Lithium Energy Limited (ASX:LEL) has released an impressive Maiden JORC Mineral Resource estimate for its 100% owned Corella Graphite Project in Queensland.
The recently completed maiden resource definition drilling campaign at the Corella Tenement has delivered a maiden JORC Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 13.5Mt at 9.5%TGC (at a cut-off grade of 5%) for 1.3Mt of contained graphite.
Within the Corella mineralisation envelope, there is a higher grade JORC Inferred Mineral Resource of 4.5Mt at 12.7% TGC for 0.57 Mt of contained graphite.
The total Graphite Inventory of the company (across the Burke and Corella Graphite Deposits) has now doubled to 2.6Mt of contained graphite.
The major increase in our graphite inventory contributed from the Corella Project adds significant value to the overall Burke Graphite Project,” Executive Chairman, William Johnson, said.
“In particular, the additional resource provides the company with the potential for expanded development options for our proposed vertically integrated battery anode material manufacturing facility based in Queensland.
“These potential options will be considered as part of the engineering studies currently being undertaken at Burke.”
Corella Graphite Properties
- The company expected that the natural graphite sourced from Corella can be upgraded by standard flotation techniques to produce a concentrate suitable as feedstock to a purified spherical graphite (PSG) processing facility that is proposed by the company to be constructed in Queensland.
- This PSG product will be developed for sale into the Li-ion battery anode industry.
- Testwork is currently being planned to test the graphite’s grade and recovery performance in the flotation process and the PSG processes in a similar manner to work previously conducted from the Burke Deposit which has indicated its suitability for use in the production of lithium ion batteries.
- The company expects the Corella Graphite to form part of the overall vertically integrated pit to PSG product plan underpinned by the high-grade Burke Graphite material.
- The Corella Deposit is favourably located approximately ~120 kilometres south of the Burke Deposit, which comprises a high grade graphite JORC Indicated and Inferred Total Mineral Resource of 9.1Mt at 14.4% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) for a total of 1.3Mt contained graphite and is located within a favourable distance and location from the proposed PSG manufacturing facility to be based in the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct near Townsville in North Queensland.
