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REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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N/A
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(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)
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(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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Title of each class
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Trading Symbol(s)
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Name of each exchange on which registered or to be registered:
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The
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| (1) |
Evidenced by American Depositary Receipts
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Large accelerated filer
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☐
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Accelerated filer
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☐
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☒
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Emerging growth company
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| Auditor Name: | Auditor Location: | Audit Firm ID: | ||||||||||||
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ITEM 4
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3 | |||
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A.
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3 | |||
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B.
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3
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|||
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C.
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18 | |||
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D.
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18 | |||
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ITEM 19.
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26 | |||
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Titanium Content in Select U.S. Military Airframes
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||||
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Airframe
|
Introduction into Service
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% of Titanium Content
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CH-47 Chinook
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1962
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8
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F-15 Eagle
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1976
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10
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F-16 Fighting Falcon
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1978
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7
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F/A-18 Hornet
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1984
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12
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F-22 Raptor
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2005
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39
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V-22 Osprey
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2007
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31
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F-35 Lightning II
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2015
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20
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||
| • |
Continue to research, investigate, scale-up and commercialize the Technologies to produce titanium metal powders for the stakeholders within defense, space,
aerospace, electric vehicles and additive manufacturing.
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| • |
Complete techno-economic evaluations, including providing titanium samples produced using the Technologies for potential customers, to outline material physical
and economic metrics of the development of the Technologies as well as securing long term offtake contracts.
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| • |
Continue to investigate potential alternative applications of the Technologies to develop additional value-added metal closed-loop production capabilities,
including zircon and synthetic rutile, and the potential production of rare earth elements.
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| • |
Continue to progress Environmental, Sustainability and Corporate Governance (“ESG”) assessments and integration studies to outline material physical and economic
ESG metrics as well as major development milestones and timelines.
|
| • |
Continue discussions with potential customers and strategic partners for future production and sale of titanium metal products and critical minerals, including, but not
limited to rare earth elements.
|
| • |
Continue to expand IperionX’s land position in the United States, explore for additional
critical minerals and secure relevant permit and zoning approvals.
|
| • |
Patented titanium metal production technologies. We have an exclusive option to acquire Blacksand which holds the exclusive commercial
licensing rights for the patented Technologies to produce low carbon titanium metal and spherical powders developed by Blacksand at the University of Utah with support from ARPA-E.
|
| • |
Market opportunity that capitalizes on a shift to low carbon metal production. The social and macroeconomic shift to the low carbon production
of metals and a circular economy provides a significant opportunity for IperionX to apply the Technologies and position us to take advantage of a compelling high growth market.
|
| • |
Ability to recycle existing titanium metal feedstock and titanium metal products in a closed-loop process. The Technologies have demonstrated,
at pilot-scale, to be capable of producing fully recycled titanium metal powders using titanium scrap as feedstock in a closed-loop process, technology that potentially offers lower cost, low carbon titanium metal and powders. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—Failure to commercially scale our closed-loop titanium production processes may result in material adverse impacts to, or
failure to achieve, our growth projections”.
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| • |
Differentiated and integrated U.S. domestic supply chain. We believe that our integrated business model in the U.S. will allow us to achieve
our objective to provide a domestic end-to-end supply chain of low-cost and low carbon titanium metal for strategic and high value applications including light-weighting for electric vehicles and battery packs as well as broad defense
and light-weighting applications for commercial and military applications.
|
| • |
Sales of critical minerals. The Titan Project contains titanium minerals that can supply the titanium pigment and metals markets as well as
the Technologies. It also contains significant volumes of other highly valuable critical minerals which may be sold as co-products, including zircon and rare earth elements.
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| • |
Strategically located close to existing processing facilities. The Titan Project is strategically located in the southeastern U.S., close to
significant manufacturing capacity, including the Chemours facility in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, one of the world’s largest producers of titanium dioxide.
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| • |
Significant existing infrastructure available. The Titan Project’s location enjoys low-cost access to road, rail and water logistics
connecting it to world class manufacturing industries. The Titan Project is also well situated to take advantage of a highly skilled labor force and low-cost renewable baseload grid power.
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| • |
First mover in restarting exploration of critical minerals in the West Tennessee area. As a first mover in restarting exploration of critical
minerals in West Tennessee, IperionX aims to develop a strategic, U.S. domestic source of high-quality, low-cost and low carbon titanium metal products and other critical minerals, including rare earths and silica sand. The Titan
Project is located in an area which saw significant historic exploration from the 1950’s to the 1990’s by companies including DuPont, Kerr-McGee Corp., BHP Group, RGC Ltd and Altair International Corp.
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| • |
Experienced management team. Our senior management team has significant experience in acquiring, developing, and financing minerals
extraction projects in the United States. They have previously held senior business development, financial, and operational positions at both large, publicly traded extraction companies as well as successful private extraction
operations.
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| • |
IperionX has a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to potentially establish a partnership with Energy Fuels that aims to build an integrated, all-American rare earths supply chain. The MOU
will evaluate the potential supply of rare earth minerals from the Titan Project to Energy Fuels for value added processing at Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill. Rare earths are highly valued as critical materials for magnet production
essential for wind turbines, electric vehicles, consumer electronics and military applications.
|
| • |
IperionX has a non-binding MOU with Chemours to investigate a potential supply agreement between IperionX and Chemours for up to 50,000 metric tons of ilmenite, 10,000 metric tons of rutile, and 10,000
metric tons of staurolite. Chemours operates one of the largest titanium dioxide plants at its New Johnsonville plant which is located approximately 20 miles from IperionX’s Titan Project in Tennessee.
|
| • |
IperionX has a non-binding MOU with EOS to accelerate the deployment of the Technologies for the potential production of low-cost, low carbon titanium metal powders. IperionX and EOS have agreed to
negotiate in good faith to enter into definitive agreements to give effect to a partnership that allows IperionX and EOS to work together to advance deployment of spherical and non-spherical titanium metal powders for use in the
additive manufacturing industry.
|
| • |
IperionX has a non-binding MOU with Mario Pilato BLAT S.A. for the potential supply of zircon products. The MOU contemplates a supply agreement for an initial five-year term on an agreed market-based
pricing methodology for the annual supply of up to 20,000 tonnes of zircon products from IperionX’s Titan Project in Tennessee.
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| • |
Fluctuations in the market prices for critical materials, titanium metal, titanium minerals and rare earth minerals;
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| • |
Fluctuating supplies of critical materials, titanium metal, titanium minerals and rare earth minerals;
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| • |
Fluctuating demand for critical materials, titanium metal, titanium minerals and rare earth minerals; and
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| • |
Metals and extraction activities of others.
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| • |
completing our exploration drilling program on initial land position and continuing to secure additional land leases to undertake additional exploration;
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| • |
undertaking necessary technical studies to assess the economic potential of the Titan Project and defining a critical minerals reserve base;
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| • |
completing required permitting and zoning activities;
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| • |
undertaking discussions with potential customers for future sale of titanium and other critical minerals, including rare earths;
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| • |
completing required financing activities;
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| • |
completing construction of the Titan Project’s minerals extraction and processing facilities; and
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| • |
commencing minerals extraction and processing activities to supply the United States demand for clean, low-cost domestic sources of titanium and other critical minerals, including rare earths.
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| • |
the last day of the fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of US$1,070,000,000 (as such amount is indexed for inflation every five years by the SEC) or more;
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•
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June 30, 2027, being the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our first sale of common equity securities
pursuant to an effective annual report under the Securities Act;
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| • |
the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than US$1,070,000,000 in non-convertible debt; or
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| • |
the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer”, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market
value of our ordinary shares and ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700,000,000 as of the last day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter.
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| • |
Nasdaq’s requirement that our independent directors meet regularly in executive sessions. The ASX Listing Rules and the Corporations Act do not require the independent directors of an Australian company
to have such executive sessions and, accordingly, we have claimed this exemption.
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| • |
Nasdaq’s requirement that an issuer provide for a quorum as specified in its bylaws for any meeting of the holders of ordinary shares, which quorum may not be less than 33 1/3% of the outstanding shares
of an issuer’s voting ordinary shares. In compliance with Australian law, our Constitution provides that two shareholders present shall constitute a quorum for a general meeting.
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| • |
Nasdaq’s requirement that issuers obtain shareholder approval prior to the issuance of securities in connection with certain acquisitions, changes of control or private placements of securities, or the
establishment or amendment of certain stock option, purchase or other compensation plans. Applicable Australian law and rules differ from Nasdaq requirements, with the ASX Listing Rules providing generally for prior shareholder
approval in numerous circumstances, including (i) issuance of equity securities exceeding 15% (or an additional 10% capacity to issue equity securities for the proceeding 12-month period if shareholder approval by special resolution
is sought at the Company’s annual general meeting) of our issued share capital in any 12-month period (but, in determining the available issue limit, securities issued under an exception to the rule or with shareholder approval are
not counted), (ii) issuance of equity securities to related parties (as defined in the ASX Listing Rules) and (iii) directors or their associates acquiring securities under an employee incentive plan.
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| • |
National Environmental Protection Act (“NEPA”), which requires careful evaluation of the environmental impacts of extraction operations that require federal approvals;
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| • |
Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and its amendments, which governs air emissions;
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| • |
Clean Water Act (“CWA”), which governs discharges to and excavations within the waters of the United States;
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| • |
Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”), which governs the underground injection and disposal of wastewater;
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| • |
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), which governs the management of solid waste;
|
| • |
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), which imposes liability where hazardous substances have been released into the environment (commonly known as
Superfund); and
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| • |
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, which established the primary safety and health standards regarding working conditions of employees engaged in extraction, related operations, and preparation and
milling of the minerals extracted, as well as the Occupation Safety and Health Act, which regulates the protection of the health and safety of workers to the extent such protection is not already addressed by the Federal Mine Safety
and Health Act.
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| • |
Require notice to stakeholders of proposed and ongoing operations.
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| • |
Require the installation of pollution control equipment.
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| • |
Restrict the types, quantities and concentration of various substances that can be released into the environment in connection with minerals extraction or drilling activities.
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| • |
Limit or prohibit extraction or drilling activities on lands located within wetlands, areas inhabited by endangered species and other protected areas, or otherwise restrict or prohibit activities that
could impact the environment, including water resources.
|
| • |
Impose substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from current or former operations on or for any preexisting environmental impacts at the Titan Project site.
|
| • |
Require preparation of an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement.
|

| • |
historical 2017 to 2021 annual average prices for ilmenite, rutile, rare earth concentrate and zircon as set out below;
|
| • |
recovery factors of 82.6% for ilmenite, 60.9% for rutile, 77.1% for rare earth concentrate and 90.8% for zircon;
|
| • |
operating cost estimates of $3.00/t ROM mining, $3.00/t ROM processing, $0.40/t ROM transport and $0.90/t ROM general and administrative costs; and
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| • |
a royalty of 5% is included in the cut-off grade.
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Product
|
Historic
2017 – 2021
(annual average,
US$/t)
|
Spot
pricing1 |
Forecast
2023 – 2027
(annual average,
US$/t)
|
Forecast
2028+
(annual average,
US$/t)
|
|
Rare earth concentrate
|
$4,8212
|
$11,180 – $12,850
|
$14,325
|
$17,690
|
|
Rutile
|
$1,030
|
$1,960 – $2,280
|
$1,475
|
$1,285
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|
Chloride Ilmenite
|
$200
|
$390 – $470
|
$305
|
$310
|
|
Zircon (premium)
|
$1,405
|
$2,500 – $3,025
|
$2,240
|
$1,685
|
|
Zircon (concentrate)
|
$630
|
$945 – $1,330
|
$1,010
|
$760
|
|
Rare Earth Oxide
|
Historic
2017 - 2021
(annual average
US$/kg)3
|
Spot
pricing4
(US$/kg) |
Forecast
2023 - 2027
(annual average
US$/kg)
|
Forecast
2028+
(annual average
US$/kg)
|
|
Lanthanum
|
$1.8
|
$1.2
|
$1.4
|
$1.4
|
|
Cerium
|
$1.7
|
$1.3
|
$1.5
|
$1.5
|
|
Praseodymium
|
$64.1
|
$143.9
|
$194.4
|
$242.4
|
|
Neodymium
|
$58.2
|
$143.9
|
$204.6
|
$255.1
|
|
Samarium
|
$2.0
|
$$3.3
|
$4.9
|
$6.8
|
|
Europium
|
$44.5
|
$27.6
|
$34.5
|
$40.2
|
|
Gadolinium
|
$24.0
|
$79.0
|
$108.1
|
$130.1
|
|
Terbium
|
$695.0
|
$2,109.6
|
$2,419.6
|
$2,935.2
|
|
Dysprosium
|
$253.3
|
$371.2
|
$565.5
|
$690.6
|
|
Holmium
|
$61.7
|
$193.1
|
$295.5
|
$337.1
|
|
Erbium
|
$26.3
|
$53.7
|
$64.8
|
$73.9
|
|
Ytterbium
|
$12.8
|
$14.8
|
$18.6
|
$21.7
|
|
Lutetium
|
$545.8
|
$782.7
|
$900.9
|
$1,051.0
|
|
Yttrium
|
$3.6
|
$12.3
|
$16.1
|
$22.7
|
|
1
|
Sources: Ruidow.com at June 29, 2022 and Iluka Resources.
|
|
2
|
Refer to table below for individual prices for REE’s that contribute to the REE concentrate price and table below for the percentage of each REE in our REE concentrate. REE historic average pricing
is based on limited available data for 2017.
|
|
3
|
REE historic average pricing is based on limited available data for 2017.
|
|
4
|
Source: Argus at June 29, 2022.
|
|
Product
|
Product specification requirements
|
|
Rare earth concentrate
|
Mineral rare earth concentrate with 58.68 weight % total rare earth oxides (TREO) – as set out in Table 19. Value of rare earth concentrate calculated as 31% value of contained TREO plus 10% premium for
Titan Project’s heavy rare earth enrichment.
|
|
Rutile
|
Bulk rutile with titanium dioxide content (TiO2) of 94% - 96%
|
|
Chloride Ilmenite
|
Chloride ilmenite with titanium dioxide content (TiO2) of 58% - 65%
|
|
Zircon (premium)
|
Premium bulk zircon with ZrO2 + HfO2 >66%
|
|
Zircon (concentrate)
|
Zircon concentrate with ZrO2 + HfO2 >30%
|
|
Rare Earth Oxide
|
Concentration (weight %)
|
|
La
|
10.50%
|
|
Ce
|
21.90%
|
|
Pr
|
2.59%
|
|
Nd
|
9.85%
|
|
Sm
|
1.80%
|
|
Eu
|
0.15%
|
|
Gd
|
1.48%
|
|
Tb
|
0.20%
|
|
Dy
|
1.19%
|
|
Ho
|
0.22%
|
|
Er
|
0.66%
|
|
Tm
|
0.09%
|
|
Yb
|
0.54%
|
|
Lu
|
0.08%
|
|
Y
|
7.43%
|
|
TREO
|
58.68%
|
|
Titan Project – Mineral Resources as of June 30, 2022
|
|||||||||
|
Resource
Category
|
Metric tons
(in
millions)
|
Grade
(THM
%)
|
THM
(million
metric tons)
|
Cut-off
grade
(THM
%)
|
THM assemblage
|
||||
|
Zircon
(% of
THM)
|
Rutile
(% of
THM)
|
Ilmenite
(% of
THM)
|
REE
(% of
THM)
|
Staurolite
(% of
THM)
|
|||||
|
Measured
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Indicated
|
241
|
2.2
|
5.3
|
0.4
|
11.3
|
9.3
|
39.7
|
2.1
|
15.6
|
|
Inferred
|
190
|
2.2
|
4.2
|
0.4
|
11.7
|
9.7
|
41.2
|
2.2
|
13.7
|
|
Total
|
431
|
2.2
|
9.5
|
0.4
|
11.5
|
9.5
|
40.3
|
2.1
|
14.8
|
|
Titan Project Average Annual Production
Targets over 25-year mine life :
|
||
|
Ilmenite
|
95,500 t/y
|
|
|
Rutile
|
16,700 t/y
|
|
|
Monazite
|
4,600 t/y
|
|
|
Zircon - premium
|
22,400 t/y
|
|
|
Zircon - concentrate
|
16,000 t/y
|
|
|
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
|
|
|
Certificate of the Registration of IperionX Limited (formerly Hyperion Metals Limited) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form
20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
Constitution of IperionX Limited (formerly Hyperion Metals Limited) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March
29, 2022)
|
||
|
Deposit Agreement among IperionX Limited, The Bank of New York Mellon, and Owners and Holders of American Depositary Shares (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the
Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on June 10, 2022)
|
||
|
Form of American Depositary Receipt evidencing American Depositary Shares (included in Exhibit 2.1)
|
||
|
Description of Share Capital
|
||
|
Option Agreement by and among Hyperion Materials & Technologies, LLC, IperionX Limited (formerly Hyperion Metals Limited) and Blacksand Technology, LLC and its members, dated
October 20, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
Option of Exclusive License Agreement between Hyperion Materials & Technologies, LLC and Blacksand Technology, LLC, dated February 13, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
4.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
Master Services Agreement between Blacksand Technology, LLC and Hyperion Materials & Technologies, LLC, dated February 13, 2021, and related statements of work (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
IperionX Limited (formerly Hyperion Metals Limited) Employee Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on
March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
Form of Indemnity, Insurance and Access for Directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
List of Subsidiaries of IperionX Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F, filed on March 29, 2022)
|
||
|
Section 302 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Section 302 Certification of Chief Financial Officer
|
||
|
Technical Report Summary on the Titan Project
|
||
| 15.2* |
Consent of Qualified Person (Adam Karst)
|
|
| 15.3* |
Consent of Qualified Person (Eugene Dardengo)
|
|
| 15.4* |
Consent of Qualified Person (Stephen Miller)
|
|
| 15.5* |
Consent of Qualified Person (Jacques Parent)
|
|
|
101.1#
|
The following financial statements from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2022, formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) Consolidated Statements of Profit or
Loss and Other Comprehensive Income, (ii) Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements, tagged as blocks of text and including detailed tags.
|
|
| 104* | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
| # |
Filed previously with the annual report on Form 20-F, dated August 26, 2022.
|
|
+
|
Certain confidential information contained in this document, marked by [***], has been omitted because it is both (i) not material and (ii) would be competitively harmful if
publicly disclosed.
|
| * |
Filed herewith.
|
|
IPERIONX LIMITED
|
|||
|
By:
|
/s/ Anastasios Arima | ||
|
Anastasios Arima
|
|||
|
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
|
|||
|
Date: May 30, 2023
|
|||