PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Canada-focused lithium developer Patriot Battery Metals has resumed exploration and development work at its Corvette project, in Quebec, as wildfires in the region abated.
The multi-listed company on Monday said that wildfires in the region had delayed the company’s on-site activities during the summer months, however, no equipment or property had been lost.
The area around the Corvette site re-opened in late July, however, road access has been limited owing to the ongoing wildfires to the west and south of the property. Road closures continue to hinder camp installations and access road construction progress, Patriot said in a statement.
A preliminary crew has arrived on site via air transport and is now using equipment already at the exploration camp to advance the construction projects. Patriot noted that when conditions permit, additional construction personnel will be mobilised and will accelerate these activities.
Patriot recently reported a 109.2-million-tonne maiden mineral resource estimate for the CV5 deposit at Corvette, grading 1.42% lithium and 160 parts per million tantalum pentoxide, for 3.84-million tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent. The resource estimate marked CV5 as the largest lithium pegmatite mineral resource in the Americas, and also the eighth-largest lithium pegmatite resource globally.
The company is currently targeting the start of construction at CV5 in 2027, with production earmarked for 2028. The project’s parameters are expected to be released by the end of this year.