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Lithium find renews

UK mining interest

rowing efforts by UK authorities to posi- year we will launch a 20-hole diamond and
Gtion the country for the EV age could RC drilling programme to get to a maiden
play into the hands of private exploration JORC-compliant resource.”
company MetAmpere. The company has also initiated metal-
MetAmpere – led by West Australian lurgical test work with Smith saying results
father-and-son team Roderick and Andrew proved the micas could be beneficiated
Smith – became the first company to drill and roasted. Metallurgical work is expect-
for lithium in the UK in April when it put six ed to continue in parallel with exploration.
RC holes into a newly identified prospect in “One thing you learn from working on
the south-west county of Cornwall. lithium projects is that you can never spend
MetAmpere chief executive Andrew too much money on test work,” Smith said.
Smith told Paydirt the maiden drilling had The company plans to fund next year’s
been a success. programmes privately, but Smith said a
“We drilled down 200m and turned up public listing was in the offing.
continuous mineralisation with grades of “We want to de-risk it before we bring in
up to 5% lithium, including 70m @ 3,500 outside investors,” he said. “One option is
ppm so it was a really good start,” he said. to do an AIM listing, but we are also looking Exploration work to date has included
Smith had unearthed the prospect at crowdfunding, something which Cornish rock chip sampling, drilling and trenching
first-hand, having noticed the similarities Lithium did successfully, which will allow
between the Cornwall micas and the zin- locals to share in the love and build their
nwaldite micas at European Metals Hold- interest in the project.” to employ 700 people directly and 1,000
ings Ltd, where he had previously been While Cornwall has a long and deep min- across the country during the construction
project manager. ing history – it was once the world’s most phase.”
“I took some samples from the road- prolific tin producer – there has been lit- The presence of lithium is also gener-
side did some test work and recognised tle activity in the modern era. Indeed, the ating official interest. Like governments
whole of Britain has devel- across the developed world, the UK is
oped a reputation for regu- eager to ensure access to the growing list
latory complexity in the min- of critical minerals associated with battery
ing space. Over the county technology. The Government has identi-
line in Devon, Wolf Minerals fied lithium as a critical mineral and last
Ltd’s development of the year launched the Faraday Battery Chal-
Drakelands tungsten mine lenge initiative, a £250 million programme
was delayed and production designed to foster a battery manufacturing
frustrated by stringent oper- industry in the UK.
ating conditions. Smith said politicians had shown inter-
Smith said MetAmpere’s est in how MetAmpere’s plans could fit into
experience was very differ- government policy.
ent. “We have spoken to local MPs and the
“Where we’re exploring local minister,” he said. “The UK Govern-
there is an existing quarry ment released a paper on its strategic min-
and permits are already in eral needs and establishing a battery man-
place. Cornwall still has a lot ufacturing industry. Finding its own lithium
of activity – there are china supply is a natural progression from that.”
clay operations nearby – so A rejuvenated UK mining sector would
Metampere’s six-hole RC programme was undertaken in things like quarrying are well appear a long way off, but Smith sees am-
an existing quarry understood and our project ple opportunity for a vibrant exploration
would only be the size of a sector to grow.
the Cornish lithium micas were the same small aggregate quarry.” “There were a lot of high-grade mines
mineral species as the Cinovec micas,” he Like much of Britain, south-west England which were shut through the 20th century
said. “We contacted the landowners and struggles with high unemployment and but have never been revisited,” he said.
quickly received exploration access.” Smith believes the promise of job opportu- “There has been almost no modern explo-
Still privately funded, MetAmpere recent- nities will convince the local community to ration but many of those orebodies would
ly had a family-and-friends whip-around to support MetAmpere’s plans. be economic now. We’ve come across a lot
fund follow-up work to the six-hole RC and “When we spoke to local government of deposits and Cornwall is a great place to
trenching programme. they were excited by the potential for em- explore because the cost base is low and
“Our aim is to have an initial exploration ployment, and high value employment the access to infrastructure is exceptional.”
target by the end of 2019,” Smith said. “Next in particular,” he said. “We are planning – Dominic Piper

aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT NOVeMBeR 2019 Page 69