Mar 7 2017
Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LEM)(OTCQB:LEMIF) is pleased to announce granting of a drilling permit for the Company's 100% owned Bergby lithium project by Swedish authorities. Drilling equipment has been mobilized to site, and drilling is planned to commence within days.
Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gavle, and is secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The village of Norrsundet lies 5km east of the Bergby project, a deep-water port where until recently a major wood chip and pulp mill operated.
This drilling program is the first ever to be undertaken at Bergby, with up to 25 diamond holes planned, comprised of a combination of short holes to prospect beneath glacial soil cover and deeper holes to test the extent of the lithium mineralized pegmatite.
Bergby is characterized by an extensive boulder field and outcrop of high grade lithium mineralization. Fifteen samples taken from three outcrop areas returned Li2O (lithium oxide) averaging 1.71% and ranging from 0.01% to 4.65%; and Ta2O5 (tantalum pentoxide) averaging 133 ppm and ranging from 16 ppm to 803 ppm. Samples included representative chip samples, composite samples and selective grab samples depending on outcrop quality, and were taken from three sites across an area of approximately 350m x 750m.
Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "Our exploration at the Bergby lithium project is moving quickly, with drilling commencing this week. Very little historic exploration for lithium has been completed in Sweden, and we see Bergby as Leading Edge Materials' first step in testing high quality lithium projects. I look forward to providing updates and data as the drill program progresses over the coming weeks."
Europe is playing a leading role in the transition to low-carbon energy generation from renewable sources, and the efficient storage of that energy. Electric mobility (EV's, HEV, PHEV's) and stationary electricity storage are dependent on high purity graphite, lithium and cobalt, where Leading Edge Materials is an active European player. Lithium has a strong and expanding market, due to the essential role it plays in lithium-based batteries for the automotive, consumer product and stationary electrify storage industries. The high electrochemical potential of lithium results in the high power to weight ratio that is essential for efficient mobile batteries.