Piedmont Lithium Inc. and Sayona Mining Ltd.’s North American Lithium (NAL) drilling operation in Quebec, Canada, is potentially upgrading its estimate of the site’s lithium mineral resource, Piedmont announced in a June 20 press release.

The 2023-2024 drilling program identified at the site found multiple new high-grade lithium zones beyond the pit shell model first planned. The model intercepts at thicker and higher grades than previously encountered, and its mineralization shows consistency in grade and thickness, according to the announcement.

Since the restart of production in March 2023, NAL operations have continued to hit quarterly record spodumene concentration volumes. Spodumene is a mineral containing high amounts of lithium and is a source material for battery production, according to Piedmont Lithium’s website.

More than 30,000 meters of exploration drilling is still planned for the rest of 2024.

NAL is the largest lithium operation in North America. Sayona owns 75% interest and Piedmont owns 25%.

“The latest drill results underscore the importance of North American Lithium as the only lithium mine in North America producing IRA-compliant spodumene concentrate,” said Keith Phillips, president and CEO of Piedmont Lithium. “The continued positive results of the NAL drill program demonstrate the potential of this highly strategic asset, and we look forward to a future update to the mineral resource estimate both in terms of mineral resource quantity and classification.”

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