JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Aim-listed Savannah Resources on Monday said that it had identified significant widths of lithium mineralisation through the ongoing reverse circulation drill programme at its Mina do Barroso lithium project, in northern Portugal.

A total of 87 holes for 7 081 m have been drilled to date across three primary targets.

Savannah said it aimed to increase the current Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate of 3.2-million tonnes at 1% lithium oxide containing 32 000 t, which was defined at the Reservatorio deposit, one of three targets currently being evaluated. 

The company has further extended the drilling programme to the Grandao deposit, where a new mineral resource estimate was on track for the first quarter, to add to current project resource.

Savannah said it would accelerate exploration efforts with a diamond drill rig to mobilise in the second half of February, to test depth extensions of Grandao mineralisation and begin collecting samples for the next phase of metallurgical testwork.

New high-priority targets have also been identified to the north east of Grandao: Romainho, Campo de Futebol and Peigro Negro would be drill tested.

CEO David Archer said that the expanding geometry of Grandao, with both near surface and deeper mineralisation, was encouraging. "The Grandao deposit is shaping up as a major additional component to the overall global mineral resource for the Mina do Barroso lithium project.

"The overall tempo of activities continues to accelerate as the project's potential becomes more apparent. We are working to an aggressive timetable to deliver on a series of major milestones over coming months, which we believe will highlight the project's potential to be a key, up-stream component of the European lithium valued added chain," he added.