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Macro Growth Drivers for NioCorp’s Planned Products

Several global macro trends are expected to helping drive increased demand for NioCorp’s planned commercial products. Many of these global macro trends are being driven by consumer demand for better, stronger, smarter, and lighter-weight products that can help reduce harmful air emissions and keep our environmental cleaner.

For example:

Demand for Lighter Weight Vehicles

Demand continues to grow for lighter weight and more fuel efficient cars, trucks, and buses. All three of NioCorp’s planned products help to achieve these goals. For example, about $9 worth of Niobium added to a mid-sized car reduces weight by 100kg, increasing fuel efficiency by 5%.

Demand for Lighter Weight Jetliners

Manufacturers are increasing looking to shed weight on commercial jetliners in order to increase fuel economy, cut costs, and reduce air emission. NioCorp’s planned superalloy materials help do just that. For example, $1-1.5 million of scandium trioxide used in a B737NG that flies 3000-4000 hours per year, with long-term jet fuel prices of $2-3/gallon, can deliver >$9 million of present value in fuel savings.

Lighter, Stronger Steel for Mega Projects

High Strength, Low Alloy (HSLA) steel made with Niobium allows for lighter, stronger and longer lasting bridges, building and infrastructure “mega” projects. For example, the use of only 0.025% Niobium in the steel of the Millau Viaduct bridge reduced the weight of steel and concrete by 60% in the overall project.

Global Adoption of Tighter Air Emissions Standards

All around the world governments are adopting increasingly more stringent air emissions standards, including those for greenhouse gases. Niobium, Scandium, and Titanium are all used in applications as a means of reducing weight, which helps to increase fuel economy and decrease harmful air emissions.

Growth in Clean Energy Technologies

NioCorp’s planned superalloy materials are also vital to renewable and other clean energy systems. For example, Scandium is critical to the operation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, a high-efficiency, low-emissions technology for environmentally beneficial distributed electricity systems.

Superalloy Blog Posts

The Powerful Benefits of Ferroniobium for Bridges

Apr 22, 2020

As the U.S. looks to repair crumbling infrastructure systems, I expect to see more high-performance steels (HPS) used in structures like bridges because of the many powerful benefits they deliver. HPS steels containing a small amount of ferroniobium – which NioCorp plans to produce in southeast Nebraska at our Elk Creek Superalloy Materials Project once we are funded and in operation – are among the strongest and most durable steels on the market today.

What A U.S. Infrastructure / Transportation Initiative Could Mean to Critical Minerals Producers

Apr 7, 2020

If a $2 trillion U.S. infrastructure package is enacted, it could create a major, long-term demand boom for the critical minerals needed by infrastructure and advanced transportation systems, according to NioCorp’s CEO Mark Smith.

BEYOND COVID-19: A Resurgence of Domestic Supply Chains?

Mar 19, 2020

One global macro trend is highly likely to accelerate in the aftermath of COVID-19: increased investment in domestic materials supply chains as a means of reducing the reliance of Western nations on supply chains in developing nations. Asia’s dominance in many strategic supply chains has become painfully obvious since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

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