Mining company investor Cadence Minerals Plc (LON:KDNC) is to restructure its balance sheet to free up capital for new lithium assets.
Cadence added it is already at an advanced stage of reviewing several early stage lithium projects, which can be developed and produce cashflow faster than a typical lithium carbonate deposit.
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The AIM-listed group said these assets are in well-known lithium jurisdictions and that the plan is to earn-in at a project level, to hold larger stakes and have an input into the running of the operation.
“Cadence's core investments have performed well to date. However, your board sees an opportunity to potentially identify and invest in greenfield projects that could supply the market sooner than a typical lithium carbonate producer," said Kiran Morzaria, chief executive.
Cadence recently sold part of its stake in Mexico and Germany-focused lithium explorer Bacanora Minerals.
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As part of its balance sheet re-jig, Cadence will pay off US$6.45 mln of outstanding US$12.9mln convertible loan notes and restructure the rest.
The outstanding loan notes will be replaced by two new types that will cut interest payable from 5% currently to 2.6%.
"The EV [electric vehicle] revolution has created an unprecedented demand for lithium compounds, even with current forecast capacity for the production of the raw materials, our analysis shows that this will not meet demand in the short to medium term," Morzaria added.