Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) is set to acquire 100% of the Sadisdorf Lithium Tin Project in Germany from Tin International AG, subject to regulatory requirements.
Tin International AG had previously defined an Inferred JORC resource of 3.36 million tonnes grading 0.44% tin.
In mid-December 2017, Lithium Australia upgraded the deposit to an Inferred JORC resource of 25 million tonnes grading 0.45% lithium oxide.
Applying the SiLeach® process to extract minerals at Sadisdorf
Sadisdorf’s lithium is contained within lithium micas within alteration around tin mineralisation, the latter being the subject of historical mining.
The lithium micas can be readily concentrated after the removal of tin by conventional gravity separation.
Lithium has been very successfully extracted from Sadisdorf mica concentrates using the company’s proprietary SiLeach® process.
READ: Lithium Australia samples high-grade cobalt copper and lithium in Germany
Lithium Australia’s managing director Adrian Griffin said: “Acquisition of Sadisdorf is a key component of our European energy metal supply strategy.
“SiLeach® is the only practical means of realizing the full potential of deposits of this type where value can be recovered from the lithium, tin, potassium and other valuable by-products.
“Our recent cobalt exploration success in the region is testimony to the latent potential of Saxony as a supply centre of the European battery industry.”
Opportunity to supply Europe with lithium
Recently China’s BYD (SHE:002594) detailed plans to establish a battery factory in Europe while Northvolt, together with Siemens (ETR:SIE) and Scania, through an investment of €4 billion, will do likewise.
CATL, Samsung SDI, and LG Chem are following suit to establish European production capacity and SK Innovations will establish a factory in Hungary.
The planned capacity in Europe will dwarf the much-publicized Tesla Gigafactory and Europe may well become the highest concentration of energy metal consumption outside China.
With resources already established at Sadisdorf, and Lithium Australia’s commercialisation of its 100%-owned Sileach® process advanced, an opportunity exists to develop a domestic European supply chain.
