With lithium set for sizeable price gains in 2025, Australian Resources & Investment spotlights five lithium projects worth keeping an eye on next year.
Tabba Tabba
Wildcat Resources delivered what it believes to be Australia’s largest undeveloped lithium resource for its Tabba Tabba project in November.
Tabba Tabba’s MRE stands at 74.1 million tonnes (Mt) at one per cent Li2O, with 94 per cent of the resource falling under the indicated category when using a 0.45 per cent cut-off grade.
The MRE was informed by approximately 114,835m of drilling, comprising 212 reverse circulation holes for 63,606m and 142 diamond drill holes for 51,229m.
At Tabba Tabba, Wildcat has defined a 3.5km-long lithium–caesium–tantalum pegmatite field hosting at least six significant pegmatite bodies, which have been named Leia, Luke, Chewy, Tabba Tabba, Han and The Hutt.
Andover
Since SQM and Hancock Prospecting acquired Azure Minerals and its Andover project in May this year, there’s been little-to-no news about the asset’s recent development.
That doesn’t mean Andover should be slept on, with the project still among Australia’s premier lithium assets.
The Andover pegmatite swarm spans 9km (east–west) and up to 5km (north–south), comprising hundreds of outcropping pegmatites.
Azure drilled more than 110,000m at Andover since it commenced lithium-focused drilling in March 2023, with Target Area 3 (TA3) considered a deposit of global significance.
Grades at the AP0004 pegmatite within TA3 include 102.5m at one per cent lithium oxide (Li2O) from 393.5m, 88.4m at 1.53 per cent Li2O from 38m, and 62.5m at 1.53 per cent Li2O from 268.5m.
Azure said it planned to deliver a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Andover in the first quarter of 2024, which wasn’t released before the SQM and Hancock acquisition was completed.
Mt Ida
While Delta Lithium has been focused on unlocking the gold endowment at its Mt Ida project in recent times amid surging gold prices, the asset also holds significant lithium potential.
Mt Ida boasts a combined inferred and indicated MRE of 14.6Mt at 1.2 per cent Li2O, which Delta Lithium believes could support a mining operation of 10-plus years.
The primary prospects at Mt Ida include Sister Sam and Timoni and Sparrow, with Sister Sam boasting 9.3Mt at 1.3 per cent Li2O alone.
Delta launched a strategic review into its Mt Ida project in September, which considers the best path forward for what is becoming an equally prospective lithium and gold project.
Higginsville
Kali Metals debuted on the ASX in January 2024 after spinning out from Kalamazoo Resources.
Holding an exploration tenure of approximately 3854km2, Kali is exploring three lithium assets: the Higginsville project, the Pilbara project, and the Southern Lachlan Fold Belt project.
Higginsville’s Spargoville prospect has demonstrated the presence of spodumene in several shallow dipping pegmatite dykes.
A maiden reverse circulation drilling program at Spargoville in April returned 10m intersections of around one per cent lithium oxide, with some high-grade over four to five metres.
As Kali embarks on 2025, the company is focused on developing new exploration targets across Higginsville and its Pilbara project, the latter of which comprises the DOM’s Hill and Marble Bar projects situated east of Pilbara Minerals’ Pilgangoora operation and MinRes’ Wodgina mine.
Abbotts North
While Premier1 Lithium’s Abbotts North project is an earlier-stage asset, it has potential to support a lithium mining operation in the future.
Abbotts North, which is located in the Abbotts Greenstone Belt, a region not previously explored for lithium, includes the Buttamiah prospect, which has yielded up to 1.25 per cent Li2O at surface from its pegmatites.
In April, Premier1 released drilling results which confirmed the continuation of the Abbotts North system. Up to 0.41 per cent Li2O was intersected from 11 reverse circulation drill holes.
Premier1’s Yalgoo and Montague projects also hold potential for future lithium production.
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