US critical battery minerals producer American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) launched a drill program to advance its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP).
Located in Big Smoky Valley near Tonopah, Nevada, the TFLP holds about 21.2mn metric tonnes (t) of economically accessible lithium carbonate equivalent. It can produce commercial quantities of battery-grade lithium hydroxide at a production cost of $4,302/t.
As part of the prefeasibility study, the drill program will gather geotechnical data to define the structural mine pit shape and collect core samples for assay and characterization, aiming to expand and further define the overall lithium resource.
ABTC plans to construct a lithium hydroxide refinery directly at the TFLP site, with a production capacity of 30,000 t/yr.