Battery metals firm American Battery Metals Corporation has opened a chemistry and research laboratory to analyse data on its vanadium and lithium mining claims and drill sites.
The Nevada, US, miner will conduct in-house research and analysis before, during, and after its work in the field.
Commodities developer Savannah Resources has said it will become the sole owner of Portugal’s Mina do Barroso lithium project in Portugal through an all-share offer valued at around US$11.9 million.
The UK-based developer, which already owns 75% of the project, said full ownership would “provide greater exposure of Europe’s most significant spodumene lithium deposit” as it’s developed and commercialised.
Savannah’s CEO David Archer (pictured) said the move was being made at a time when “legislators and battery end users in the region have come to appreciate the need for Europe to have domestic sources of battery raw materials as the region seeks to reduce emissions from the transport sector via the transition to electric vehicles (EVs)”.
Japanese chemicals company Mitsui is to pre-pay Sigma Lithium US$30 million under a strategic alliance agreement for the supply of battery-grade lithium concentrate.
Sigma will supply Mitsui with “up to 55,000 tonnes” of material annually for six years, with an option to extend for a further five years.
Sigma said the agreement provided for a significant portion of the funding required for capital expenditures and construction of Sigma’s commercial production plant at its Grota do Cirilo lithium project in Brazil.
Australia-listed mining firm AVZ Minerals has announced a “potentially massive” new lithium deposit discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo to shore up moves to supply electric vehicle battery makers in China.
MD Nigel Ferguson said the discovery confirms Carriere de l’Este “as a significant lithium deposit to potentially exceed” AVZ’s nearby Roche Dure deposit in the Manono project— 500 kilometres north of Lubumbashi in the south of the country.
AVZ said initial drilling at Carriere de l’Este “confirms widespread, high-grade spodumene lithium mineralisation over thick intersections”.
Australia-listed lithium developer Infinity Lithium has unveiled a scoping study for its San Jose project in Spain’s Extremadura region, including the production of battery grade lithium hydroxide.
Infinity had previously released a lithium carbonate scoping study for San Jose, but said it was shifting the project’s focus towards lithium hydroxide.
US chemicals company Albermarle has signed an exclusivity agreement to create a potential lithium joint venture in Western Australia.
Albemarle said the agreement with Mineral Resources Limited (MRL) could lead to the creation of a 50-50 joint venture to own and operate the Wodgina hard rock lithium mine in the state’s Pilbara region— and “ultimately develop an integrated lithium hydroxide operation at the site”.
Finnish mining company Keliber Oy has launched a pilot-scale programme for the possible production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
Keliber said the project with Outotec Finland will form part of technical and economic studies to evaluate the feasibility of production.
