Key Weak Link - FL Lithium Lacks Effective Operating GroupBelow is news by an "Operating Group" who have been around the block before at Pilbarra and built an operation.
Sure, Frontier hired some PhD guy recently as operating chief who may have managed what previously was already built at Glencore and predecessor companies over the decades, but actually built any mining operation from the ground up????????
PMET, LAC, are "Operators" & Builders, unlike FL's management group, managing these high grade Lithium discoveries/deposits like adolescents (with the exception of FL's exploration boss, of course, the bright light in the group). Experience and know-how shows immediately, and that is what investors buy-into.
The issue here, continues to be the key ownership and then the 80% remaining FL shareholders see their Lithium mines get built in a heartbeat in the prolific Red Lake mining district.
So, PMET, LAC, utilize that robust share price and do the right thing for Lithium supply in Canada and around the world and step-in on this agonizing process of Frontier's Lithium developments.
It appears the cabinet shuffle has started this week. FL's CFO jumping ship. Hired by PMET yet??? Mr. Blair Way reports
PATRIOT PROVIDES UPDATE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY ACTIVITIES AT THE CV5 PEGMATITE, CORVETTE PROPERTY, QUEBEC, CANADA
Patriot Battery Metals Inc. has provided an update on its activities focused on the development of the CV5 pegmatite, at its wholly owned Corvette property, toward prefeasibility. The property is located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Que., approximately 13.5 kilometres south of the regional and all-weather Trans-Taiga Road and powerline infrastructure.
Highlights:
- Environmental baseline data collection continued on the Project this winter period, including a large mammal survey and winter bird survey.
- Environmental surveys are planned for the remainder of the year and will provide important baseline data for the CV5 Project impacts assessment.
- A Phase I hydrogeological program targeting the CV5 Pegmatite area is underway at site.
- Authorization for an all-season road is pending. Construction is anticipated to be completed in H2 2023, for use beginning in Q1 2024.
- Order has been placed for a camp (up to 80 persons) and is expected to be operational by early summer.
- Scheduling underway for summer-fall field and desktop component activities including a Phase II hydrogeological program, geotechnical drilling and sampling, infrastructure site selection, condemnation drilling, and various environmental surveys.
Blair Way, Company Director, President, and CEO, comments: "The winter period at the Project has been extremely busy. In the past three months we have drilled the same meterage that we did for the total drill program in 2022. In addition to advancing the exploration work, with six (6) drill rigs currently active at site, we have been focusing on various surveys and studies required to move the Project to Pre-Feasibility and commencement of the permitting process. The pace will continue through the summer-fall period with our initial mineral resource estimate at CV5 planned for late June. Delineation drilling, environmental baseline work, submission of a project description, and development studies will be a priority throughout 2023 and the new camp and all-season road are key milestones in expediting these activities. 2023 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the Company as we also advance the Corvette Property on environmental, geological, engineering, and permitting fronts."
Concurrent to the ongoing drill program at the CV5 Pegmatite (see news release dated March 29, 2023), the Company has been completing various activities and studies in support of advancing the CV5 Pegmatite toward Pre-Feasibility. These mandates are part of a broader work program including desktop and site environmental, hydrogeological, geotechnical, geomechanical, social, and various other disciplines required for evaluating economics and other pertinent factors in a potential development scenario of the Project at a Pre-Feasibility Study level ("PFS").
Over the course of the winter program, environmental baseline data collection at the Project has continued, including a large mammal survey and a winter bird survey. The information collected from these surveys, which must be performed at a certain time of the year, will feed into an overall Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") process for the Project. Various additional environmental surveys are planned over the remainder of the year and will collectively form a baseline in which to evaluate potential impacts of the Project under a select development scenario, as well as determining corresponding mitigation measures. The ESIA process is a key component in evaluating the potential development of a project and, therefore, the local community and indigenous peoples are involved throughout the entire process.
A hydrogeological drill program, comprised of a total of twelve (12) NQ-size holes is well-advanced at the CV5 Pegmatite, and is being completed to collect groundwater data in the envisioned pit area. Additionally, six (6) HQ-size drill holes will be completed for installation of monitoring wells to evaluate groundwater conditions over time. The data collected from tests (e.g., packer testing) at these drill holes sites will be used to determine a hydrogeological model for the envisioned open-pit at CV5 in support of advancing to Pre-Feasibility. Such information is required to determine pit stability and natural water infiltration and flow rates.
A formal authorization request for an all-season road, designed to follow closely that of the current winter road, has been submitted. Authorization is expected in the early summer with construction anticipated to be completed throughout the second half of 2023, for use starting in Q1 2024. The upgrade of the winter road to an all-season road will reduce dependency on helicopters and significantly reduce Project transportation costs by enabling direct access to the drill area at the CV5 Pegmatite. The all-season road will connect the drill area at the CV5 Pegmatite directly to the Trans-Taiga Road, which is connected to the provincial road network.
In order to optimize logistics and support the increase in activities planned at the Project, preparations have been advanced for a Phase I camp (up to 80 persons). This camp is anticipated to be located proximal to the Trans-Taiga Road, at the north end of the Company's planned all-season road, located approximately 13.5 km north of the CV5 Pegmatite, and is expected to be ready for use by early summer. A Phase II expansion of the camp, for accommodation of up to 150 persons, is also being considered and is expected to be ready in Q4 2023, pending receipt of all required authorizations.
Other ongoing activities include a concentrate transportation study, geochemical characterization of pegmatite and non-pegmatite rock types, as well wetland mapping, and waste rock / tailings site selection. Planning is also underway for summer-fall field and desktop activities including a Phase II hydrogeological program, geotechnical drilling and sampling, infrastructure site selection, condemnation drilling, hydrology surveys, and various other environmental baseline surveys. The Company will provide further updates on the Project's activities and studies related to its ongoing PFS as this work continues.