Nevada Lithium Resources Inc. (CSE: NVLH; OTCQB: NVLHF; FSE: 87K)
(“
Nevada Lithium” or the
“
Company”) is pleased to provide an update on the
proposed Hydraulic Borehole Mining (“
HBHM”) mining
method proposed to extract high-grade mineralized material at its
100% owned Bonnie Claire lithium project (the
“
Project” or “
Bonnie Claire”),
located in Nye County, Nevada. The Company is also pleased to
announce the commencement of an updated Preliminary Economic
Assessment (“
PEA”) on the Project.
|
Nevada Lithium’s CEO, Stephen Rentschler, commented: “Nevada
Lithium has received an updated assessment of the Hydraulic
Borehole Mining (HBHM) method from an internationally recognized
leader in the HBHM mining technique, Kinley Exploration LLC. We are
delighted that Kinley has concluded that accessing depths to 3,000
ft, where we have recently confirmed the existence of an
open-ended, mineralized high grade lithium zone, is achievable.” He
continued, “As we continue the work towards Pre-Feasibility Study
(PFS), we have also contracted Global Resource Engineering, Ltd. to
update our existing Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). This
update will incorporate the latest information on metallurgy, the
proposed HBHM scenario outlined in the Kinley update, long-term
lithium prices, and calculate a new mineral resource estimate
incorporating drill results from the past two seasons.” |
|
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Virtual EventDate and Time: Wednesday, April 17,
2024 at 12 pm ET / 9 am PT |
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Highlights:
- Kinley Exploration LLC (“Kinley”) has provided
a working model based on HBHM that successfully extracts
mineralized slurry between 1500ft and 2500 ft at Bonnie Claire
- Model focuses on extraction of previously intersected
high-grade mineralization, illustrated by Hole BC2303C, which
intersected 4,154 ppm Li over 680ft (see the Company’s news release
dated February 27, 2024), and currently open in several
directions
- Operating production cost estimated to be USD $ 14.28/ton,
based on continuous mining rate of 100 tons per hour per mining
unit
- Confidence that HBHM can access depths greater than 2,500 feet,
as high-grade mineralization has been intersected below this
depth
- Economics to be incorporated in updated PEA to be released
summer 2024
Background
At Bonnie Claire, lithium mineralization occurs
within very fine-grained, volcaniclastic sediments. These sediments
are almost 3,000 feet in thickness, and partially lithified for
much of that depth. The resulting ground conditions of these rocks
are not ideally suited to conventional underground mining methods.
This has been addressed by proposing the innovative HBHM method.
While this method has been used elsewhere, Bonnie Claire would see
its use in the Great Basin for the first time.
Kinley Exploration LLC
The Company has engaged Kinley to work with the
Company’s external consultants, Global Resource Engineering, Ltd.
(“GRE”), to evaluate the application of HBHM technologies at the
Bonnie Claire lithium deposit. The objective of this work is to
establish a reasonable economic mining strategy to extract lithium
in a continuous, cost effective and safe manner. The work focused
on the zone of high-grade mineralization intersected from 1,500
feet to 2,500 feet depth, illustrated by Hole BC2303C, which
intersected 4,154 ppm Li over 680ft (see the Company’s news release
dated February 27, 2024).
Kinley is an expert and world leader in
Hydraulic Borehole Mining and is well respected internationally in
its capacity to operate complex drilling programs and technology
applications in the Oil, Mining and Geoscientific sectors. The
company owns, develops, and practices proprietary mining technology
with multiple patents and operational intellectual property methods
specific to HBHM.
Bonnie Claire HBHM Layout
HBHM is a surface-based mining method that uses
a high-pressure water jet to disaggregate the mineralized material
and evacuate the resulting slurry back to surface. Previous models
at Bonnie Claire have used vertical primary production wells
arranged in a honeycomb pattern. After processing, material was
backfilled with concrete, to minimize surface disturbance.
Further discussions between the Company, Kinley
and GRE have suggested that mineralized material may behave in a
plastic manner & flow toward the production wells during
extraction, which should increase the efficiency of the method. The
current model combines an array of “Jet Wells” arranged within the
targeted resource section and a single “Production Well” located
outside the section, drilled and cased to the base of the
section.
The proposed initial layout is outlined below,
and illustrated in Figure 1.
- (1) Directionally drilled Production Well offset 280 feet from
Mined section center;
- (32) “Jet” Wells centered and spaced within a 280-foot diameter
surveyed section;
- Jet Wells cased and cemented to 1,500 then mined 1,500 to 2500
feet;
- Production well drilled and cased to 2,500 feet;
- Mineralized material between Jet Wells, when excited will flow
to intake
- Number of Jet Wells may be reduced in future based on caving
and pilot findings
The current mining application considered is to
directionally drill a single large diameter Production Well
centered under the targeted resource section to be mined (see image
below). The well is drilled with a 280-foot offset from center of
the target section. Construction of the Production Well would be to
case the well to within 20 to 60 feet of the projected bottom of
the target section. The bottom section will then be mined out to
open an initial cavity. This directionally drilled well will be
primarily vertical and turned under the center of the resource.
Next a series of “Jet” Wells will be drilled and
cased to 1,500 feet in a mining pattern with engineered spacing to
maximize the plastic flowing condition of the mineralized material
between the wells. These will be centered and patterned above the
Production Well. These wells will be drilled vertically in a
280-foot diameter section. The Jet Wells will be pilot drilled to
total depth, and then jetted to initiate caving into the Production
Well for pumping to the surface. A continuous hydraulic cutter,
mounted on the intake of the Production Well will assist in
slurrying the mineralized material.
Lifting Mineralized Material to
SurfaceKinley has determined that the most economic
lifting method for the targeted mining depth will be hydraulic
airlift. This low energy method lifts by reverse flood pumping as
slurry is lifted to surface with two-phase pumping. Air is injected
in the internal slurry stream reducing the density of the fluid,
and the weight of the annular fluid causes flow down the annulus
and a vacuum is created at the intake of the Production Well.
Jetting Wells and FlowKinley
has modelled 32 Jet Wells at Bonnie Claire; this number may
potentially be decreased once the rate of flow of the mineralized
material to the intake has been determined based on velocity and
caving characteristics. Based on continuous mining at 100 tons per
hour, the entire cavity would take approximately 4.25 years to
extract. This work is completed without the requirement to move the
Production Rig to a new operating platform location.
This mining strategy and method assumes that the
cavity will not stay open long term and will not require
backfillwith the caverns, such as pumped tailings from processing
or cementing. Based on geotechnical advice, the Company has assumed
that caving or flow of mineralized material to the intake will
occur and lead to increased production.
Figure 1: Proposed HBHM initial layout at Bonnie Claire.
Wells (brown cylinders) are centered and spaced within a 280-foot
diameter surveyed section. Slurry is hydraulically airlifted to a
single directionally-drilled Production Well offset from Mined
section center (Blue cylinder). Note: the figure depicts 13 wells
for illustrative purposes. Actual modelling is based on 32
wells.
Summary
The factors applied to the modeled method are a
combination of estimated parameters, experiences in similar
resource projects, and discussions with Bonnie Claire’s advisor,
Global Resource Engineering. Kinley estimates that the Production
Mining unit and the Jet Mining unit can achieve a continuous mining
rate of 100 tons per hour of mineralized material production with
an operating cost of USD $ 14.28/ton based on the current detailed
cost input estimates.
Access to Depths > 2,500
ftThe current HBHM model has focused on high grade
mineralization that has been intersected between 1550 and 2500 ft.
High-grade material has been intersected down to 2780 in at least
one hole (see the Company’s news release dated November 20, 2023),
and the Company asked Kinley to comment on the application of the
method at greater depths.
Kinley has concluded that the Hydraulic Borehole
Mining method can successfully access material deeper than 2,500
ft. Hydraulic Airlift pumping is commonly used in drilling
industrial large diameter wells up to 5,000 feet in undersea mining
and in dredging applications. Therefore, hydraulic airlifting
material from 3,000 ft is considered achievable with this mining
strategy.
Increased OPEX above that identified in the
economic model would occur as depths past 2,500 feet are mined.
However, the presence of high-grade lithium mineralization at
Bonnie Claire below 2,500 ft suggests a favorable trade-off in
increased revenues versus increased costs. The Company will
continue to study the impact of increasing the anticipated mining
depth to include mineralization from 2,500 to 3,000 ft.
Bonnie Claire Hydraulic Borehole Mining
PilotKinley has recommended a pilot study to examine the
practicality of HBHM at Bonnie Claire. The Pilot is based on a
single well cased to 2,200 feet. The driller will drill another
pilot 150 feet away from the casing shoe to 2,350 feet and the
pilot mining program will be conducted through the target
mineralized material section between 2,200 and 2,350 feet.
Preliminary Economic Assessment
Update
The Company is pleased to announce that it has asked GRE to
commence an update to its 2021 PEA. It is anticipated that the new
PEA will include
- A new restated mineral resource estimate, including 2022 and
2023 drilling, which will include the lower high-grade
mineralization, such as Hole BC2303C, which intersected 4,154 ppm
Li over 680ft (see the Company’s news release dated February 27,
2024),
- Detailed modelling of the hydraulic mining method, including
productions rates, CAPEX and OPEX input, and projected water
usage
- Updated metallurgical work demonstrating the ability to produce
battery-grade lithium carbonate at the scale of a bulk sample
(300kg) of mineralized sediment
- An updated economic model, including CAPEX, OPEX, NPV, mine
life and payback
Much of the work to be included has been completed, and GRE have
estimated that the new PEA can be completed in summer 2024. The
resulting technical report will replace the Company’s existing 2021
PEA (detailed below).
Retention of Market Maker
Subject to the receipt of approval by the Canadian Stock
Exchange (“CSE”), the Company has retained
Generation IACP Inc. ("Generation") to provide
market making services with the objective of maintaining a
reasonable market and improving the liquidity of Nevada Lithium
Resources’ common shares (the “Shares”).
Under the issuer trading services agreement between Generation
and Nevada Lithium (the “Agreement”), the Company
has agreed to pay Generation a monthly fee of CAD $7,500 plus
applicable taxes. The initial term of the Agreement is six months,
and such term will be automatically renewed for subsequent
six-month periods unless terminated earlier by 30 days prior
written notice. Commencing on the first anniversary of the
Agreement, the fee payable to Generation will automatically
increase annually by 3.0%. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
Generation shall have the right to terminate the Agreement at any
time upon prior written notice. Generation will not receive any
Shares or options as compensation.
Nevada Lithium and Generation are unrelated and unaffiliated
entities. Generation has informed the Company that it does not
currently own any securities of Nevada Lithium; however, Generation
and its clients may acquire a direct interest in the securities of
the Company.
Generation is a Toronto-based, independently owned investment
dealer providing innovative solutions for institutional, corporate,
and individual clients in Canada and abroad. Established in 1998,
Generation is a member of the Investment Industry Regulation
Organization of Canada and a member firm of the Toronto Stock
Exchange and the TSXV.
About Nevada Lithium Resources
Inc.
Nevada Lithium Resources Inc. is a mineral
exploration and development company focused on shareholder value
creation through its core asset, the Bonnie Claire Lithium Project,
located in Nye County, Nevada, where it holds a 100% interest.
Bonnie Claire has a current NI 43-101 inferred
mineral resource of 3,407 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1,013 ppm Li
for 18.372 million tonnes (Mt) of contained lithium carbonate
equivalent (LCE), at a cut-off grade of 700 ppm Li2
The PEA for Bonnie Claire indicates a Net
Present Value (8%) of $1.5 Billion USD (after tax) using $13,400
USD per tonne LCE and after-tax IRR of 23.8%. With an LCE price of
$30,000 USD per tonne, the Net Present Value (8%) of the Project is
$5.9 Billion USD (after tax) and an IRR of 60.3%2.
For further information on Nevada Lithium and to
subscribe for updates about Nevada Lithium, please visit its
website at: https://nevadalithium.com/
QP Disclosure
The technical information in the above
disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Jeff Wilson, PhD,
P.Geo, Vice President of Exploration for Nevada Lithium, designated
Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.
The technical information in the above
disclosure has also been reviewed and approved by Colin B. Kinley,
CEO of Kinley Exploration LLC. Mr. Kinley is independent of the
Company
2See Preliminary Economic Assessment NI 43-101
Technical Report on the Bonnie Claire Lithium Project, Nye Country,
Nevada authored by Terre Lane, J. Todd Harvey, MBA, PhD, Hamid
Samari, PhD and Rick Moritz (Effective date of August 20, 2021, and
Issue date of February 25, 2022) (the “PEA” or the
“Preliminary Economic Assessment”) as summarized
in Nevada Lithium’s news release dated October 13, 2021, which are
available on Nevada Lithium’s SEDAR+ profile at
www.sedarplus.ca. Results of the Preliminary
Economic Assessment represent forward-looking information. This
economic assessment is, by definition, preliminary in nature and
includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative to have the economic considerations applied to them
that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There
is no certainty that the Preliminary Economic Assessment will be
realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not
have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that
all or any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted into
Mineral Reserves.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Nevada Lithium Resources Inc.
“Stephen Rentschler”Stephen Rentschler, CEO
For further information, please contact: Nevada Lithium
Resources Inc.Stephen Rentschler CEO and Director
Phone:647-254-9795E-mail: sr@nevadalithium.com
Media InquiriesE-mail:
email@nevadalithium.com
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The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not approved or disapproved of
the contents of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking
statements and forward-looking information (collectively,
“forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to matters
that identify future events or future performance. Often, but not
always, forward looking information can be identified by words such
as “could”, “pro forma”, “plans”, “expects”, “may”, “will”,
“should”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”,
“intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “potential” or variations of
such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that
refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would,
might or will occur or be taken or achieved.
The forward-looking statements contained herein
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the
performance of the Project and results of the 2023 Exploration and
Development Plan (including, without limitation, its mineral
resources, current claims and its ability to utilize global lithium
needs); and the performance of lithium as a commodity, including
the sustained lithium demand and prices.
In making the forward looking statements in this
news release, Nevada Lithium has applied several material
assumptions, including without limitation: market fundamentals that
result in sustained lithium demand and prices; the receipt of any
necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection
with the future development of Bonnie Claire in a timely manner;
the availability of financing on suitable terms for the
development; construction and continued operation of Bonnie Claire;
the Project containing mineral resources; and Nevada Lithium’s
ability to comply with all applicable regulations and laws,
including environmental, health and safety laws.
Investors are cautioned that forward-looking
statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect
Nevada Lithium’s management’s expectations, estimates or
projections concerning future results or events based on the
opinions, assumptions and estimates of managements considered
reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although Nevada
Lithium believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-
looking statements are reasonable, such information involves risks
and uncertainties, and under reliance should not be placed on such
information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have
material adverse effects on future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by Nevada Lithium. Among the key
risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected in the forward- looking statements are the
following: operating and technical difficulties in connection with
mineral exploration and development and mine development activities
at the Project; successful implementation of the HBHA program;
estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral
resources, requirements for additional capital; future prices of
precious metals and lithium; changes in general economic, business
and political conditions, including changes in the financial
markets and in the demand and market price for commodities;
possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; possible
failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as
anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the
mining industry; delays or the inability of Nevada Lithium to
obtain any necessary approvals, permits, consents or
authorizations, financing or other planned activities; the CSE’s
approval of the Company’s proposed Agreement with Generation;
changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining
operations; currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims
limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible
outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and
liabilities; risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as
COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on Nevada Lithium’s
business; as well as those factors discussed under the heading
“Risk Factors” in Nevada Lithium’s latest Management Discussion and
Analysis and other filings of Nevada Lithium filed with the
Canadian securities authorities, copies of which can be found under
Nevada Lithium’s profile on the SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Should one or more of these risks or
uncertainties materialized, or should assumptions underlying the
forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary
materially from those described herein as intended, planned,
anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Nevada
Lithium has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties
and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially,
there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated,
estimated or intended. Nevada Lithium does not intend, and does not
assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information
except as otherwise required by applicable law.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ab93d60-7fa3-43d2-8cf2-bc0950242d2f
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