Lithium, Germanium, Gallium and Copper: Battery Age is exploring four rapidly growing critical minerals projects at the same time

Battery Age Minerals (ASX:BM8) has had a busy year since re-listing on the ASX in February, with emerging discoveries at the flagship Falcon Lake lithium project in Ontario, Canada, stealing the limelight.

But its other projects share Falcon Lake’s prospectivity. A mid-year look at the Tidili copper project in Morocco – of which the explorer has an 85% interest in – found up to 2.11% Cu at surface.

Meanwhile, China’s plan to restrict exports of germanium and gallium was well timed for Battery Age, who’s Bleiberg project in Austria was once a major producer of zinc and lead and at one point was among the largest primary germanium producers globally.

Gallium mineralisation has also been found in historical workings, though it was never extracted by previous owners.

With a recent 69% increase in tenure at the now consolidated Falcon Lake lithium project, recent drilling opened up a 5km-long mineralised corridor that’s shown grades of up to 2.73% Li2O from previously unmapped regions at the Falcon Main zone.

During the summer season drill targets were defined using LiDAR imagery, magnetic surveys, field prospecting and sampling that identified over 30 pegmatites that are being assessed for a follow-up drill program scheduled in the coming weeks.

Environmental monitoring activities have also commenced across the tenement package which has now been expanded to 51km2 after acquiring the Falcon Extension property which lies on the proven Caribou O’Sullivan greenstone belt.

Outstanding drilling results from the 7,381m maiden drill campaign include shallow, high-grade intercepts such as 31.75m @ 1.45% Li2O.

BM8 says follow-up drilling will consist of an additional 10-15,000m, predominantly in greenfields sections which are underexplored.

“The substantial progress achieved at our focus asset, Falcon Lake in Canada, has been nothing less than remarkable and is a credit to our team,” BM8 MD Gerard O’Donovan says.

“To eclipse our original maiden drill program target of 4-5,000m with the completion of over 7,000m of drilling reflects the success we have enjoyed and the confidence we have in the potential of this project.”

In June, BM8 pegged the Jesse Lake project for nominal staking costs after completing an assessment of the highly-prospective tenure.

The Jesse Lake project comprises 54 single cell mining claims, covering an area of ~1,350ha, and is strategically situated south of the Forgan Lake lithium occurrence and near the Georgia Lake pegmatite field. A short summer exploration campaign has just been completed at the property.

Following on from the encouraging assay results reported from surface samples collected at the 85%-owned Tidili Copper Project in Morocco in April, Battery Age is now actively planning a maiden drill campaign.

A drilling tender package is currently out to market with a view to executing works before the end of CY2023, the company says.

Meanwhile, following the germanium and gallium restrictions announced by China, Battery Age moved swiftly to consolidate the company’s position at the Bleiberg project by pegging additional concessions to the west of its existing 15% earn-in claims.

After undertaking early desktop assessments, BM8 identified a trend hosting potential extensions of the mineralisation to the west north-west of the old Bleiberg mine workings.

Bleiberg has some of the world’s highest germanium grades up to 200g/t, as well as gallium mineralisation of 90-110g/t.

“There has been a significant amount of work and value added to each of our projects since we re-listed on the ASX in February this year,” O’Donovan says.

“While Falcon has been our primary focus this has not taken our attention away from Tidili or Bleiberg.

“We have been busily working in the background on these valuable projects and we look forward to drilling at Tidili by the end of the year should circumstances permit.

“Conversations are also well advanced with our friends in Austria with respect to the formation of a collaborative working group and we will endeavour to formalise that this year, so we can get on the ground next year as planned.”