Lifezone Metals secures $60M bridge loan for nickel project

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Lifezone Metals (NYSE: LZM) said on Monday it has secured a $60 million bridge loan from Taurus Mining Finance Fund to fund early works and infrastructure development at its flagship Kabanga nickel project in northwest Tanzania.

Kabanga is considered to be one of the world’s largest and highest-grade undeveloped nickel sulfide projects, containing over 2 million tonnes of the battery metal in resources. The deposit also contains significant copper and cobalt as by-products.

The loan, says chief executive officer Chris Showalter, further demonstrates the preparation and strategic steps Lifezone has taken in anticipation of a 100% ownership of Kabanga Nickel Limited (KNL), which it completed last month.

KNL is the majority owner of the Kabanga project with an 84% interest. The remaining 16% is held by the Tanzanian government.

In mid-July, Lifezone consolidated its interest in KNL after acquiring the 17% equity stake previously held by global miner BHP (ASX: BHP) for $83 million. BHP had previously committed to invest $100 million on building the nickel mine, but in recent years has shifted its focus away from nickel due to market conditions. The deal would give Lifezone full control of the Kabanga nickel operations, including 100% of its offtake rights.

BHP exits $942 million Tanzania nickel project, partner Lifezone says

Concurrent with purchasing BHP’s project stake, Lifezone also released a feasibility study for the project, which incorporated an upgraded reserve estimate of 52.2 million tonnes grading 1.98% nickel, 0.27% copper and 0.15% cobalt. 

Mining of the ores would occur for 18 years, during which the concentrator is expected to produce a total of 902,000 tonnes of nickel, 134,000 tonnes of copper and 69,000 tonnes of cobalt in intermediate product, the study shows. Its after-tax net present value (at 8% discount) is estimated at $1.58 billion, with an internal rate of return of 23.3%.

Project readiness

The Taurus loan, the company says, provides essential funding to maintain project momentum during the execution readiness phase, bridging the period between feasibility study completion and final investment decision, which is expected in mid-2026.

“With the feasibility study now complete, Taurus’s funding enables us to advance critical early-stage development while progressing the competitive process underway with Standard Chartered to select additional strategic investment partners,” Showalter stated.

“In parallel, we are advancing the project financing process with Societe Generale, as we work toward a comprehensive funding solution for the Kabanga nickel project.”

According to the new feasibility study, the pre-production cost for the mine is pegged at $942 million, while the life-of-mine cost could total $2.49 billion.

Shares of Lifezone Metals rose nearly 4% by midday Monday on the loan announcement, sending its market capitalization to $355.2 million.