en.Wedoany.com Reported - Canadian Manganese (CBOE CA: CDMN) has signed a strategic partnership framework agreement with GreenMet Inc., AmForge LLC, and Flash Metals USA, Inc. to jointly establish the North American Critical Manganese Alliance (NACMA), aiming to develop the first fully integrated manganese supply chain in North America.
The alliance will integrate the complementary capabilities of all parties in critical mineral development, project financing, industrial manufacturing, and specialty processing, with the goal of building a secure, vertically integrated Canada-U.S. manganese ecosystem for strategic industries such as advanced manufacturing, defense, aerospace, and energy storage. NACMA plans to create a complete industrial platform spanning from Canadian manganese mining to U.S. primary refining, specialty processing, and advanced manufacturing, thereby establishing a resilient allied supply chain.
The foundational resource of the alliance is Canadian Manganese's Woodstock Project in New Brunswick, the largest known manganese carbonate system in North America. After more than a decade of geological, metallurgical, and engineering research, it has become a technically viable development opportunity. The parties believe that the strategic value of the project lies not only in mining operations but also in serving as a source of raw materials, maximizing value through downstream processing and advanced manufacturing.
NACMA plans two complementary industrial platforms. The Canadian platform is expected to be located in New Brunswick, encompassing the Woodstock Project development, mining and mineral beneficiation, hydrometallurgical refining, intermediate manganese product production, and future value-added processing. The U.S. platform is expected to be located in West Virginia, with operations including specialty manganese processing, advanced manganese chemicals, battery materials, specialty alloys, defense and aerospace materials, additive manufacturing feedstocks, and other advanced industrial manganese products.
Manganese is a critical mineral supporting electric vehicle batteries, grid energy storage, specialty steel, advanced manufacturing, and defense applications. Currently, North America lacks a fully integrated domestic manganese supply chain. NACMA aims to strengthen regional industrial resilience and long-term supply chain security by combining Canada's resource advantages with U.S. industrial manufacturing capabilities.
Under the framework agreement, the parties intend to cooperate in the following areas: Woodstock Project development, construction of a Canadian hydrometallurgical processing facility, establishment of U.S. downstream specialty processing and advanced manufacturing operations, strategic financing plans, government engagement, industrial partnerships, long-term product commercialization, and expansion of NACMA through additional projects, technologies, and strategic participants.
W. Matthew Allas, President and CEO of Canadian Manganese, stated that the formation of the alliance is an important milestone in realizing the long-term vision for project development. Drew Horn, CEO of GreenMet Inc., noted that the alliance aims to integrate strategic capital and industrial expertise into a coordinated development platform, accelerating the creation of a globally competitive North American manganese industry. Dan Whaley, CEO of AmForge LLC, pointed out that advanced manufacturing requires a secure supply of critical materials, and the alliance will help strengthen downstream industrial capabilities. Steve Ragiel, President and Managing Director of Flash Metals USA, Inc., believes that specialty processing is one of the highest-value segments of the manganese supply chain, and the parties will jointly develop innovative processing capabilities.
The signing of the framework agreement marks the official establishment of NACMA. The parties will subsequently advance technical assessments, business planning, government engagement, financing plans, and strategic cooperation discussions, and negotiate final agreements on investment, project development, processing, commercialization, and long-term supply arrangements. The alliance will also evaluate opportunities to expand the industrial platform to further strengthen the North American critical mineral supply chain. The framework agreement establishes strategic cooperation principles; except for specific terms, it does not require the parties to complete particular transactions, which will be determined only after final agreements are signed.
