Leading Edge Materials has secured the drilling permit from Swedish authorities for its 100%-owned Bergby Lithium Project in central Sweden.
The company has mobilised drilling equipment to the mine site, with operations expected to start shortly.
Bergby is located 25km north of Gavle. It includes three exploration licences covering an area of around 1,903ha. The site is well connected with roads and rail.
Leading Edge Materials president and CEO Blair Way said: “Our exploration at the Bergby Lithium Project is moving quickly, with drilling commencing this week.
“Very little historic exploration for lithium has been completed in Sweden, and we see Bergby as Leading Edge Materials’ first step in testing high-quality lithium projects.
“I look forward to providing updates and data as the drill programme progresses over the coming weeks.”
In this maiden drilling programme, the company has plans to drill 25 diamond holes that include a combination of short holes and deeper holes.
Shorter holes will analyse glacial soil cover, while deeper holes will evaluate the extent of the lithium mineralised pegmatite.
Bergby features an extensive boulder field and outcrop of high-grade lithium mineralisation.
The company collected 15 samples from three outcrop areas that yielded Li2O (lithium oxide) averaging 1.71% and ranging from 0.01% to 4.65%; and Ta2O5 (tantalum pentoxide) averaging 133ppm and ranging from 16ppm to 803ppm.
Usage of lithium is gradually expanding as Europe is starting to shift to low-carbon energy resources. Lithium is used for making batteries for automotive, consumer product and stationary electrify storage industries.
Source: Mining technology
