Piedmont Lithium updates JORC for quartz, feldspar and mica

Piedmont Lithium Ltd (ASX:PLL) has updated its JORC resource for mineral by-products quartz, feldspar and mica from the Piedmont Lithium Project in the US state of North Carolina.

The by-products resource is for the Core property only, which has a lithium JORC resource of 25.1 million tonnes grading 1.09% lithium oxide.

Notably, 74% of the Core property’s resource is within 100 metres of surface and 97% is within 150 metres of surface.

Piedmont is now updating the scoping study which will include the updated by-product resources and the June 2019 lithium resource.

READ: Piedmont Lithium met test work produces 6.35% lithium concentrate

Piedmont’s president and CEO Keith D. Phillips said: “The historic lithium mines in the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt generated a material portion of their economics from the sale of by-product minerals quartz, feldspar and mica to the large, local southeastern US industrial markets.

“These markets have continued to grow, and are currently served in part by high-cost imported material.

“We expect by-products to represent a significant – and unique – opportunity for Piedmont, and I would note that in our Scoping Study dated September 12, 2018 the by-product credits effectively reduced our cash production costs of lithium hydroxide by more than US$750/t, and we expect a similar impact in our study update due next week.”

…more to come

Story by ProactiveInvestors