Workflow
American Battery Technology Company Commences New Drill Program to Accelerate Commercialization of Nevada Lithium Project to Support Call to Restore American Mineral Dominance
ABATAmerican Battery Technology pany(ABAT) Newsfilter·2025-01-21 13:32

Core Summary - American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) has initiated a new drill program to accelerate the commercialization of its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP), which is one of the largest known lithium resources in the US, containing approximately 21.2 million tons of economically accessible lithium (LCE) [1][2] - The company aims to complete a prefeasibility study (PFS) to define the structural mine pit shape, enhance the 3D resource model, and understand high-grade continuity within the proposed pit [3] - ABTC has successfully manufactured battery-grade lithium hydroxide from TFLP claystone using its demonstration-scale facility and is constructing a 30,000 tonnes per year commercial-scale lithium hydroxide refinery at the TFLP site [6] Project Details - The drill program includes core sample collections to further define the resource in the unexplored southwest section of the claim block and potentially increase the overall lithium resource size [4] - ABTC has engaged Truth North Drilling for core sample collections and Barr Engineering for the design and development of the mine plan of operation and PFS publication [5] - The company has developed proprietary technologies to extract lithium from unconventional lithium-rich claystone in central Nevada, enabling low-cost and low-impact production of battery-grade lithium materials [7] Industry Context - Lithium products are typically manufactured from conventional feedstock resources like hard rock spodumene from Australia and lithium-rich brines from South America, but the US lacks significant quantities of these resources [7] - ABTC's focus on unconventional lithium-rich claystone positions it to significantly increase domestic US production of battery-grade lithium products, addressing the growing demand from electric vehicles, stationary storage, and consumer electronics industries [7][8]