JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed juniors Lithium Australia and Venus Metals have joined forces to test the lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide potential of the Pilbara.
The companies announced on Thursday that they had executed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to initially test the commercial lithium potential of Venus’s Pilgangoora project, south-east of Port Hedland.
The broader objective of the partnership would be to determine if potential existed for sufficient feedstock to feed a Pilbara lithium processing facility to produce high-grade lithium carbonate and/or hydroxide for use in high-technology applications, including lithium-ion batteries.
The terms of the MoU required that Lithium Australia produce a report outlining the ways in which the combined expertise of Venus and Lithium Australia could be optimised. In particular, Lithium Australia would provide a plan for generating revenue from both lithium micas and spodumene, where spodumene occurred in association with the other minerals, using Lithium Australia’s exclusive licence for mica and its intellectual property for spodumene.
Lithium Australia would pay a fee for exclusive access to the Venus ground and would sole fund exploration over the project tenements in the first year following tenement grant. Venus would retain 100% ownership of its Pilgangoora tenements.
The testwork programme by Lithium Australia would include field inspections, data and observations across the project area, and in the laboratory, to confirm the suitability of the lithium mica, spodumene and clay materials within the MoU area as a source for battery grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Such outcomes could help establish a base commercial case for a local lithium processing plant in the Pilbara.