accuracy  established  in  the  Feasibility  Study  substantially  reduces  the  uncertainty  levels 
inherent in earlier studies, specifically the PEA. The greater confidence intervals around the Feasibility 
Study  were  achieved  by  reliance  on  significant  project  engineering  work,  a  capital  and  operating  cost 
estimate supported by detailed requirements and vendor pricing, plus one conditional offtake agreement 
and an independent marketing assessment, both supportive of the marketing assumptions for the business. 

The Feasibility Study delivered a positive result on the Nyngan Scandium Project, and recommends the 
Nyngan  Scandium  Project  owners  seek  finance  and  proceed  to  construction.    Recommendations  were 
made  therein  for  additional  immediate  work,  notably  to  win  additional  offtake  agreements  with 
customers,  complete  some  optimizing  flow  sheet  studies,  and  to  initiate  as  early  as  possible  detailed 
engineering  required  on  certain  long-lead  capital  items.  The  Company  intends  to  act  on  these 
recommendations as financing permits. 

Confirmatory Metallurgical Test Results 

On June 29, 2016, we announced the results of a confirmatory metallurgical test work report from Altrius 
Engineering  Services  (AES)  of  Brisbane,  Australia.  The  test  work  results  directly  relate  to  the  list  of 
recommended  programs  included  in  the  Feasibility  Study.  AES  devised  and  supervised  these  test  work 
programs at the SGS laboratory in Perth, Australia and at the Nagrom laboratory in Brisbane, Australia. 

The project DFS recommended a number of process flowsheet test work programs be investigated prior to 
commencing detailed engineering and construction. Those study areas included pressure leach (“HPAL”), 
counter-current  decant  circuits  (“CCD”),  solvent  extraction  (“SX”),  and  oxalate  precipitation,  with 
specific  work  steps  suggested  in  each  area.  This  latest  test  work  program  addresses  all  of  these 
recommended  areas,  and  the  results  confirm  recoveries  and  efficiencies  that  either  meet  or  exceed  the 
parameters used in the DFS.  Highlights of the testing are: 

•  Pressure leach test work achieved 88% recoveries, from larger volume tests, 
•  Settling characteristics of leach discharge slurry show substantial improvement, 
•  Residue neutralization work meets or exceeds all environmental requirements as presented in the 

DFS and the environmental impact statement, 

•  Solvent  extraction  circuit  optimization  tests  generated  improved  performance,  exceeding  99% 

recovery in single pass systems, and 

•  Product  finish  circuits  produced  99.8%  scandium  oxide,  completing  the  recovery  process  from 

Nyngan ore to finished scandia product. 

Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management Contract 

On  May  30,  2017,  the  Company  announced  that  its  subsidiary  EMC  Australia  signed  an  Engineering, 
Procurement  and  Construction  Management  ("EPCM")  contract  with  Lycopodium  Minerals  Pty  Ltd 
("Lycopodium"),  to  build  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  in  New  South  Wales,  Australia.  The  EPCM 
contract also provides for start-up and commissioning services. 

The  EPCM  contract  appoints  Lycopodium  (Brisbane,  QLD,  Australia)  to  manage  all  aspects  of  project 
construction.  Lycopodium  is  the  principal  engineering  firm  involved  with  the  DFS.  Lycopodium's 

19 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
continued  involvement  in  project  construction  and  commissioning  ensures  valuable  technical  and 
management continuity for the project during the construction and start-up of the project. 

On  October  19,  2017,  we  announced  that  Lycopodium  has  been  instructed  to  initiate  critical  path 
engineering  for  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.  Lycopodium  commenced  work  on  select  critical  path 
components for the project, including design and specification engineering on the high-pressure autoclave 
unit,  associated  flash  and  splash  vessels  and  several  specialized  high-pressure  input  pumps.  The 
engineering work was completed in 2018 and will enable final supplier selection, firm component pricing 
and delivery dates for these key process components. 

Environmental Permitting/Development Consent/Mining Lease  

On May 2, 2016, the Company announced the filing of an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) with 
the  New  South  Wales,  Australia,  Department  of  Planning  and  Environment,  (the  “Department”)  in 
support  of  the  planned  development  of  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.  The  EIS  was  prepared  by  R.W. 
Corkery  &  Co.  Pty.  Limited,  on  behalf  of  the  Company’s  80%  owned  subsidiary,  EMC  Australia,  to 
support an application for Development Consent for the Nyngan Scandium Project. The EIS is a complete 
document, including a Specialist Consultants Study Compendium, and was submitted to the Department 
on April 29, 2016.   

EIS Highlights:   

•  The EIS finds residual environmental impacts represent negligible risk. 
•  The proposed development design achieves sustainable environmental outcomes. 
•  The EIS finds net-positive social and economic outcomes for the community. 
•  Nine  independent  environmental  consulting  groups  conducted  analysis  over  five  years,  and 

contributed report findings to the EIS. 

•  The  Nyngan  project  development  is  estimated  to  contribute  A$12.4M  to  the  local  and  regional 

economies, and A$39M to the State and Federal economies, annually 

•  The  EIS  is  fully  aligned  with  the  DFS  and  with  a  NSW  Mining  License  Application  for  the 

Nyngan project. 

Conclusion statement in the EIS: 

“In light of the conclusions included throughout this Environmental Impact Statement, it is assessed that 
the Proposal could be constructed and operated in a manner that would satisfy all relevant statutory goals 
and criteria, environmental objectives and reasonable community expectations.” 

EIS Discussion: 

The  EIS  is  the  foundation  document  submitted  by  a  developer  intending  to  build  a  mine  facility  in 
Australia.    The  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  is  considered  a  State  Significant  Project,  in  that  capital  cost 
exceeds  A$30million,  which  means  State  agencies  are  designated  to  manage  the  investigation  and 
approval process for granting a Development Consent, from the Minister of Planning and Environment.  
This  Department  will  manage  the  review  of  the  Proposal  through  a  number  of  State  and  local 
governmental agencies.  

The  EIS  is  a  self-contained  set  of  documents  used  to  seek  a  Development  Consent.    It  is  however, 
supported in many ways by the recently completed DFS. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On November 10, 2016, the Company announced that the Development Consent had been granted. This 
Development Consent represents an approval to develop the Nyngan Scandium Project and is based on 
the EIS. The Development Consent follows an in-depth review of the EIS, the project plan, community 
impact studies, public EIS exhibition and commentary, and economic viability, and involved more than 
12 specialized governmental agencies and groups. 

Mining Lease: 

During  July  2019,  EMC  Australia  received  notice  of  approval  for  its  Mining  Lease  application.  The 
Mining  Lease  (“ML  1792”)  overlays  select  areas  previously  covered  by  Exploration  Licenses.  The  ML 
represents  the  final  major  development  approval  required  from  the  NSW  Government  to  begin 
construction  on  the  project.  The  ML  1792  grant  is  issued  for  a  period  of  21  years  and  is  based  on  the 
development  plans  and  intent  submitted  in  the  ML  Application.    The  ML  can  be  modified  by  NSW 
regulatory agencies, as requested by EMC Australia over time, to reflect changing operating conditions. 

In  addition  to  these  two  key  governmental  approvals,  other  required  licenses  and  permits  must  be 
acquired  but  are  considered  routine  and  require  only  compliance  with  fixed  standards  and  objective 
measurements.  These  remaining  approvals  include  submittal  of  numerous  plans  and  reports  supporting 
compliance with Development Consent and Mining Lease.  In addition, the following water, roads, dam 
and electrical access reviews and arrangements must be finalized:   

•  Water Supply Works and Use Approval and Water Access License,  
•  State and local approval for construction of the intersection of the Site Access Road and Gilgai 

Road, 

•  An  approval  from  the  NSW  Dams  Safety  Committee  for  the  design  and  construction  of  the 

Residue Storage Facility, and 

•  A high voltage connection agreement with Essential Energy.  

The ML 1792 grant covers 810 acres (370 hectares) of surface area fully owned by the Company, an area 
adequate to construct and operate a scandium mine of a scale outlined in the definitive feasibility study.  
The  Company  had  originally  filed  a  mining  lease  application  (MLA  531)  covering  an  area  of  874 
hectares,  providing  for  significant  project  expansion  capacity.    However,  due  to  an  objection  by  a 
landowner who holds freehold surface ownership over a portion of the 874 hectare area, the original MLA 
531  remains  in  review  by  the  New  South  Wales  Department  of  Planning  and  Environment.  The 
landowner objection claims the property is “Agricultural Land”, with meaning as defined in the relevant 
law. 

The  NSW  Department  of  Planning  and  Environment  has  recently  sought  and  received  independent 
consultant  input  that  the  landowner  objection  should  qualify  as  “Agricultural  Land”,  as  defined  in  the 
relevant  law.    The  Company  has  rights  of  comment  on  that  finding,  which  have  been  exercised,  in  a 
formal  comment  package  delivered  to  the  Department  on  February  1,  2019.    With  receipt  and 
consideration  of  comment  documents  from  the  parties,  and  further  Department  input,  the  Department 
Secretary will make a determination on the validity of the affected portion of the MLA 531. 

If  the  Department  Secretary’s  decision  upholds  the  landowner  objection,  the  Company  believes  that 
outcome  will  not  delay  or  prevent  the  development  of  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.,  as  is  generally 
characterized in the 2016 feasibility study. 

As of the date of this Form 10-K, the Department Secretary has not made a decision on the validity of the 
landowner objection.  In January 2020, the Company made a formal request to the Deputy Premier and 
Minister for NSW Industry and Trade, urging for action and a final decision in this matter, accompanied 
by a review of the facts, status and Company position on the matter. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Patent Application Filings 

The Company is in the process of establishing a significant portfolio of intellectual property through the 
filing of scandium related patents both in the US and abroad.  

To date, the following five US patents have been granted to the Company: 

10450634 
10378085 

10260127 
9982326 
9982325 

Scandium-Containing Master Alloys And Method For Making The Same   
Recovery Of Scandium Values Through Selective Precipitation Of Hematite And 
Basic Iron Sulfates From Acid Leachates   
Method For Recovering Scandium Values From Leach Solutions   
Solvent Extraction Of Scandium From Leach Solutions   
Systems And Methodologies For Direct Acid Leaching Of Scandium-Bearing 
Ores   

Below is a list of ten US patents that haven filed, but have not been granted yet:  

US20200001407 

US20190161827 
US20160289795 
US20190218645 
US20190218644 
US20120305452 
US20110298270 
Provisional 
Provisional 
Provisional 

Control Of Recrystallization In Cold-Rolled AlMn(Mg)ScZr Sheets For Brazing 
Applications   
Extraction Of Scandium Values From Copper Leach Solutions   
Systems and Processes for Recovering Scandium Values From Laterite Ores   
Direct Scandium Alloying   
Scandium Master Alloy Production   
Dry, Stackable Tailings and Methods for Producing the Same   
In Situ Ore Leaching Using Freeze Barriers   
Title not publicly disclosed. 
Title not publicly disclosed. 
Title not publicly disclosed. 

Patent Applications Discussion: 

•  These  patents  and  patent  applications  cover  novel,  unique  flowsheet  designs,  applicable  to 

scandium extraction, from scandiferous resources; 

•  The  patented  designs  are  largely  supported  by  test  work  done  with  Nyngan  Scandium  Project 

resource material and known design parameters; 

•  The  patents  cover  HPAL  system  material  flows,  solvent  extraction  (SX),  ion  exchange  systems 
(“IX”),  atmospheric  tank  and  heap  leaching  systems  and  techniques,  and  processes  for  directly 
making select master alloys containing scandium; and 
•  Most of the designs are incorporated as part of the DFS. 
•  Recovery by-product scandium from certain mineral resources is also covered. 

These patent applications, filed with the US Patent Office, protect the Company’s position and rights to 
the intellectual property (IP) contained and identified in the applications as of the date filed, within the 
worldwide jurisdiction limits of the US patent system. Review by the US Patent Office will take further 
time, but the dates of filing these patents define the basis of IP ownership claims, as is generally afforded 
patentholders. 
U.S. 

The Company intends to utilize the IP contained in these process patents in the development of process 
flowsheets  for  recovery  of  scandium  from  its  Nyngan  Scandium  Project,  as  well  as  its  Honeybugle 
project, and potentially from future by-product opportunities. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Company  believes  that  patent  protection  of  these  specific,  novel  process  designs  will  be  granted. 
Many  of  the  basic  design  elements  contemplated  in  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  flowsheet  are 
commonly applied to other specialty metals, particularly nickel. However, the application of these basic 
design elements has not been commonly applied to scandium extraction from laterite resources, and there 
are  enough  intended  and  required  operational  differences  in  the  application  to  permit  the  Company  to 
patent-protect IP on those differences. 

These patent claims are the result of several years of metallurgical test work with independent resource 
laboratories and specific design work by Willem Duyvesteyn, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer. 
This work is ongoing. Patent protection on flowsheet intellectual property will serve to limit or prevent 
the unauthorized use of that IP by others without the Company’s consent. We believe these filings are an 
important action to protect the ownership of a Company asset, on behalf of all SCY shareholders. 

Downstream Scandium Products 

In February 2011 we announced results of a series of laboratory-scale tests investigating the production of 
aluminum-scandium master alloys directly from aluminum oxide and scandium oxide feed materials. The 
overall  objective  of  this  research  was  to  demonstrate  and  commercialize  the  production  of  aluminum-
scandium  master  alloy  using  impure  scandium  oxide  as  the  scandium  source,  potentially  significantly 
improving  the  economics  of  aluminum-scandium  master  alloy  production.  In  2014,  the  Company 
announced it applied for a US patent on master alloy production, which is still in the application phase.  

During the 2015-2017 timeframe, we continued our own internal laboratory-scale investigations into the 
production of aluminum-scandium master alloys, furthering our understanding of commercial processes, 
and  achievable  recoveries.    We  advanced  our  abilities  to  make  a  standard-grade  2%  scandium  master 
alloy product typical of commercially available products offered today. 

On  March  2,  2017,  we  announced  the  signing  of  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  ("MOU")  with 
Weston Aluminium Pty Ltd. ("Weston") of Chatswood, NSW, Australia. The MOU defines a cooperative 
commercial  alliance  to  jointly  develop  the  capability  to  manufacture  aluminum-scandium  master  alloy.  
The intended outcome of this alliance will be to develop the capability to offer Nyngan Scandium Project 
aluminum alloy customers scandium in form of Al-Sc master alloy, should customers prefer that product 
form. 

The MOU outlines steps to jointly establish the manufacturing parameters, metallurgical processes, and 
capital  requirements  to  convert  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  scandium  product  into  Master  Alloy,  on 
Weston's  existing  production  site  in  NSW.  The  MOU  does  not  include  a  binding  contract  with 
commercial terms at this stage, although the intent is to pursue the necessary technical elements to arrive 
at a commercial contract for conversion of scandium oxide to master alloy, and to do so prior to first mine 
production from the Nyngan Scandium Project. 

On March 5, 2018, the Company announced that it had initiated a small scale pilot program (4kg scale) at 
the  Alcereco  Inc.  metallurgical  research  facilities  in  Kingston,  Ontario,  to  confirm  and  refine  previous 
lab-scale work on the manufacture of aluminum-scandium 2% master alloy (MA). The program advanced 
the  process  understanding  for  commercial  scale  upgrade  of  Nyngan  scandium  oxide  product  to  master 
alloy product.   

The  2018  pilot  program  consisted  of  5  separate  trials  on  two  MA  product  types,  production  of  MA  in 
various forms, and dross analysis to ascertain scandium recoveries to product. The mass of master alloy 
and  product  variants  produced  in  the  program  totaled  approximately  20kg  and  was  completed  in 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
December of 2018.  The results of the program included the successful production of 2% grade MA, with 
recoveries of scandium to product of 85%. 

A second phase of the small-scale pilot program was initiated in the first half of 2019, again at 4kg scale, 
building on the work done in phase I.  The results of this second program included successful production 
of 2% grade MA, with improvements in form of rapid kinetics, and recoveries of scandium to product of 
+90%.  

On  March  5,  2018,  the  Company  also  announced  that  it  filed  for  patent  protection  on  certain  process 
refinements for master alloy manufacture that it believes are novel methods, and also on certain product 
variants  that  it  believes  represent  novel  forms  of  introducing  scandium  more  directly  into  aluminum 
alloys.  

Focus on Aluminum Alloy Applications for Scandium Products 

The Company is in the process of obtaining sales agreements for scandium products produced from our 
Nyngan Scandium Project.  Our focus is on the use of scandium as an alloying ingredient in aluminum-
based products. The specific scandium product forms we intend to sell from the Nyngan project include 
both scandium oxide (Sc2O3) and aluminum-scandium master alloys (Al-Sc 2%). 

Scandium as an alloying agent in aluminum allows for aluminum metal products that are much stronger, 
more easily weldable and exhibit improved performance at higher temperatures than current aluminum-
based materials. This also means lighter structures, lower manufacturing costs and improved performance 
in areas that aluminum alloys do not currently compete. 

Aluminum Alloy Research Partner – Alcereco 

In  2015,  the  Company  entered  into  a  memorandum  of  understanding  (“MOU”)  with  Alcereco  Inc.  of 
Kingston,  Ontario  (“Alcereco”),  forming  a  strategic  alliance  to  develop  markets  and  applications  for 
aluminum  alloys  containing  scandium.  To  further  that  alliance,  and  to  reinforce  the  capability  of  both 
companies  to  deliver  product  developed  for  scandium  aluminum  alloy  markets,  Scandium  International 
and  Alcereco  also  signed  an  offtake  agreement  governing  sales  terms  of  scandium  oxide  product 
produced from the Nyngan Scandium Project. The offtake agreement specifies prices, delivery volumes 
and timeframes for commencement of delivery of scandium oxide product. The offtake agreement does 
not provide for a mandatory annual minimum purchase volume of scandium oxide by Alcereco, and there 
is no requirement for payment in lieu of purchase. 

The  MOU  represented  keen  mutual  interest  in  foundry-based  test  work  on  aluminum  alloys  containing 
scandium,  based  on  understandings  that  Alcereco’s  team  had  gained  from  prior  work  with  Alcan 
Aluminum,  and  based  on  SCY’s  twin  goals  of  understanding  and  identifying  quality  applications  for 
scandium, and also understanding the scandium value proposition for customers.   

During December 2017, the Company revised and renewed the scandium product offtake agreement with 
Alcereco.  The  revised  agreement  extends  the  deadline  for  initial  production  and  shipments  from  the 
Nyngan  Scandium  Project  from  December  1,  2017,  to  as  late  as  December  1,  2020.  The  defined  sale 
product  was  changed  to  an  aluminum  scandium  2%  master  alloy  from  scandium  oxide  in  the  prior 
agreement.  The revised sales agreement covers approximately the same scandium oxide volume as the 
prior  agreement,  representing  55%  of  Nyngan’s  initial  twelve  month  forecast  production,  and 
approximately 20% of nameplate capacity, as established by the Definitive Feasibility Study. The revised 
offtake agreement does not provide for a mandatory annual minimum purchase volume of scandium oxide 
by Alcereco, and there is no requirement for payment in lieu of purchase. 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Company  has  sponsored  research  work  as  contemplated  by  the  MOU  with  Alcereco  and  with 
multiple  other  unrelated  entities  in  separate  locations.    This  work  develops  and  documents  the 
improvement in strength characteristics scandium can deliver to aluminum alloys without degrading other 
key properties.  The team has run multiple alloy mix programs where scandium loading is varied, in order 
to look at response to scandium additions on a cost/benefit basis.  This work has been done in the context 
of industries and applications where these particular alloys are popular today.   

These programs are focused on 1000 series, 3000 Series, 5000 Series and 7000 Series Al-Sc alloys, and 
have served to make independent data and volume samples available for sales efforts. 

The  results  of  our  research  work  are  positive,  and  consistent  with  the  body  of  published  literature 
available today on aluminum scandium alloys.  We are observing noteworthy strengthening effects with 
scandium  additions  above  0.1%,  and  dramatic  strengthening  improvements  with  additions  of  0.35%, 
while preserving or enhancing other alloy properties and characteristics.  We have also demonstrated that 
altering the combinations of scandium loads and alloy hardening process techniques has significant effect 
on  the  final  alloy  properties,  offering  the  opportunity  to  tune  alloy  characteristics  to  suit  specific 
applications.    These  findings  are  considered  commercially  sensitive,  and  the  data  is  not  intended  for 
public  disclosure  at  this  time,  although  the  findings  and  data  are  being  shared  with  select  potential 
customers  under  specific  non-disclosure  agreement  protections,  as  is  deemed  relevant  to  their  specific 
areas of commercial interest. 

Letters of Intent with Potential Customers 

During 2018 and 2019, the Company announced that it entered into letter of intent (“LOI”) agreements 
with  nine  unrelated  partnering  entities.  In  each  LOI,  we  have  agreed  to  contribute  scandium  samples, 
either in form of scandium master alloy product, or aluminum-scandium alloy product, for trial testing by 
the partners in their downstream manufacturing applications.  Each of the parties to the LOI agreements 
have agreed to report the parameters and general results of the testing program utilizing these scandium-
containing  alloys,  upon  completion  of  testing.  The  Company  plans  to  continue  this  LOI  program  of 
introducing  scandium  for  trial  testing  by partners  through  agreements  with  more  potential  customers  in 
2020. 

These formal LOI agreements, with distinct industry segment leaders, represent a key marketing program 
demonstrating  precisely  how  scandium  will  perform  in  specific  products,  and  in  production-specific 
environments.  Potential scandium customers insist on these sample testing opportunities, directly in their 
research facilities or on their shop floor, to ensure their full understanding of the impacts, benefits, and 
costing implications of introducing scandium into their traditional aluminum feedstocks.  

The partnering entities in these LOI agreements are set out below:  

Austal  Ltd.  (“Austal”),  headquartered  in  Henderson,  Western  Australia,  (Australia).    Austal  is  a  public 
corporation,  listed  on  the  Australian  Stock  Exchange  (ASB.ASX),  with  shipbuilding  facilities  in  Perth, 
Australia,  Mobile,  Alabama  (USA),  Vung  Tau,  Vietnam  and  Balamban,  Cebu  (Philippines).  The 
company maintains a focus on research and development of emerging maritime technologies and cutting-
edge  ship  designs,  and  is  a  recognized  world  leader  in  the  design  and  construction  of  large  aluminum 
commercial and defense vessels. 

Impression  Technologies  Ltd.  (“ITL”),  based  in  Coventry,  UK.    ITL  is  a  privately  held  technology 
company,  developing  and  licensing  its  advanced  aluminum  forming  technology,  Hot  Form  Quench 
(“HFQ®”), to automotive, aerospace, rail and electronics industries, globally. ITL manufactures custom 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
parts  for  customers  with  its  patented  HFQ®  technology,  which  enables  the  single-pass  forming  of 
complex, lightweight, high-strength aluminum parts that can't otherwise be similarly formed today.  

PAB  Coventry  Ltd.  (“PAB”),  based  in  Coventry,  UK.    PAB  is  a  privately  held  manufacturing  and 
prototyping  company  offering  specialty  metal  parts  and  design  capabilities,  serving  the  automotive, 
aerospace, defense and HVAC industries.  PAB has been a well-known parts and forms supplier to the 
premium market segment of the British automotive industry for decades.  

Eck Industries Inc. (“Eck”), based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA. Eck is a privately held manufacturer 
of precision sand cast parts, and engineering services.  Eck Industries operates a 210,000 sq. ft. facility 
with  over  250  employees,  and  110  customers.  Customer  segments  include  commercial  aircraft  parts, 
automotive  and  trucking  cast  parts,  military  drivetrain  casings,  marine  propulsion  system  castings,  and 
military aerospace components.  

Grainger  &  Worrall  Ltd.  (“GW”),  based  in  Shropshire,  UK.  GW  is  a  privately  held  manufacturer  of 
precision sand cast parts,  and engineering services.  GW is a  well-recognized precision air-set sand cast 
parts  manufacturer  in  the  UK,  specializing  in  low  to  intermediate  volume  cast  parts  for  commercial 
automotive, motorsports/racing, defense, marine, and aerospace applications.  

Gränges  AB  (“Gränges”),  based  in  Stockholm,  Sweden.  Gränges  is  a  public  company,  traded  on  the 
NASDAQ Stockholm Stock Exchange (GRNG:OMX), and a large global player in the rolled aluminum 
products business, with production assets in Europe,  USA,  and China, and a  worldwide customer  base, 
majority  concentrated  in  the  USA.  Gränges  is  focused  on  advanced  aluminum  materials,  and  holds  a 
leading global position in rolled products for brazed heat exchangers, which it estimates at 20%.  

Ohm & Häner Metallwerk GmbH & Co. GK (“O&H”), based in Olpe, Germany. O&H is a privately held 
manufacturer  of  sand  cast  and  gravity  die  cast  parts,  using  metal  alloys,  servicing  a  significant,  global 
customer  base.  O&H  produces  over  3,000  individual  cast  parts,  and  currently  works  with  over  40 
different alloys, primarily aluminum and copper-based alloys.  

AML  Technologies  (“AML”),  is  an  Adelaide,  Australia  based  start-up  company  with  proprietary 
technology  for  applying  aluminum  alloys  to  additive  layer  manufacturing  processes,  also  commonly 
referred to as 3D printing.  

Bronze-Alu  Group (“BAL”), based  in  La  Couture-Boussey,  northern  France.  BAL  is  a  privately  held 
manufacturer of precision high-pressure die cast parts, and offers prototyping, machining, finishing and 
engineering  services,  employing  both  aluminum  and  copper-based  alloys.   BAL  exports  approximately 
80% of its products to customers outside of France.. 

These  LOI  agreements  are  part  of  a  developing  strategy  by  the  Company  to  engage  with  innovative, 
research-capable  partners,  willing  to  test  scandium  in  their  applications.  The  Company  also  has  similar 
agreements with other research capable partners who do not wish to be publicly named at this time.  We 
are selecting and approaching these specific partners because we  have  learned, from our commissioned 
alloy  mixing  programs,  that  scandium  additions  can  make  value-added  contributions  to  their  specific 
products,  and  we  have  the  alloy  samples  to  enable    expedient  confirmation  on  that  validation.      The 
scandium market for aluminum alloys needs to be developed, and that process is underway in the most 
direct  sense.    The  Company  plans  to  conduct  further  application-specific  programs  in  pursuit  of  sales 
contracts  with  quality,  predominantly  existing  aluminum  alloy,  customers  across  numerous  industry 
segments. 

Nyngan Scandium Project - Planned Activities for 2020-2021 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
The following steps are planned for Nyngan during the 2020 and 2021 Calendar years: 

•  Complete master alloy pilot trials and optimization work in Q1 2020 
•  Pursue additional offtake agreements in support of planned future scandium sales, 
•  Seek project construction financing for the Nyngan Scandium Project in 2020,  
•  Commence site construction in the late of 2020, with anticipated construction completion over 14 

months, and  
Initiate project commissioning in late 2021, with product available for sale by year end 2021. 

• 

Honeybugle Scandium Property 

On April 2, 2014 the Company announced that it had secured a 100% interest in an exploration license 
(EL  7977)  covering  34.7  square  kilometers  in  New  South  Wales  (NSW),  Australia  referred  to  as  the 
Honeybugle Scandium property.  The license area is located approximately 24 kilometers west-southwest 
from  SCY’s  Nyngan  Scandium  Project.  The  license  area  covers  part  of  the  Honeybugle  geologic 
complex, and will carry that name in our future references to the property. The ground was released by 
the prior holder, and SCY intends to explore the property for scandium and other metals. 

The Company currently does not consider the Honeybugle Scandium property to be a material property at 
this time.  No resources or reserves are known to exist on the property.  The property is classified as an 
Australian property for purposes of financial statement segment information. 

The location of the Honeybugle Scandium property is provided below. 

Figure 4. Location of Honeybugle Scandium property 

Honeybugle Drill Results 

On May 7, 2014 the Company announced completion of an initial program of 30 air core (AC) drill holes 
on  the  property,  specifically  at  the  Seaford  anomaly,  targeting  scandium  (Sc).    Results  on  13  of  these 
holes  are  shown  in  detail  in  the  table  below.  These  holes  suggest  the  potential  for  scandium 
mineralization on the property similar to our Nyngan Scandium Project. 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Highlights of initial drilling program results are as follows: 

•  The highest 3-meter intercept graded 572 ppm scandium (hole EHAC 11); 
•  EHAC  11  also  generated  two  additional  high  grade  scandium  intercepts,  grading  510  ppm  and 

415 ppm, each over 3 meters; 

•  The program identified a 13-hole cluster which was of particular interest; 
• 

Intercepts on these 13 holes averaged 270 ppm scandium over a total 273 meters at an average 
continuous  thickness  of  21  meters  per  hole,  representing  a  total  of  57%  (354  meters)  of  total 
initial program drilling; 

•  The 13 holes produced 29 individual (3-meter) intercepts over 300 ppm, representing 31% of the 

mineralized intercepts in the 273 meters of interest; and 

•  This  initial  30-hole  AC  exploratory  drill  program  generated  a  total  of  620  meters  of  scandium 

drill/assay results, over approximately 1 square kilometer on the property.  

The detail results of 13 holes in the initial drill program are as follows: 

Table 7. Results of 13-Hole Initial Drill Program 

       Honeybugle 30 Hole Drill Program - April 2014    Target-Scandium

Drill Hole
Number
EHAC 1

Honeybugle
Drill
Area
Seaford

EHAC 2

Seaford

EHAC 3

Seaford

EHAC 5

Seaford

EHAC 6

Seaford

EHAC 7

Seaford

EHAC 9

Seaford

EHAC 10
EHAC 11

Seaford
Seaford

EHAC 12
EHAC 26

EHAC 28

EHAC 29

Seaford
Seaford
Seaford
Seaford
Seaford
Seaford

Hole
Type
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including
including
Explore (AC)
including
including
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
Explore (AC)
including
including
Explore (AC)
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including
Explore (AC)
including

From
(meter
depth)
21
27
0
0
3
6
0
12
0
0
18
9
15
42
6
9
0
0
9
21
0
0
3
0
3
3
9

Assumes 175 ppm cut-off grade

To
(meter
depth)
42
36
12
9
12
9
15
15
24
9
24
51
42
51
27
24
18
30
15
24
21
21
18
18
15
21
18

Intercept
Length
(meters)
21
9
12
9
9
3
15
3
24
9
6
42
27
9
21
15
18
30
6
3
21
21
15
18
12
18
9

Total
Scandium
Grade (ppm)
218
262
300
333
295
352
244
333
185
214
214
225
220
252
272
350
251
369
461
572
177
309
343
344
363
316
396

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seaford  is  characterized  by  extensive  outcrops  of  dry,  iron-rich  laterites,  allowing  for  a  particularly 
shallow drill program. Thirty (30) air core (AC) holes on nominal 100-meter spacing were planned, over 
an area of approximately 1 square kilometer.  Four holes were halted in under 10 meters depth, based on 
thin laterite beds, low scandium grades, and shallow bedrock. 

The 13 holes highlighted in the table are grouped together on either side of Coffills Lane, and represent 
all of the drill locations where meaningful intercept thickness generated scandium grades exceeding 175 
ppm.  Some  of  these  13  holes  showed  significant  scandium  values  on  the  immediate  surface,  and 
alternately,  other  holes  exhibited  favorable  scandium  grades  that  began  at  shallow  depth.    The  highest 
grade Sc sample was found in a 21-24 meter interval (572 ppm), although several holes produced better 
than  350  ppm  Sc  intercepts  at  depths of  under  9  meters.  The  deepest  hole  (EHAC  7)  was  drilled  to  57 
meters, showing good scandium grades over a 12-meter horizon (245 ppm) near the bottom of the hole, 
from 39 to 51 meters depth.  Higher scandium grades were associated with higher iron levels. Holes were 
drilled to a depth where they contacted the fresh ultramafic bedrock, which generally signaled the end of 
any scandium enrichment zones.  

The  drill  plan  divided  Seaford  into  four  sub-areas,  1-4,  as  highlighted  Figure  5,  below.    Area  1  was 
relatively higher ground and therefore the least impacted by ground moisture.  Consequently, this dryer 
area  received  the  greatest  attention,  although  that  had  been  the  general  intention  in  the  plan.    Area  1 
received 17 holes, with 13 presented in detail in the table above.  Areas 2-4 were each intended as step-
out areas that need to be further examined in the next program.  The three step-out areas did not generate 
results of particular note, although hole locations were not optimal due to ground conditions and access. 

Area 2 received 3 holes, 60 meters total, and generated Sc grades from 45-75 ppm, 
Area 3 received 4 holes, 87 meters total, and generated Sc grades from 47-122 ppm, 
Area 4 received 5 holes, 72 meters total, and generated Sc grades from 60-101 ppm, and 
The average depth of all of these holes was 18 meters, with the deepest 30 meters. 

Highlighted
Drill Results

Drill Area 3

Drill Area 2

Drill Area 1

Drill Area 4

Figure 5. Initial Drill Program Map 

29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This 13-hole cluster (Area 1) was noted to be in a relatively thick laterite zone which was constrained to 
the west by contact with meta-sediments, to the east by fresh ultramafic bedrock, and to some extent in 
the north by a poor intersection result in hole 30. Area 1 remains somewhat open to the south, with the 
two southern-most holes (EHAC 9 and EHAC 29) generating some of the best scandium grade intercepts 
in the area. 

The  surface  and  near  surface  mineralization  at  this  property  is  an  advantage,  both  in  locating  areas  of 
interest for future exploration work, and also because of extremely low overburden ratios.  This particular 
characteristic  for  the  Honeybugle  Scandium  property  is  different  from  our  Nyngan  Scandium  Project, 
where mineralization is typically covered by 10-20 meters of barren alluvium. 

Further  drilling  at  Seaford  is  warranted,  based  on  the  results  of  this  introductory  and  modest  program, 
specifically to the north and south of the existing area 1 drill pattern, along with investigation and select 
drilling at the other three remaining anomalies on the property.  

During  2018  we  performed  site  work  at  the  Honeybugle  Scandium  property  to  meet  the  expenditure 
commitment  to  maintain  the  exploration  license.    Work  performed  during  2018  does  not  change  the 
previous conclusions, as described above.  No work was required or performed during 2019. 

Qualified Person and Quality Assurance/Quality Control 

John Thompson, B.E. (Mining); Vice President - Development at SCY is a qualified person as defined in 
NI 43-101 and has reviewed the technical information on this property. The drilling, sampling, packaging 
and  transport  of  the  drill  samples  was  carried  out  to  industry  standards  for  QA/QC.  SCY  employed  an 
independent local geology consulting and drill supervisory team, Rangott Mineral Exploration Pty. Ltd., 
(RME) of Orange, NSW, Australia, to manage the drill work on-site. Bulk samples of drill returns were 
collected at one metre intervals from a cyclone mounted on the drilling rig, and a separate three-tier riffle 
splitter was used on site to obtain 2.0-4.5kg composite samples collected over 3 metre intervals, for assay. 
Individual  sample  identifiers  were  cross-checked  during  the  process.  The  assay  samples  were  placed  in 
sealed polyweave bags which remained in RME’s possession until the completion of the drilling program, 
at which time they were transported to RME’s office in Orange. There, the sequence of sample numbers 
was  validated,  and  the  assay  samples  were  immediately  submitted  to  Australian  Laboratory  Services’ 
(ALS’) laboratory in Orange. The remnant bulk samples, which were collected in sealed polythene bags, 
were transported by RME to a local storage unit at Miandetta, for long-term storage. 

ALS/Orange dried and weighed the samples, and pulverized the entire sample to 85% passing 75 microns 
or better (technique PUL-21). These 50g sample bags of pulps were then sent to the ALS laboratory at 
Stafford  in  Brisbane,  Queensland  for  analysis.  ALS/Brisbane  analyzed  the  pulps  for  scandium,  nickel, 
cobalt,  chromium,  iron  and  magnesium,  using  Inductively  Coupled  Plasma  Atomic  Emission 
Spectroscopy  (ICP-AES)  after  a  four  acid  (total)  digestion  (technique  ME-ICP61).  The  lower  detection 
limit for scandium using this technique is 1ppm. For their internal quality control, ALS/Brisbane added 4 
standard samples (for 20 repeat analyses), 10 blank samples and 16 duplicate samples to the batch. Please 
see  news  release  see  news  release  dated  May  7,  2014  and  available  on  www.sedar.com  for  further 
information on the Honeybugle drill results. 

Kiviniemi Scandium Property (Eastern Finland Province, Finland) 

On September 25, 2017 the Company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary company, Scandium 
International  Mining  Corp.,  Norway  AS,  was  granted  a  reservation  on  an  Exploration  License  for  the 
Kiviniemi  Scandium  property  in  central  Finland  from  the  Finnish  regulatory  body  governing  mineral 
exploration  and  mining  in  Finland.  The  exploration  license  was  subsequently  granted  during  August 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018,  and  our  exploration  rights  have  been  moved  to  SCY  Exploration  Finland  Oy,  a  wholly  owned 
Finnish subsidiary.  

The  Geological  Survey  of  Finland  (“GTK”)  conducted  airborne  survey  work  on  the  area  in  1986, 
conducted exploration drilling on the property in 2008-2010, and published those program results on their 
public GTK website in 2016. 

The Company does not consider the Kiviniemi Scandium property to be a material property at this time.  
No NI 43-101 resources or reserves are known to exist on the property.  The property is classified as the 
Finland property for purposes of financial statement segment information. 

Highlights 

•  Kiviniemi property was previously identified for scandium and explored by GTK, 
•  Property is a high iron content, medium grade scandium target, located on surface, with on-site 

upgrade potential, 

•  Early resource upgrade work done for GTK promising, confirmed by SCY,  
•  Property is all-weather accessible, close to infrastructure, and 
•  Finland location is mining-friendly and ideally suited to EU customer markets. 

Property/Location  

The  Kiviniemi  property  is  located  in  the  municipality  of  Rautalampi,  Eastern  Finland  Province, 
approximately  350km  northeast  of  Helsinki,  by  road.    The  closest  major  city/airport  is  Kuopio  (pop. 
110,000), approximately 70km to the northeast of the property.   The exploration target is located  on a 
small portion of a family farm, partially cleared for farming.  Most of the property is wooded, including 
the area where the mineralization has been located, 

Exploration License  

During August 2018 an Exploration License for the Kiviniemi Scandium property was granted from the 
Finnish  regulatory  body  governing  mineral  exploration  and  mining  in  Finland.  The  exploration  area  is 
approximately 24.6 hectares (0.25 square kilometer), identical to the historic GTK exploration license on 
the property, which expired in 2015. The mineralized area, as defined on GTK resource modeling maps, 
is  approximately  25%  of  the  total  reservation.    The  exploration  license  requires  us  to  report  our 
exploration activities annually to Finland government agencies and to demonstrate in the annual reports 
that exploration work has been effective and systematic.   

Prior Exploration Work   

GTK performed  magnetic surveys on the general area in 1986,  focused  on copper/nickel/cobalt  targets, 
and based on current mining activity in the area.    That initial field work located a significant magnetic 
anomaly  on  the  Kiviniemi  property.    In  2008,  GTK  initiated  an  exploration  drilling  program  on  the 
property, completing 4 diamond core holes in that first program phase, followed by a further 5 diamond 
holes in 2010, totaling 1,250 meters, at an average (angled) length of 139 meters, and a maximum vertical 
extension  of  167  meters.    The  drill  spacing  varied  from  50-200  meters,  using  a  diamond  drill  size  of 
46mm (T56). 

Four of the nine total holes drilled (approx. 850 meters) are in the mineralized area, with the remainder 
defining portions of the mag zone that did not contain scandium.  The mag zone is generally very high in 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
iron, ranging from about 20% to 35% Fe.  The GTK published the results of the drill program assays, and 
other information on the geology and mineralization, on their website in 2016.   

Geology of Resource Target   

The  host  rock  is  very  iron-rich,  garnet-bearing  fayalite  ferro(monzo)  diorite.    The  main  minerals  in  the 
deposit  include:  plagioclase,  potassium  feldspar,  ferrohedenbergite  (clinopyroxene),  ferrohastingsite 
(amphibole), almandine garnet and fayalite. The principal scandium carrier minerals are ferrohastingsite 
(59 %) and ferrohedenbergite (40 %). 

Resource Modeling   

GTK  completed  and  published  a  paper  outlining  property  work  including  a  3D  modeling  and  resource 
estimation on the project, in March 2016.  The authors employed data from 6 holes, and used an industry 
standard GEOVIA Surpac software to produce a geological 3D domain model, and inverse distance was 
run to estimate resource grades into the block model.  The authors declined to specifically characterize the 
resource  on  the  basis  of  limited  holes  and  uneven  spacing,  describing  their  estimate  as  an  “exploration 
potential measurement”.  The authors estimated that another 500-700 meters of drilling (5-7 holes) would 
establish  50  meter  centers  on  the  target  and  allow  a  resource  classification.  The  mineralized  target 
remains  open  at  depth.  The  authors  did  provide  a  table  of  results  on  tonnage  estimates  from  their 
modeling work, at various cut off values, excerpts of which are presented below. 

      Kiviniemi Scandium Property - GTK Resource Potential Estimate

Estimated
Potential
Tonnage (Mt)

Sc Cut Off
Grade (ppm)

             Average Grade Estimate (ppm)

Scandium

Yttrium

Zirconium

12.6
12.5
11.1

60
100
150

170.1
170.9
173.3

80.5
80.3
80.2

1745
1744
1830

SOURCE:  Publication, GTK, "3D Modeling and Mineral Resource Estimation 
of the Kiviniemi Scandium Deposit, Eastern Finland".    Authors, Janne Hokka 
& Tapio Halkoaho

The  Company  believes  the  standards  and  controls  employed  by  GTK  are  reliable  and  consistent  with 
proper industry practice.  However, the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature and there has 
been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain whether further exploration 
will result in a mineral resource.  The Company considers the above estimates as historical in nature, and 
such estimates do not use the categories prescribed by NI 43-101.  A qualified person (as defined in NI 
43-101) has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource.  The 
Company is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. 

Metallurgical Upgrade Work   

In  2010,  GTK  engaged  their  metallurgical  research  laboratory  (at  Outokumpu)  to  conduct  standard 
upgrade  testing  on  the  drill  core  sample  material,  specifically  magnetic  gravity  separations.  The  mag 
separation work suggested a scandium upgrade to approximately 346ppm, based on a resource material 
head grade of 160-200ppm, and a 72% scandium recovery.   

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In  June  2017,  SCY  engaged  FLSmidth  (Salt  Lake  City,  Utah)  seeking  to  duplicate  the  earlier  2010 
upgrade  work  and  confirm  the  earlier  results.    The  earlier  results  were  generally  confirmed,  in  that  the 
2017 work achieved magnetic separation upgrade assays of 286ppm on a resource material head grade of 
186ppm.  We supplied FLSmidth with approximately 16kg of resource  material sourced from GTK, all 
samples  from  a  single  hole  (P433-R3).    FLSmidth  also  carried  out  scandium  check  assays  on  the 
individual drill hole samples provided by GTK, with good grade correlation to GTK data. 

Kiviniemi Summary   

The  Kiviniemi  property  represents  a  medium  grade  scandium  resource  target  that  has  remained 
unrecognized  and  overlooked  by  earlier  exploration  work,  largely  due  to  the  absence  of  the  more 
commonly  sought-after  minerals  in  the  region,  specifically  copper,  nickel  and  cobalt.    We  believe  that 
Kiviniemi is Europe’s largest underdeveloped primary scandium resource.   

The  target  has  benefited  significantly  from  valuable  early  exploration  work  by  the  GTK,  which  has 
advanced  the  property  to  a  stage  where  successful  metallurgical  investigations  may  prove  value  that 
offsets grade concerns. SCY estimates roughly US$2M of work value has been directed at this property to 
date, including field work, drilling programs, assay work, overheads, and metallurgical upgrade studies, 
but firm numbers are not available. 

We plan a limited drill program to augment the existing GTK data, and provide more sample material for 
metallurgical  test  work  programs  to  define  economic  site  upgrade  possibilities  on  the  scandium 
mineralization observed to date. 

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

We  are  not  a  party  to  any  pending  legal  proceedings  and,  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge,  none  of  our 
properties or assets are the subject of any pending legal proceedings. 

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 

The  Company  has  no  active  mining  operations  or  dormant  mining  assets  at  this  time,  and  has  no 
outstanding mine safety violations or other regulatory safety matters to report.  

PART II 

ITEM  5.    MARKET  FOR  REGISTRANTS’  COMMON  EQUITY,  RELATED  STOCKHOLDER 
MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES 

Price Range of Common Shares   

The  principal  market  on  which  our  common  shares  are  traded  is  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange.    Our 
common shares commenced trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on April 24, 2008 under the symbol 
“GP”.  Effective March 11, 2009, the common shares were listed and posted for trading on the Toronto 
Stock Exchange under the symbol “EMC”.  Effective November 28, 2014, the common shares were listed 
and  posted  for  trading  on  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange  under  the  symbol  “SCY”.    The  following  table 
shows  the  high  and  low  trading  prices  of  our  common  shares  on  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange  for  the 
periods indicated.   

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year 

Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2019 
First quarter 
Second quarter 
Third quarter 
Fourth quarter 
Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2018 
First quarter 
Second quarter 
Third quarter 
Fourth quarter 

High 
(C$) 

0.220 
0.170 
0.190 
0.145 

0.240 
0.190 
0.280 
0.285 

Low 
(C$) 

0.145 
0.110 
0.095 
0.075 

0.165 
0.125 
0.145 
0.200 

Exchange Rates 

We maintain our books of account in United States dollars and references to dollar amounts herein are to 
the lawful currency of the United States except that we are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and, 
accordingly, stock price quotes and sales of stock are conducted in Canadian dollars (C$).  The following 
table sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain exchange rates based on the noon rate provided by the 
Bank of Canada.  Such rates are the number of Canadian dollars per one (1) U.S. dollar (US$).  The high 
and low exchange rates for each month during the previous six months were as follows: 

January 2020 
December 2019 
November 2019 
October 2019 
September 2019 
August 2019 

High 
1.3079 
1.3302 
1.3307 
1.3330 
1.3343 
1.3325 

Low 
1.2970 
1.2988 
1.3148 
1.3056 
1.3153 
1.3217 

The following table sets out the exchange rate (price of one U.S. dollar in Canadian dollars) information 
as at each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.   

Rate at end of Period 
Low 
High 

Year Ended December 31 
(Canadian $ per U.S. $) 
2019 
2018 
1.3610 
1.2988 
1.2288 
1.2988 
1.3600 
1.3642 

As of February 25, 2019, there were 104 registered holders of record of the Company’s common shares 
and an undetermined number of beneficial holders.  

Dividends 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
We  have  not  paid  any  cash  dividends  on  our  common  shares  since  our  inception  and  do  not  anticipate 
paying  any  cash  dividends  in  the  foreseeable  future.   We  plan  to  retain  our  earnings,  if  any,  to  provide 
funds for the expansion of our business. 

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Compensation Plans 

The  following  table  sets  forth  information  as  at  December  31,  2019  respecting  the  compensation  plans 
under which shares of the Company’s common stock are authorized to be issued. 

Number of securities 
to be issued upon 
exercise of outstanding 
options, warrants and 
rights 

Weighted-average 
exercise price of 
outstanding options, 
warrants and rights 

(b) 

(a) 

34,610,000 

C$0.188 

Number of securities 
remaining available 
for future issuance 
under equity 
compensation plans 
(excluding securities 
reflected in column 
(a)) 

(c) 
12,262,389 

Nil 

Nil 

Nil 

34,610,000 

C$0.188 

12,262,389 

Plan Category 

Equity compensation 
plans approved by 
security holders 
Equity compensation 
plans not approved by 
security holders 
Total 

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Company and Affiliated Purchasers 

Neither  the  Company  nor  an  affiliated  purchaser  of  the  Company  purchased  common  shares  of  the 
Company in the year ended December 31, 2019.  

ITEM 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA 

Not applicable. 

ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 

Overview  

The Company is a specialty metals and alloys company focusing on scandium and other specialty metals.  

The  Company  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  Province  of  British  Columbia,  Canada  in  2006.  
The Company currently trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “SCY”.  

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Company’s  focus  is  on  the  exploration,  evaluation  and  future  development  of  its  specialty  metals 
assets,  specifically  the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  and  Honeybugle  Scandium  property  located  in  New 
South Wales, Australia and the Kiviniemi scandium prospect in Finland, all of which are 100% owned by 
SCY.  The  Company  is  an  exploration  stage  company  and  anticipates  incurring  significant  additional 
expenditures prior to production at any and all of its properties. 

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis that contemplates 
the  realization  of  assets  and  discharge  of  liabilities  at  their  carrying  values  in  the  normal  course  of 
business for the foreseeable future.  These financial statements do not reflect any adjustments that may be 
necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. 

The Company currently earns no operating revenues and will require additional capital to advance both 
the  Nyngan  Scandium  Project  and  the  Honeybugle  property.  The  Company’s  ability  to  continue  as  a 
going  concern  is  uncertain  and  is  dependent  upon  the  generation  of  profits  from  mineral  properties, 
obtaining  additional  financing  and  maintaining  continued  support  from  its  shareholders  and  creditors.  
These are material uncertainties that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a 
going concern.   If additional financial support is not received or operating profits are not generated, the 
carrying values of the Company’s assets may be adversely affected. 

RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 

Liquidity and Capital Resources  

At  December  31,  2019,  we  had  working  capital  of  $(376,893)  including  cash  of  $115,568  and  current 
liabilities  of  $538,224  as  compared  to  working  capital  of  $177,122  including  cash  of  $284,757  at 
December 31, 2018.   

At  December  31,  2019,  we  had  a  total  of  34,610,000  (2018  –  29,065,000)  stock  options  exercisable 
between C$0.10 and C$0.60 (2018 – between C$0.10 and C$0.60) which have the potential upon exercise 
to generate a total of C$6,513,250 (2018 – C$5,635,350) in cash over the next four and a half years. There 
is no assurance that these securities will be exercised.  

Our continued development is contingent upon our ability to raise sufficient financing both in the short 
and  long  term.  There  are  no  guarantees  that  additional  sources  of  funding  will  be  available  to  us; 
however, management is committed to pursuing all possible sources of financing to execute our business 
plan. 

Our  major  capital  requirement  in  the  next  12  months  relates  to  the  start  of  construction  on  the  Nyngan 
Scandium Project. 

The Company will need additional funding to develop the Nyngan project into a mine in 2020 and will 
seek to raise additional equity financing at that time.       

Results of Operations 

Quarter ended December 31, 2019 

The net loss for the quarter decreased by $231,509 to $311,807 from a loss of $543,316 in the prior year 
mainly  as  a  result  of  lower  general  and  administrative  expenses,  exploration  costs,  foreign  exchange 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
losses and stock-based compensation.  Details of the individual items contributing to the decreased loss 
are as follows:  

Q4 2019 vs. Q4 2018 - Variance Analysis (US$) 

Item 

General and 
administrative 

Variance 
Favourable / 
(Unfavourable) 
$113,395 

Exploration 

$55,415 

Foreign exchange 
loss 

$25,446 

Stock based 
compensation 

$20,555 

Professional fees 

$8,199 

Consulting 

Travel 

$5,127 

$3,921 

Explanation 
The Q4 2019 expense is lower than in Q4 2018 due to lower 
property tax expense, patent fees and marketing costs. 

The  Company  is  not  actively  doing  exploration  work  on  its 
projects  as  it  seeks  to  create  markets  for  its  production.    In 
Q4  2018  funds  were  still  being  expended  on  exploration 
efforts. 

Exchange  rates  for  the  two  major  foreign  currencies  used 
stabilized in  Q4 2019 resulting in a minimal  expense  in the 
current year.  In Q4 2018 exchange rates were more volatile 
resulting in a larger exchange loss in that year. 

Timing  of  stock  option  expense  recognition  is  affected  by 
vesting provisions. In Q1 of 2018, the Company issued stock 
options  which  vested  over  a  2-year  period  and  resulted  in 
expenses during 2018 Q4 of $24,208.  Options issued in Q2 
of  2019  all  vested  immediately  resulting  in  minimal  costs 
during Q4 of 2019.   

Lower  company  activity  in  Q4  2019  required  less  use  of 
legal  advice  resulting  in  lower  professional  fee  costs  when 
compared to Q4 2018. 

The lower consulting fee in Q4 2019 is a result of no longer 
using a marketing consultant for the latter half of 2019. 

Year  over  year  the  costs  are  almost  the  same.    Fewer 
overseas trips by our consultants lowered this expense in Q4 
2019. 

Salaries and benefits 

$62 

Costs  are  virtually  the  same  when  Q4  2019  is  compared  to 
Q4 2018. 

Amortization 

($1) 

Costs are the same for the comparative quarters. 

Insurance 

($610) 

insurance  premiums 

Higher 
the  Company  when 
compared  to  one  year  ago  results  in  this  minor  negative 
variance. 

for 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Results of Operations for the Year ended December 31, 2019  

The net loss for the year decreased by $1,013,175 to $1,947,933 from $2,961,108 in the prior year, mainly 
because  of  lower  stock-based  compensation  and  exploration  costs.    Details  of  the  individual  items 
contributing to the decreased net loss are as follows:  

2019 vs. 2018 - Variance Analysis (US$) 

Item 

Stock-based 
compensation 

Variance 
Favourable / 
(Unfavourable) 
$647,531 

Exploration 

$211,812 

Explanation 
In  2019  the  Company  granted  9,860,000  stock  options 
compared  to  6,500,000  stock  options  issued  in  2018.  
However,  more  immediate  vesting  provisions  resulted  in  a 
higher  expense  in  2018.    Also,  the  Company’s  shares  were 
trading at a lower price at the time of the 2019 stock option 
grant, resulting in a lower compensation expense. 

The Company is not actively carrying-on exploration work on 
its projects as it seeks to create markets for its production.  In 
2018 funds were still being expended on exploration efforts. 

Salaries and 
benefits 

$86,100 

The amount expensed in 2019 is lower due to the resignation 
of  a  senior  company  officer  in  June  of  2018.    The  position 
was not replaced. 

Foreign exchange 
gain 

$64,067 

Exchange rates for the two major currencies used stabilized in 
2019  resulting  in  a  minimal  expense  in  the  current  year.    In 
2018  exchange  rates  were  more  volatile  resulting  in  a  larger 
exchange loss in that year. 

General and 
administrative 

$40,594 

With  the  lower  activity  in  2019,  general  and  administrative 
costs have been reduced. 

Professional fees 

$32,569 

2018  costs  include  legal  fees  pertaining  to  closing  of  the 
Exchange Agreement with SIL and conversion of SIL’s 20% 
interest  in  EMC-A  to  shares  of  SCY.    No  similar  legal  fees 
were incurred in 2019. 

Travel and 
entertainment 

$4,977 

Year over year the costs are almost the same.  Fewer overseas 
trips by our consultants lowered this expense in 2019. 

Amortization 

($1,257) 

In  the  second  half  of  2018,  the  Company  replaced  its 
computer  servers  in  the  Sparks,  Nevada  office.    The  higher 
amortization expense in 2019 is due to this expenditure.  

Insurance 

($1,407) 

Higher insurance premiums for the Company when compared 
to one year ago results in this minor negative variance. 

38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2019 vs. 2018 - Variance Analysis (US$) 

Item 

Variance 
Favourable / 
(Unfavourable) 

Explanation 

Consulting 

($71,811) 

The Company hired new consultants for marketing scandium 
in  America  in  the  latter  half  of  2018  and  in  2019.    The  first 
six months of 2018 do not include these costs hence the lower 
charges in the same period one year ago. 

Cash flow discussion for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018  

The cash outflow from operating activities decreased by $664,294 to $1,129,668 (2018 – $1,793,962) due 
to  lower  stock-based  compensation,  exploration,  salary,  and  foreign  exchange  exposure  which  were 
partially offset by higher consulting costs. 

Cash flows used in investing activities decreased by $19,821 to $Nil (2018 – $19,821) due to the 2018 
replacement  of  computer  servers  at  the  Sparks  office  and  the  purchase  of  a  reclamation  bond  on  the 
Kiviniemi property not occurring in 2019. 

Cash inflows from financing activities of $960,479 reflect lower private placements of $875,816 partially 
offset by higher income from exercises of stock options of $81,189, resulting in a decrease of $794,627 
when compared to the year ending December 31, 2018 of $1,755,106. 

Summary of quarterly results (US$) 

Q4 

- 

2019 

Q3 

- 

Q2 

- 

Q1 

- 

Q4 

- 

2018 

Q3 

- 

Q2 

- 

Q1 

- 

(311,807) 

(443,426) 

(859,934) 

(332,766) 

(543,316) 

(461,781) 

(626,398)  (1,329,613) 

(0.00) 

(0.00) 

(0.00) 

(0.01) 

(0.00) 

(0.00) 

(0.00) 

(0.01) 

Net Sales 

Net Income 
(Loss) 
Basic and 
diluted 
Net Income 
(Loss) per 
share 

Financial Position 

Cash   

The  decrease  in  cash  of  $169,189  to  $115,568  (2018  -  $284,757)  results  from  lower  common  share 
issuances. 

Prepaid expenses and receivables 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prepaid  expenses  and  receivables  have  increased  by  $6,812  to  $45,763  (2018  -  $38,951)  due  to 
prepayment of filing costs, software licenses and marketing expenses. 

Reclamation bond 

A reclamation bond of $11,444 was purchased for the Kiviniemi property in 2018. 

Property, plant and equipment 

Property plant and equipment consists of office furniture and computer equipment at the Sparks, Nevada 
office.  The decrease of $2,307 to $6,967 at December 31, 2019 (2018 - $9,274) is due to depreciation of 
computer servers at the Sparks office. 

Mineral interests 

Mineral interests remained at $704,053 at December 31, 2019 (2018 - $704,053). 

Accounts Payable, Accounts payable with related parties and Accrued Liabilities 

Accounts  payable,  accounts  payable  with  related  parties  and  accrued  liabilities  have  increased  by 
$389,838  to  $536,424  at  December  31,  2019  (2018  –  $146,586)  due  to  the  deferral  of  consulting  and 
salary fees. 

Capital Stock 

Capital stock increased by $1,131,350 to $109,375,661 (2018 - $108,244,311) due to private placements 
of $799,484 and stock option exercises of $160,995. 

Additional paid-in capital decreased by $260,262 to $5,936,074 (2018 - $5,675,812) as a result of stock 
option expensing which was partially offset by stock option exercises. 

Treasury shares remained at $1,264,194 through the 2019 fiscal period. 

Off-balance sheet arrangements 

At December 31, 2019, we had no material off-balance sheet arrangements such as guarantee contracts, 
contingent interest in assets transferred to an entity, derivative instruments obligations or any obligations 
that trigger financing, liquidity, market or credit risk to us.   

Transactions with related parties 

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2019,  the  Company  expensed  $314,104  for  stock-based 
compensation for stock options issued to Company directors.  During the year ended December 31, 2018, 
the Company expensed $695,405 for stock options issued to Company directors. 

During  each  of  the  years  ended  December  31,  2019  and  December  31,  2018,  the  Company  paid  a 
consulting fee of $102,000 to one of its directors.  

As at December 31, 2019, the Company owed $269,165 (2018 - $Nil) to officers of the Company. 

40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Additional Information and Accounting Pronouncements 

Outstanding share data 

At  February  25,  2020  we  had  312,482,595  issued  and  outstanding  common  shares  and  29,950,000 
outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of C$0.194.   No warrants are outstanding 
at February 25, 2020. 

Critical Accounting Estimates 

The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  generally  accepted  accounting  policies 
requires  our management  to  make  estimates  and  assumptions  that  affect  the  reported  amounts  of  assets 
and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses 
during  the  reporting  period.  These  estimates  are  based  on  past  experience,  industry  trends  and  known 
commitments and events.  By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty and the 
effects  on  the  financial  statements  of  changes  in  such  estimates  in  future  periods  could  be  significant. 
Actual results will likely differ from those estimates. 

Stock-based compensation  

We  use  the  Black-Scholes  option  pricing  model  to  calculate  the  fair  value  of  stock  options  and 
compensatory warrants granted. This model is subject to various assumptions. The assumptions we make 
will likely change from time to time. At the time the fair value is determined, the methodology that we 
use  is  based  on  historical  information,  as  well  as  anticipated  future  events.  The  assumptions  with  the 
greatest  impact  on  fair  value  are  those  for  estimated  stock  volatility  and  for  the  expected  life  of  the 
instrument.  

Deferred income taxes  

We account for tax consequences of the differences in the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and 
our  tax  bases  using  tax  rates  expected  to  apply  when  these  temporary  differences  are  expected  to  be 
settled.  When  the  deferred  realization  of  income  tax  assets  does  not  meet  the  test  of  being  more  likely 
than  not  to  occur,  a  valuation  allowance  in  the  amount  of  the  potential  future  benefit  is  taken  and  no 
future income tax asset is recognized. We have taken a valuation allowance against all such potential tax 
assets. 

Mineral properties and exploration and development costs 

We  capitalise  the  costs  of  acquiring  mineral  rights  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  After  acquisition,  various 
factors can affect the recoverability of the capitalized costs.  Our recoverability evaluation of our mineral 
properties  and  equipment  is  based  on  market  conditions  for  minerals,  underlying  mineral  resources 
associated with the assets and future costs that may be required for ultimate realization through mining 
operations  or  by  sale.  We  are  in  an  industry  that  is  exposed  to  a  number  of  risks  and  uncertainties, 
including  exploration  risk,  development  risk,  commodity  price  risk,  operating  risk,  ownership  and 
political risk, funding and currency risk, as well as environmental risk. Bearing these risks in mind, we 
have  assumed  recent  world  commodity  prices  will  be  achievable.  We  have  considered  the  mineral 
resource reports by independent engineers on the Nyngan project in considering the recoverability of the 
carrying costs of the mineral properties.  All of these assumptions are potentially subject to change, out of 
our control, however such changes are not determinable. Accordingly, there is always the potential for a 
material adjustment to the value assigned to mineral properties and equipment. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements  

Accounting Standards Update 2019-12 – Income Taxes (Topic 740) The Board is issuing this Update as 
part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards. This standard is effective for interim 
and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The 
Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its financial statements. 

Accounting  Standards  Update  2019-01  –  Leases  (Topic  842)  Codification  Improvements  -  Issue  3 
Transition  Disclosures  Related  to  Topic  250,  Accounting  Changes  and  Error  Corrections.  The 
amendments in this Update clarify the Board’s original intent by explicitly providing an exception to the 
paragraph  250-10-50-3  interim  disclosure  requirements  in  the  Topic  842  transition  disclosure 
requirements.  The  effective  date  is  for  fiscal  years  beginning  after  December  15,  2019,  and  interim 
periods  within  fiscal  years  beginning  after  December  15,  2020.    The  Company has    evaluated  that  this 
guidance will have little or no impact on its financial statements. 

Accounting Standards Update 2018-13 – Fair Value Measurement (Topic 840) Disclosure Framework—
Changes  to  the  Disclosure  Requirements  for  Fair  Value  Measurement.  The  amendments  in  this  update 
apply  to  all  entities  that  are  required,  under  existing  GAAP,  to  make  disclosures  about  recurring  or 
nonrecurring fair value measurements.  This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods 
beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted.  The Company has adopted this policy 
which will have no material effect to the consolidated financial statements. 

Accounting  Standards  Update  2018-11  -  Leases  (Topic  842)  Targeted  Update.  This  accounting 
pronouncement  is  an  update  to  Accounting  Standard  2016-02  (see  below).  This  standard  allows  for  an 
additional  (and  optional)  transition  method.  This  standard  is  effective  for  interim  and  annual  reporting 
periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company has adopted the 
election to recognize short-term leases through profit or loss, with no material effect to the consolidated 
financial statements. 

Accounting  Standards  Update  2016-02  -  Leases  (Topic  842).  This  accounting  pronouncement  allows 
lessees to make an accounting policy election to not recognize a lease asset and liability for leases with a 
term of 12 months or less and that do not have a purchase option that is expected to be exercised. This 
standard  is  effective  for  interim  and  annual  reporting  periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2018,  with 
early  adoption  permitted.  The  Company  has  adopted  this  policy  which  had  no  material  effect  to  the 
consolidated financial statements. 

Financial instruments and other risks 

Our financial instruments consist of cash, receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, accounts 
payable with related parties, and promissory notes payable.  It is management's opinion that we are not 
exposed  to  significant  interest,  currency  or  credit  risks  arising  from  our  financial  instruments.  The  fair 
values  of  these  financial  instruments  approximate  their  carrying  values  unless  otherwise  noted.  The 
Company has its cash primarily in two commercial banks, one in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 
and in one in Chicago, Illinois. 

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 

Not applicable. 

ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and the notes thereto are attached to this report 
following the signature page and Certifications. 

ITEM 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND 
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE 

For  the  fiscal  years  ended  December  31,  2019  and  2018  we  did  not  have  any  disagreement  with  our 
accountants on any matter of accounting principles, practices or financial statement disclosure. 

ITEM 9A.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 

Disclosure controls and procedures 

The Company’s management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, 
evaluated the effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-
15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the principal executive 
officer and principal financial officer concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this report, the 
Company has maintained effective disclosure controls and procedures in all material respects, including 
those necessary to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted with the 
SEC  (i)  is  recorded,  processed,  and  reported  within  the  time  periods  specified  by  the  SEC,  and  (ii)  is 
accumulated and communicated to management, including the  principal executive officer and principal 
financial officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decision regarding required disclosure. 

Management’s report on internal control over financial reporting 

The  Company’s  management  is  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  adequate  internal  control 
over  financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Rule  13a-15(f)  or  15d-15(f)  of  the  Exchange  Act).  Management 
assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, using 
criteria  established  in  Internal  Control-Integrated  Framework  issued  in  1992  by  the  Committee  of 
Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (COSO).  Even  an  effective  internal  control 
system, no  matter how well designed, has inherent  limitations, including the possibility of human error 
and  circumvention  or  overriding  of  controls  and  therefore  can  provide  only  reasonable  assurance  with 
respect  to  reliable  financial  reporting.  Furthermore,  the  effectiveness  of  an  internal  control  system  in 
future periods can change with conditions. 

A  material  weakness  is  a  deficiency,  or  combination  of  deficiencies,  in  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual 
or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. 

The  Company’s  management  has  determined  that  the  internal  controls  over  financial  reporting  are 
effective as of December 31, 2019.  

Changes in Internal Control.   

There have been no changes in internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the last fiscal 
quarter  that  have  materially  affected,  or  are  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  internal  control  over 
financial reporting. 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION 

None. 

PART III 

Information with respect to Items 10 through 14 is set forth in the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before April 30, 2020 and is incorporated herein by 
reference.   If the definitive Proxy Statement  cannot be  filed on or before April 30, 2020, the Company 
will  instead  file  an  amendment  to  this  Form  10-K  disclosing  the  information  with  respect  to  Items  10 
through 14.  

PART IV 

ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SCHEDULES 

Financial Statements 

The following Consolidated Financial Statements are filed as part of this report. 

Description 
Financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and 
audit reports thereon. 

Page 
F-1 

Exhibits  

The following table sets out the exhibits filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference. 

Exhibit 
3.1 

3.2 

10.1(3) 
10.2(1) 
10.3(4) 

10.4(5) 
21.1(7) 

Description 
Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Name Change dated March 2009, Notice of 
Articles dated March 2009(1) 
Certificate of Name Change dated November 19, 2014 and Notice of Articles dated 
November 19, 2014(2) 
Corporate Articles(1) 
Amendment to Corporate Articles dated November 10, 2014(2) 

2015 Stock Option Plan 
Management Contract with George Putnam dated May 1, 2010 
Management Contract with Edward Dickinson dated August 13, 2011 

Share Exchange Agreement dated June 30, 2017 
List of Subsidiaries 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
23.1(7) 
23.2(7) 
23.3(7) 
23.4(7) 
31.1(7) 

31.2(7) 

32.1(7) 

32.2(7) 

Consent of Davidson & Company LLP 
Consent of Stuart Hutchin 
Consent of Dean Basile 
Consent of Geoffrey Duckworth 
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange 
Act of 1934 of the Principal Executive Officer 
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange 
Act of 1934 of the Principal Financial Officer 
Section 1350 Certification of the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial 
Officer of the Principal Executive Officer 
Section 1350 Certification of the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial 
Officer of the Principal Financial Officer 

(1) Previously filed as exhibits to the Form 10 filed May 24, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference. 
(2) Previously filed as exhibits to the Form 10-K filed February 27, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference. 
(3)  Previously  filed  as  Schedule  “A”  to  the  Form  DEF  14A  filed  October  5,  2015  and  incorporated  herein  by 
reference. 
(4) Previously filed as an exhibit to the Form 10-K/A filed May 1, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference. 
 (5) Previously filed as an exhibit to the Form 8-K filed July 26, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 
(7) Filed herewith.  

45 

 
 
 
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant 
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. 

SIGNATURES 

SCANDIUM INTERNATIONAL MINING CORP. 

By: /s/ George Putnam 
  George Putnam 

President and Principal Executive Officer 

Date:     February 28, 2020 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by 
the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. 

Signature 

Title 

Date 

 /s/ George Putnam 
George Putnam 

 /s/ William Harris 
William Harris 

President, Principal Executive Officer, and Director  February 28, 2020 

Chairman and Director 

February 28, 2020 

/s/ James Rothwell 
James Rothwell 

Director 

 /s/ Willem Duyvesteyn  Director 
Willem Duyvesteyn 

 /s/ Warren Davis 
Warren Davis  

Director 

 /s/ Barry Davies 
Barry Davies 

Director 

/s/ Peter Evensen 
Peter Evensen 

Director 

/s/ R.Christian Evensen  Director 
R. Christian Evensen 

46 

 February 28, 2020 

 February 28, 2020 

 February 28, 2020 

 February 28, 2020 

 February 28, 2020 

 February 28, 2020 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                
                                                                         
 
                           
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Edward Dickinson 
Edward Dickinson 

Principal Accounting Officer and  
Principal Financial Officer 

 February 28, 2020 

47