If You Invested in Velox Energy (CUIRF)

Velox Energy Materials Inc. (traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol VLX and historically associated with the symbol CUIRF) is a publicly traded energy materials company focused on developing and progressing high-value assets in resource and research-friendly jurisdictions. According to company disclosures, its priority focus is the advanced North Queensland Vanadium Project ("NQV Project" or "NQVP") in Queensland, Australia, alongside interests in hydrogen storage technology and early-stage lithium exploration.

Core focus: North Queensland Vanadium Project (NQVP)

The NQV Project in Queensland, Australia, is described by the company as its flagship asset. Within this project, the Cambridge Deposit hosts a CIM/NI 43-101 compliant Indicated Mineral Resource and Inferred Mineral Resource containing vanadium (V2O5) and molybdenum (MoO3), as disclosed in multiple company news releases referencing Dufresne et al., 2022. Velox states that it is targeting shallow, high-grade mineralisation at the Cambridge Deposit that can be developed using low-cost mining and processing options.

The company has reported completion of large-diameter core drilling at the Cambridge Deposit and the dispatch of core for processing and metallurgical testwork. It has also engaged an environmental consultancy to commence environmental baseline assessments at the NQVP, including ecological studies and monitoring of surface water, groundwater, and air quality. These activities are intended to support future technical and environmental evaluations of the project.

Hydrogen storage and the Kotai Energy relationship

In addition to vanadium, Velox Energy Materials reports that it owns Kotai Energy and holds an option to acquire 100% of the intellectual property rights associated with a Solid-State Hydrogen Storage Project from Curtin University in Western Australia. Kotai Energy is described as being focused on the commercialisation of technology that can produce high-pressure hydrogen following transport as an inert powder.

The company is a participant in the Kotai Hydrogen Project, a collaborative initiative between Curtin University's Hydrogen Storage Research Group and Velox Energy Materials. The project is funded under the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Transformative Research Accelerating Commercialisation (TRAC) Program. It is focused on developing and deploying a technology to transport hydrogen as a powder using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The powder stores hydrogen and, when added to water, releases hydrogen gas while producing sodium borate (NaBO₂), which can then be regenerated back into sodium borohydride using renewable energy. Company disclosures describe this as a circular and sustainable hydrogen export system.

Velox has reported the successful completion of Milestone 2 of the Kotai Hydrogen Project, which validated the exportable solid-state hydrogen technology at lab scale. The company notes that this milestone demonstrated synthesis of sodium borohydride via an electrochemical process and hydrogen release via hydrolysis at high pressure, with continuous hydrogen output and proof-of-concept for a closed-loop hydrogen export system. The completion of Milestone 2 triggered a funding payment from ARENA under the TRAC grant, and the project is planned to progress to further milestones that include scaling up synthesis and designing and constructing a pilot plant. Velox states that it holds an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the intellectual property developed within the Kotai Hydrogen Project.

Lithium exploration in Quebec

Velox Energy Materials has also disclosed that it applied for a package of tenements in eastern Quebec that are prospective for lithium mineralisation. This group of tenements is referred to as the Lake Pierre Lithium Project. The company reports that it has applied for 66 blocks covering an area in eastern Quebec, which it considers prospective for lithium based on historic geological mapping and drilling that identified pegmatites. The company indicates that it views this lithium package as complementary to its vanadium and hydrogen projects, with an overall focus on energy storage-related materials.

According to company statements, the Lake Pierre Project is at an early stage and is expected to be subject to preliminary due diligence, including review of historic exploration data, mapping, and rock chip sampling once access is confirmed. The tenements are described as being in a region with other lithium explorers active in the area.

Corporate evolution and listing information

The company previously operated under the name Currie Rose Resources Inc. and traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CUI. A company news release states that effective October 18, 2023, the name was changed to Velox Energy Materials Inc. and the TSX Venture Exchange symbol was changed to VLX. The name change was described as intended to better reflect the company's growth trajectory and business strategy in the energy materials industry, including the North Queensland Vanadium Project and the Kotai Hydrogen Project.

Velox Energy Materials has also indicated plans to seek a dual listing of its shares on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) via a CHESS Depositary Interest (CDI) structure. Company communications state that proceeds from private placements have been earmarked in part to support the dual listing process on the ASX.

Financing and capital markets activity

The company has announced several capital markets and corporate actions. These include non-brokered private placements of units consisting of common shares and common share purchase warrants, with proceeds allocated to advancing the NQVP, including metallurgical testwork, mineral resource updates, drilling to delineate high-grade zones, environmental studies, and dual listing preparations. The company has also disclosed amendments to warrant terms, including proposed changes to exercise price and expiry dates, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

In a separate announcement, Velox reported the cancellation of previously granted stock options to directors and employees under its Long-Term Incentive Plan, resulting in no stock options outstanding under that plan at the time of the announcement. The company noted that the full capacity under the plan remains available for future security-based awards, subject to TSX Venture Exchange policies.

Management and governance developments

Company news releases describe several changes in senior financial and corporate governance roles. Velox has announced appointments and resignations of Chief Financial Officers and Corporate Secretaries, including the engagement of individuals and service providers with experience in public company financial management, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and capital markets transactions. These appointments have been linked in company communications to the objective of supporting the company's growth and its plans for dual listing on the ASX.

Position within the energy materials and mining sector

Across its disclosures, Velox Energy Materials characterises itself as an energy materials company with a portfolio that spans vanadium, hydrogen storage technology, and prospective lithium assets. The NQVP provides exposure to vanadium and molybdenum resources in Queensland, while the Kotai Hydrogen Project and associated intellectual property option relate to sodium borohydride-based hydrogen storage and export technology. The Lake Pierre Lithium Project applications in Quebec extend the company's activities into lithium exploration. Together, these projects align with the company's stated focus on energy storage-related materials and projects in jurisdictions it describes as resource and research friendly.

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