Sunday, May 12, 2013

Zenyatta Ventures Seeks Graphite in Canada

Zenyatta Ventures (ZENYF / ZEN.V) wants to dig up graphite in Ontario, Canada.  The CEO is a geologist - good news in my view.  There's nothing wrong with a background in project consulting for someone running an exploratory company.  They'll need to round out their team with people who have more operating experience if they want to make the project viable.

Their Ontario project has a few things going for it.  The site is fairly close to a nexus of energy and transportation lines but I'd like to see on-site photos of connecting links; that will reveal how much preparation the site will need for production.  Photos of drill hole samples don't reveal much without scientific analysis.  Zenyatta does not yet have a 43-101 report or PEA so we'll just have to wait and see what they've got.

I can't find any published financial statements from Zenyatta on their website or in the public domain.  One of my de-risking criteria for an exploration company is estimating their burn rate and then watching for success in raising capital.  USGS data for graphite shows Canada has little production and negligible reserves.  Zenyatta will have to find seriously large reserves to get attention.

Full disclosure:  No position in Zenyatta Ventures at this time.