Frontier Lithium Commences Technical Drilling On The PAK Lithium Project
Sudbury - Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX.V: FL)(the “Company”), is pleased to announce the commencement of a technical drilling program on its PAK Lithium Project, in the Red Lake mining district in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The drilling campaign is designed for the collection of data essential for the finalization of geo-technical and geo-mechanical parameters required for the pending pre-feasibility study (“PFS”). The drilling program will comprise of approximately 750 metres (“m”) of diamond drilling that will be used to test areas for potential site infrastructure, as well as determining optimum pit wall angles for a potential mining operation.
It is anticipated that the pending PFS will be completed by the end of May, 2017. “The PFS will outline the technical and economic parameters of the Project to firstly produce, for the most part technical grade lithium concentrates for the glass ceramics market”, stated Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier. “Furthermore, management is currently planning future test work on sample concentrates from the deposit to investigate the potential for recovery of downstream lithium compounds suitable for the battery market.” If proven through positive results, Frontier could not only pursue operations for the production of rare technical grade lithium concentrates for the ceramic glass market, but could also sell to existing lithium compound producers, with the added future possibility to produce premium lithium compounds such as hydroxide directly to the battery market.
Mr. Garth Drever, P.Geo., is the "Qualified Person" for Frontier defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
Company Contact Information
Trevor R. Walker, President & CEO
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.897.7622
F. +001 705.897.7618
Media Requests
Joseph Mansourian
Manager, Communications & Branding
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.618.0070
F. +001 705.897.761
About Frontier Lithium Inc.
Frontier’s goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. CAD $4 million of exploration work has been conducted from 2013 to 2016 on the deposit which boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene. The Company has adopted a staged growth approach to exploration and development in order to avoid unnecessary share dilution – a strategic imperative for the Company. The initial target market is the glass-ceramic industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.
Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid inferior lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.
The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management believes the resource can be developed into a world-class operation. The Company is currently conduction pre-feasibility to produce lithium concentrates. If production of lithium concentrates can be established from Frontier, the possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process some of PAK’s output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.
For additional information, please visit the company website at www.frontierlithium.com
About the PAK Lithium Project
The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.
Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit is one of the highest grade lithium mineral resources in North America which has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.89 million tonnes of 1.73% Li2O equivalent (eq.) or 1.58% Li20 and 104 ppm Ta2O5 and an Inferred Resource of 295,600 tonnes of 1.35% Li2O eq. or 1.20% Li2O and 103 ppm Ta2O5 which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3). The deposit has adjacent zones that are enriched in tantalum and rubidium. Frontier is also evaluating the phased co-production of tantalum and mica-product concentrates once lithium mineral production has been commercialized.
The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.