Lithium Ionic Corp. (TSXV: LTH; OTCQX: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) (“Lithium
Ionic” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce new drill results
from the ongoing drilling program at its Bandeira Lithium Project
(“Bandeira”, the “Project”), located in Brazil's most prolific
lithium-producing district in Minas Gerais State. Among the results
is the thickest lithium-bearing intercept drilled to date at the
Project and the second highest grade X width intersection,
underscoring the potential for continued mineral resource growth at
this flagship asset.
The Bandeira property covers 175 hectares,
representing only ~1% of the Company’s large ~17,000-hectare land
package and currently accounts for ~70% of its global lithium
mineral resource estimate of 60.1Mt* (See press release dated April
12, 2024). In only approximately two years of drilling, the Company
has defined significant resources which continue to be expanded by
the ongoing drilling results such as the ones reported here.
Lithium Ionic remains focused on rapidly advancing Bandeira towards
production, aiming to become Brazil's next significant lithium
producer.
Bandeira Drill Results
Highlights:
Hole ITDD-24-276 represent the thickest
mineralized zone encountered at Bandeira to date, returning:
- 64.7
meters grading 1.39%
Li₂O from 35 meters,
including 22m grading 1.67% Li₂O and 20m grading 1.62% Li₂O
Hole ITDD-24-266:
- 13.0
meters grading 1.11%
Li₂O from 46 meters,
including 5m grading 1.51% Li₂O
- 9.7 meters
grading 1.28% Li₂O from 118 meters, including 6m grading 1.54%
Li₂O
Blake Hylands, P.Geo., CEO of Lithium Ionic,
commented, “We are very excited to see the scale of the lithium
deposit at Bandeira continue to expand while maintaining quality
and grade. These results bode well for optimization opportunities
as we continue progressing basic and detailed engineering in
preparation for project construction.”
In May 2024, the Company completed a Feasibility
Study for Bandeira which highlighted a robust 14-year mine life,
producing an average of 178,000 tonnes of high-quality spodumene
concentrate (5.5% Li₂O) annually with a post-tax NPV of US$1.3
billion and an IRR of 40%. Before the end of the year, the Company
expects to obtain the Concomitant Environmental and Installation
License (“LAC”, or Licença Ambiental Concomitante in Portuguese),
which provides the environmental and social licenses, together with
an authorization to begin construction. In preparation for these
developments, the Company is actively working on progressing the
project to the execution phase including optimizing the project
design to reduce capital and operating costs.
Bandeira is situated in northeastern Minas
Gerais State, a Tier 1 mining region with excellent infrastructure,
including low-cost, renewable hydroelectric power, access to water,
excellent transport infrastructure and access to foreign markets
via nearby ports. Known as Brazil’s “Lithium Valley,” this region
hosts the largest lithium reserves in the country and has emerged
as a globally significant producer of high purity spodumene
concentrate. Bandeira is located just ~500m from CBL’s Cachoeira
lithium mine and ~4km from Sigma Lithium’s Grota do Cirilo
Mine.
*See NI 43-101 compliant technical report
related to the Bandeira Bandeira MRE titled “NI 43-101 Technical
Report – Mineral Resource Update on Bandeira Project, Araçuaí and
Itinga, Minas Gerais State, Brazil” (effective date of March 5,
2024; QP: Leonardo Soares of GE21); See NI 43-101 compliant
technical report related to the Salinas MRE titled “Independent
Technical Report on Mineral Resources Estimate” (effective date of
January 4, 2024; QP: Leonardo Soares, P.Geo., M.Sc., of GE21); and
the NI 43-101 compliant technical reports related to the Outro Lado
deposit titled “Mineral Resource Estimate for Lithium Ionic, Itinga
Project” (effective date of June 24, 2023; authored by Maxime
Dupéré, B. Sc., P.Geo. and Faisal Sayeed, B. Sc., P.Geo).
Figure 1. Plan map of Bandeira showing
new drill intercepts
View Figure 1
here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d5f35fe-1cb7-4f52-a3f0-0ddeadad373c
Figure 2. Core Photos, Hole
ITDD-24-276
View Figure 2
here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7f2c4240-b526-4c81-9a3c-ed161062ef95
Table 1. Bandeira Drill
Results
Hole ID |
Az |
Dip |
From |
To |
Metres |
Li2O (%) |
ITDD-24-264 |
330 |
-77 |
114.40 |
121.43 |
7.03 |
0.90 |
Including |
114.40 |
116.17 |
1.77 |
1.95 |
ITDD-24-265 |
150 |
-65 |
9.60 |
10.36 |
0.76 |
1.55 |
and |
17.80 |
18.10 |
0.30 |
0.85 |
and |
22.84 |
23.14 |
0.30 |
2.52 |
and |
54.27 |
56.65 |
2.38 |
1.59 |
and |
67.48 |
69.75 |
2.27 |
0.62 |
ITDD-24-266 |
330 |
-70 |
46.22 |
59.28 |
13.06 |
1.11 |
including |
47.22 |
52.22 |
5.00 |
1.51 |
and |
118.28 |
128.00 |
9.72 |
1.28 |
including |
119.28 |
125.28 |
6.00 |
1.54 |
ITDD-24-276 |
150 |
-85 |
35.00 |
99.70 |
64.70 |
1.39 |
including |
40.00 |
62.00 |
22.00 |
1.67 |
including |
77.70 |
97.70 |
20.00 |
1.62 |
and |
179.59 |
183.00 |
3.41 |
0.92 |
*Assays pending for ITDD-24-267 to
ITDD-24-275
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
Lithium Ionic Corp.
Blake HylandsChief Executive Officer,
Director
About Lithium Ionic Corp.
Lithium Ionic is a Canadian mining company
exploring and developing its lithium properties in Brazil. Its
Itinga and Salinas group of properties cover ~17,000 hectares in
the northeastern part of Minas Gerais state, a mining-friendly
jurisdiction that is quickly emerging as a world-class hard-rock
lithium district. Its Feasibility-stage Bandeira Project is
situated in the same region as CBL’s Cachoeira lithium mine, which
has produced lithium for +30 years, as well as Sigma Lithium
Corp.’s Grota do Cirilo project, which hosts the largest hard-rock
lithium deposit in the Americas.
Quality Assurance and
Control
During the drill program, assay samples were
taken from NQ core and sawed in half. One-half was sent for
assaying at SGS Laboratory, a certified independent commercial
laboratory, and the other half was retained for results, cross
checks, and future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to
all samples. Every sample was processed with Drying, crushing from
75% to 3 mm, homogenization, quartering in Jones, spraying 250 to
300 g of sample in steel mill 95% to 150. SGS laboratory carried
out multi-element analysis for ICP90A analysis.
Qualified Persons
The technical information in this news release
has been prepared by Carlos Costa, Vice President Exploration of
Lithium Ionic and Blake Hylands, CEO and director of Lithium Ionic,
who are both “qualified persons” as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Costa
and Mr. Hylands have both read and approved the content in this
news release.
Investor and Media
Inquiries:
+1 647.316.2500info@lithiumionic.com
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that
constitute “forward-statements.” Such forward looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or
achievements, or developments to differ materially from the
anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company
believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors,
current conditions and expected future developments and other
factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations
reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue
reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give
no assurance that they will prove to be correct. When used in this
press release, the words “estimate”, “project”, “belief”,
“anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “predict”, “may” or
“should” and the negative of these words or such variations thereon
or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking
statements and information. The forward-looking statements and
information in this press release include information relating to
the mineralization and prospectivity of the Company’s mineral
properties, the economic viability of Bandeira, the development of
the Company’s mineral properties, the Company’s exploration program
and other mining projects and prospects thereof, the Company’s
ability to obtain the requisite permitting and approvals and the
Company’s future plans. Such statements and information reflect the
current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties that may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in
those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature,
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results,
performance or achievements, or other future events, to be
materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news
release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date
of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after
such date. Readers should not place undue importance on
forward-looking information and should not rely upon this
information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event
that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors,
should change.
Information and links in this press release
relating to other mineral resource companies are from their sources
believed to be reliable, but that have not been independently
verified by the Company.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
press release.
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