Perth, Western Australia — Arizona Lithium Limited (ASX:AZL) is excited to announce the receipt of the Permit of Exploration (POE) from the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its Big Sandy Lithium Project located in Arizona, USA. This pivotal permit enables the commencement of an extensive drilling program designed to expand the known resources and explore new potential areas within the project site.
Drilling Program Highlights:
- Scheduled Start: The drilling and bulk sampling program is set to begin in July 2024, following the conclusion of a 30-day appeal period.
- Exploration Goals: The program aims to augment the current Indicated and Inferred JORC Resource of 32.5 million tonnes grading 1,850 ppm Li, equating to 320,800 tonnes of Li2CO3.
- Comprehensive Exploration: Only 4% of the project area has been explored to date. The upcoming drill will focus on validating the significant exploration target estimated between 271.1Mt to 483.2Mt at 1,000 - >2,000ppm Li.
- Historical Success: Previous drilling has intersected high-grade lithium mineralization, and recent testwork has produced 99.8% battery-grade lithium carbonate, meeting international specifications.
Partnership with NTEC: In March 2024, Arizona Lithium entered a Mining Services Agreement with Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC), a leading tribally owned mining and energy entity. NTEC will manage the drilling operations, ensuring adherence to stringent environmental and permitting standards.
Arizona Lithium Managing Director, Paul Lloyd, commented: “We are extremely pleased to have received approval from the Bureau of Land Management for the long awaited follow up drill program at Big Sandy in Arizona. This represents a substantial development opportunity for a deposit that presently contains a JORC resource of 320,800 tonnes LCE5. With only 4% of the project drilled to date, we are looking to expand the existing Resource and validate the exploration target.”
“We look forward to working with BLM, NTEC and all stakeholders to ensure the drilling program is successfully executed with minimum environmental impact.”
“I would like to thank shareholders for their ongoing support whilst Arizona Lithium worked diligently towards this approval.”
Contact details:
Jane Morgan