Irish explorer Arkle Resources has been awarded two licences to prospect for much sought-after lithium in Botswana.
Lithium is the lightest and least dense metal, and is in increasingly high demand as it is used in electric car batteries. Lithium batteries are easier to carry and are the safest and most efficient batteries for cars.
In a note to investors on Friday, Arkle confirmed it had been awarded licences in the Makgadikgadi salt pans in north eastern Botswana. The Makadikadi Basin holds the largest salt pans in the world, spanning more than 16,000sq km.
The licences cover 312sq km and 525sq km respectively in size. Arkle said there is very little known about the potential for lithium brines in the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans.
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Lithium is found in the brine of salt flats. Holes are drilled into the salt flats and the brine is pumped to the surface, leaving it to evaporate in ponds. This allows lithium carbonate to be extracted through a chemical process.
Early-stage prospecting work will begin in early 2024, the company said. Arkle chairman John Teeling said the group would analyse the data it has before seeking to identify targets for drilling.
“We are really pleased to have been awarded these two large licences in the Makgadikgadi salt pans,” he said.
“We now have three lithium exploration projects, one in Ireland, one in Zimbabwe, both hard rock, and now in Botswana which is a lithium brines project.
“Initial work will focus on analysis of the very limited exploration data, followed by prospecting to identify targets for drilling.”
The extraction of lithium has been criticised by eco-groups such as Friends of the Earth, which has said it has “significant environmental and social impacts” in the regions in which it is mined due to water pollution and depletion, among other factors.
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