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Writer's pictureMichael Philipps

Future Battery gets ministerial tick for lithium drilling

Updated: Apr 19


Future Battery Minerals is planning a fourth-phase drill campaign at its Kangaroo Hills lithium project. Credit: File

Future Battery Minerals is one step closer to drill-testing the northern extensions of its Kangaroo Hills lithium project after its conservation management plan for the area received ministerial approval.


Management says the planned phase-four drilling program is set to test the most prospective part of the project that sits within shouting distance of the Western Australian Goldfields town of Coolgardie. The company plans to imminently lodge a project of works submission with the WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and expects it to be approved as soon as next month.


A reverse-circulation (RC) contractor has already been selected and Future Battery has scheduled a kick-off for the planned program once all approvals are in place. The campaign will target the interpreted northern extensions of shallow and high-grade lithium mineralisation the company has previously intercepted at its Big Red prospect.


Previous drilling highlights at Big Red include a 29m hit grading 1.36 per cent lithium oxide from just 38m, a 27m intercept going 1.32 per cent from 64m and 22m at 1.24 per cent from only 23m.


We are excited to have achieved the key awaited milestone of ministerial approval for our new CMP over the northern part of the KHLP. With this now received, and pending only approval of our POW for drilling in this area, we can truly go after the targeted extension of the potentially high-value lithium mineralisation identified at Big Red – which remains wide open along strike to the north and at depth.
Future Battery Minerals managing director Nicholas Rathjen

The proposed drill program will also include RC scout testing at the Western Grey, Quokka, Big Red West, and Whip Tail prospects where optimised resistivity anomalies have been identified.


Western Grey hosts outcropping pegmatites anomalous for tin and tantalum where a recent resistivity survey has further refined the targets, while rock chip sampling at the Quokka prospect highlighted lithium-bearing pegmatites with assays of up 1.4 per cent lithium oxide.


The newly-mapped resistivity anomaly at Big Red West, about 500m west of Big Red, corresponds with intercepted mineralised pegmatites and nearby outcropping pegmatites. One drill assay from Big Red West went 6m at 1.38 per cent lithium oxide from 198m.


Whip Tail and Big Red North are both new anomaly targets that are coincident with outcropping pegmatites.


The program will also include further diamond drilling of Big Red for ongoing metallurgical testwork and RC drilling aimed at helping to shape the company’s maiden mineral resource estimate expected at the end of the year.


Future Battery is not the only one searching for lithium in the area around Kangaroo Hill. Mineral Resources operates a mine 30km to the east of the site at Mount Marion and it boasts an impressive mineral resource of 60.5 million tonnes at 1.36 per cent lithium oxide.


The market also appeared to give its tick of approval to the company today, with its shares rising by more than 10 per cent to touch 5.8c during intraday trading from a previous close of 5.2c.


Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: office@bullsnbears.com.au

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