PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Cobre Montana and fellow-listed Pilbara Minerals have executed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to test the lithium carbonate potential in Pilbara’s Pilgangoora project, in Western Australia.
Under the terms of the MoU, Cobre Montana will undertake a six-months study of the lepidolite mineralised areas of the Pilgangoora asset to assess the potential to apply its practical technology to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate.
Cobre Montana was expected to present a commercial development proposal to Pilbara at the end of the six-month period.
The junior’s work would include field inspections, data analysis and results from Pilbara’s current 10 000 m drilling campaign, as well as laboratory work.
Cobre Montana MD Adrian Griffin said that securing access to processing technology had proven a catalyst for the company. The junior has secured exclusive processing rights to the only practical technology for extracting lithium from micas.
The current Pilgangoora inferred resource was estimated at 10.4-million tonnes for some 5.5-million pounds of tantalum pentoxide and included 87 000 t of lithium.