Portugal has many rich in Li-rich mineral occurrences that are mainly associated with aplite-pegmatite dykes and sills intruded in granitic and metasedimentary rocks of the Central Iberian and Galicia – Trás-os-Montes geotectonic zones. Some of those occurrences have a higher economic potencial value, as is the case of the Gonçalo region in the Guarda district and the Barroso -Alvão region near Boticas in the Vila Real district. Geological studies carried out by the Geological and Mining Institute of Portugal (IGM) showed this areas as attractive targets for Li-rices of the Ih raw material for the ceramic and glass industriberian market or even for Li-rich standard ore concentrates.
Grupo Mota currently operates numerous mines and quarries in Portugal including the Alvarrões Lepidolite Mine, from which it produces approximately 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium minerals, predominantly lepidolite. This material is then concentrated using optical sorting to a product grading approximately 2.5% Li2O, which is mainly for use in the ceramics industry.
Lepidico (ASX:LPD) is a lithium company with global interests that is focused on delivering the best possible returns to investors through exploration, development and operation of lithium assets, particularly those containing lithium-rich mica minerals. The Company’s shares are traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and also in Germany on the Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Xetra and Tradegate stock exchanges. Lepidico is the 100% owner and developer of the L-Max® technology, a proprietary process which has the potential to commercially extract lithium and other valuable by-products from unconventional sources. In a relatively short period of time, Lepidico has established a global footprint in lithium via wholly owned projects and joint ventures in Australia, Canada and Portugal. The PEG 9 lepidolite prospect contains a number of outcropping pegmatites rich in lepidolite and Li-muscovite. The prospect is located within the Pioneer Dome project owned by Pioneer Resources Limited (ASX:PIO) near Norseman in Western Australia. Grupo Mota currently operates numerous mines and quarries in Portugal including the Alvarrões Lepidolite Mine, from which it produces approximately 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium minerals, predominantly lepidolite. This material is then concentrated using optical sorting to a product grading approximately 2.5% Li2O, which is mainly for use in the ceramics industry. Separation Rapids is a large LCT-type complex pegmatite owned by Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL and OTCQX: AVLNF) and situated in SW Ontario, Canada. Separation Rapids contains a NI 43-101 compliant petalite resource, but also contains very large, as yet unquantified, amounts of lepidolite. As announced on 6 February 2017, Lepidico entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Avalon for an integrated lepidolite mining and lithium carbonate production partnership based on Separation Rapids. The Lemare Property is located in the James Bay region of Quebec, which is home to numerous large lithium deposits. Lemare comprises one block totaling 158 claims covering an area of 7,806.82 hectares and has a lateral extent of over 20 kilometers in a southwest-northeast direction. Lepidico has a farm-in agreement with Critical Elements. The Euriowie project consists of 49km2 of tenements located 60km north of Broken Hill, New South Wales and is located close to key infrastructure. Within the tenements, there are three historical mine workings in amblygonite-rich pegmatites. Amblygonite is a lithium-phosphate mineral that has a high lithium content of up to 10% Li2O. In September 2016, The Royal project is located 30km north of Val d’Or in Quebec, Canada and comprises 5 contiguous claims, approximately 286 hectares in area. The claims are prospective for lepidolite and are situated only 4km from the Quebec Lithium Mine. The Royal project is part of an unincorporated joint venture with St-Georges Platinum and Base Metals (CSE:SX) (“St-Georges”). The joint venture has an option to acquire 100% of the project based on a combination of exploration expenditure and milestone payments, all of which St-Georges is liable for. Platypus will retain a 10% free carried interest through to a final investment decision in the joint venture. In addition, Platypus will have an option to increase its interest in the joint venture to 50% by paying St-Georges a multiple of its incurred expenditure to date at the time it decides to increase its interest. Third Element Metals Pty Ltd (“TEM”) was established in 2016 as a 50:50 joint venture through which Lepidico (ASX : LPD) and Crusader Resources (ASX : CAS) would investigate opportunities in Brazil, and later in Portugal, to leverage Lepidico’s proprietary L-Max® process technology. As part of those activities, TEM lodged an application for an exploration licence (“Gaia”) in the Guarda area contiguous with the Alvarrões property.
Novo Lítio Ltd (Dakota Minerals) (ORODA:AU) is an Australian ASX and Frankfurt-listed Company which aims to become a sustainable European lithium carbonate/lithium hydroxide supplier, from its Northern Portugal operations. The Company has a significant cash position from the sale of its Australian lithium discovery, and is fully funded to the completion of its Definitive Feasibility Study at the Sepeda Lithium Project, Barroso-Alvão district, Northern Portugal. Sepeda has a maiden Mineral Resource of 10.3Mt @ 1.0% Li2O. The Company aims to be producing technical grade concentrate by early-2019, which will help to fund lithium carbonate/lithium hydroxide plant construction, with first production of lithium carbonate planned for early 2020. The company also holds exploration leases in areas prospective for lithium (spodumene) in Sweden, covering 126km2. The Spodumenberget (Spodumeuntain) contains multiple historical records of spodumene samples from pegmatite outcrops grading >1% Li2O.
