Wildcat Resources has struck silvery-white gold in Western Australia with the discovery of Australia’s largest undeveloped lithium resource.
The explorer has today declared its Tabba Tabba lithium project has delivered a maiden mineral resource of 74.1 million tonnes at one per cent lithium oxide.
Nestled in the Pilbara just 80km from Port Hedland, Tabba Tabba is in good company, neighbouring two of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium mines: Pilbara Minerals’ Pilgangoora and Mineral Resources’ Wodinga.
“We have now confirmed Wildcat has the largest and the highest confidence undeveloped publicly reported lithium resource in Australia which was delivered in record time,” Wildcat managing director AJ Saverimutto said.
“With significant other advantages including granted mining leases, proximity to port, outcropping mineralisation, and excellent metallurgical recoveries we believe we are the best potential lithium developer globally.
The project’s mining leases were last in action around 2015 when it was tantalum that was considered the priority at the site.
Since acquiring Tabba Tabba 18 months ago, Wildcat has put its nose to the grindstone and drilled almost 115,000m of prime mining land.
Saverimutto said this latest discovery lays a strong foundation for the company to fast-track a pre-feasibility study (PFS) and definitive feasibility study (DFS), some of the last steps before production can begin.
“This is a significant milestone for Wildcat, and I would like to congratulate and thank our team who have done an incredible job of identifying, drilling and delivering the maiden resource,” he said.
“We look forward to continued exploration for potential expansion of the resource base both at Tabba Tabba and regionally, as well as completing our PFS and DFS studies, with the to aim to ready the project for development.”
The news comes as the WA Government announced yesterday it will support emerging lithium-seekers with a stacked funding package.
The assistance aims to nurture the state’s fledgling lithium industry until prices lift in the coming years.
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