Key Staff Appointment to Nyngan Scandium Project Team

Reno, Nevada (FSCwire) - Scandium International Mining Corp.  (TSX:SCY) (“Scandium International” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nigel J. Ricketts to the Nyngan Project team as Vice President, Project and Market Development.  Dr. Ricketts is a metallurgist with a 30-year career in mine project, engineering, flowsheet design, and advanced research in metallurgy and alloy development.  His career spans numerous specialty, base, and precious metals projects, including projects and processes targeting magnesium, aluminum, gold, copper, lateritic nickel, palladium & PGM’s, lead-zinc, and scandium. 

Most recently Dr. Ricketts and partners formed Altrius Engineering Services (AES, Brisbane, QLD. Australia), where he did extensive flow sheet design work on the Nyngan Project, both at preliminary economic assessment (PEA) stage and again at definitive feasibility study (DFS) stage.  In addition, Nigel designed and managed numerous scandium test work programs that defined and refined the current project flow sheet for the Nyngan project.

Nigel’s previous roles in project engineering with AMEC Minproc Ltd., AMEC Mining & Metals, Worley Parsons, and Chesser Resources in complex mineral recovery businesses are all highly relevant to the detailed design/construction/commissioning work about to start at Nyngan.  Nigel will support any further flow sheet optimization work, early-works project engineering, and manage major vendors on long lead project items. 

Dr. Ricketts also worked for CSIRO, the Australian government-supported technical research center in Melbourne, as a principal research scientist, for 15 years.  His principal specialties were magnesium alloys and casting techniques.  Dr. Ricketts is the author and holder of 5 metallurgical patents in alloy and flowsheet design.  This technical metallurgy background will assist Nigel in his other role in SCY, which is his significant involvement in global marketing efforts for scandium oxide product.

Dr. Ricketts received a metallurgy degree (B App Sc) from South Australian Institute of Technology in 1985, followed by a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Monash University in Melbourne in 1993.   Nigel will report to John D. Thompson in Australia, who continues in his role as General Manager, Australia, for SCY.

George Putnam, CEO of Scandium International Mining Corp. commented:

“I am very pleased to welcome Nigel Ricketts to the SCY team.  Nigel has been doing great work for us in technical, business and marketing areas for two years now, with help from his partners at AES.  He has excellent local experience, highly relevant to our scandium project, and we are very fortunate to have him now on staff, fully involved with us, to construct the Nyngan Scandium project and assist us to further develop this business.” 

QUALIFIED PERSONS AND NI 43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT

Willem Duyvesteyn, MSc, AIME, CIM, a Director and CTO of the Company, is a qualified person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release on behalf of the Company.

ABOUT SCANDIUM INTERNATIONAL MINING CORP.

The Company is focused on developing the Nyngan Scandium Project into the world’s first scandium-only producing mine.  The Company owns an 80% interest in both the Nyngan Scandium Project, and the adjacent Honeybugle Scandium Property, in New South Wales, Australia, and is manager of both projects.  Our joint venture partner, Scandium Investments LLC, owns the remaining 20% in both projects, along with an option to convert those direct project interests into SCY common shares, based on market values, prior to construction. 

The Company filed a NI 43-101 technical report in May 2016, titled “Feasibility Study – Nyngan Scandium Project”.  That feasibility study delivered an expanded scandium resource, a first reserve figure, and an estimated 33.1% IRR on the project, supported by extensive metallurgical test work and an independent, 10-year global marketing outlook for scandium demand.

In addition to the two lateritic scandium properties in Australia, SCY owns a 100% interest in the Tørdal Scandium/REE property in southern Norway, where we continue our exploration efforts, specifically for scandium and REE minerals.

For further information, please contact: 

George Putnam, President and CEO. 

Tel: 925-208-1775

Email: info@scandiummining.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company and its business. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and include, but are not limited to: reserve and resource estimates, estimated NPV of the project, anticipated IRR,  anticipated mining and processing methods for the Project, the estimated economics of the project, anticipated Scandium recoveries, production rates, scandium grades, estimated capital costs, operating cash costs and total production costs, planned additional processing work and environmental permitting. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by forward looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation risks related to uncertainty in the demand for Scandium and pricing assumptions; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund the project in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from logistical, technical or other factors; the possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize the perceived potential of the Company's properties; uncertainties involved in the estimation of Scandium reserves and resources; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained on a timely manner or at all; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated and may preclude commercial development or render operations uneconomic; the possibility that the estimated recovery rates may not be achieved; risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work program; risks related to projected project economics, recovery rates, and estimated NPV and anticipated IRR and other factors identified in the Company's SEC filings and its filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions and expectations of the Company's management at the time they are made, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances, should change.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding Resource Estimates: The Company’s technical disclosure uses terms such as "indicated resources" and "measured resources" which are defined by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, and are required to be disclosed in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). The disclosure standards in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Industry Guide 7 normally do not recognize information concerning these terms or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC.  Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth in the Company’s disclosure documents may not be comparable with information presented by companies using only U.S. standards in their public disclosure.

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