JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Australia-based lithium explorer Novo Litio is preparing for its maiden drilling programme at the Spodumenberget prospect in central Sweden, in keeping with its goal of supplying lithium from Europe, for Europe.
The Spodumenberget prospect, near Örnsköldsvik, has previously yielded high-grade lithium values, including 2.77% Li2O, from spodumene-bearing rock chip samples.
Mapping has shown the presence of pegmatite outcrops over a strike length of 340 m and up to 100 m wide, with surrounding areas masked by glacial cover. The company said this week that it would test this area by four initial drill holes to ascertain whether any mineralised pegmatites of significant widths were present.
Pending approval from local stakeholders, landowners and authorities, Novo Litio aims to start drilling before the end of the year.
The Sweden prospect is expected to complement Novo Litio’s core assets in Portugal, where drilling is under way.
The company on Tuesday reported some of its best ever results from the Sepeda project, in northern Portugal. Infill and extensional diamond drilling produced thick, high-grade intercepts, including 80.3 m at 1.36% Li2O and 80.45 m at 1.3% Li2O, and 68.06 m at 1.26% Li2O from down-plunge extensional drilling.
The results from the drilling would be used for the mineral resource update, which Novo Litio said was expected in the final quarter of the year.