- Talga (TLG) defines new targets at the Vittangi Graphite Project and Aitik East Copper Project in Northern Sweden following large-scale geophysical surveys
- TLG has defined a “significant” graphite target at Vittangi where drill testing is underway, with a second drill rig now onsite to finish all drilling by the end of October
- The company has also found a weak and discrete conductive anomaly at Aitik East, which will undergo further modelling and interpretation ahead of follow-up drilling
- Initial assay results from Vittangi are expected in November
- Shares have opened in the green, up 5.23 per cent to $1.61 each at 10:34 am AEDT
Battery anode and metals company Talga Group (TLG) has defined new targets at its Vittangi Graphite Project and Aitik East Copper Project in Northern Sweden.
The company is building a vertically integrated operation in Europe to supply green lithium-ion battery anode products directly to manufacturers and automotive original equipment manufacturers.
To this end, TLG recently completed a high-resolution airborne “SkyTEM” geophysical survey over more than 1000 metres at Vittangi and Aitiki East and mapped electrical conductivity, magnetic and radiometric data at the sites.
Vittangi
The results from Vittangi showed greater graphite-bearing units were more contiguous than previously recognised, with new zones identified for follow-up drilling.
A significant new target was found roughly 500 metres southeast of the existing Nunasvaara North resource, where a strong 600-metre-long conductor occurs adjacent to TLG’s planned definitive feasibility study concentrator site.
The company said previous outcrop rock sampling in the area had returned grades of up to 36 per cent graphite but that the area was considered a zone of discontinuous blocks.
Notably, however, TLG said the SkyTEM results had defined the graphite unit as far more cohesive and extensive than previously understood, with the Nunasvaara East area now considered a priority target.
Drilling of this target is now underway on 100-metre spaced sections, with a second rig mobilised to complete drilling at all target areas by the end of the month.
Talga Group Managing Director Mark Thompson said it was exciting to see the company’s raw material resource continue to grow amid rising European demand for electric vehicles.
“Successful exploration allows us to better plan future scale-ups and fully realised the deposit’s potential for clean battery manufacturing,” he said.
Aitik East
Meanwhile, Talga said its Aitik East Project was prospective for large-scale copper-gold mineralisation — similar to the 36-million-tonne-per-annum Atik mine, some 25 kilometres to the west.
The SkyTEM survey of the project area defined a weak and discrete conductive anomaly modelled as roughly 200 metres long and starting 50 metres below surface.
Notably this conductor is located around 1.7 kilometres north of a zone that has returned rock chip sample grades of up to 4.8 per cent copper, 1.2 grams of gold per tonne (g/t) and 66g/t silver in outcrop.
“The new target at our Atik East Copper Project is another positive development,” Mr Thompson said.
“Our Swedish battery metal projects provide additional avenues for Talga to deliver value across the European battery supply chain.”
Next steps
Looking ahead, the company is expecting diamond core assay results from the initial stages of the Vittangi drilling program in November and results from the Nunasvaara East target in December.
Drilling is anticipated to recommence in the first quarter of 2022 and will target a resource upgrade and expansion at the nearby Jalkunen Graphite Project.
Meanwhile, the Aitik East conductor will undergo further modelling and interpretation ahead of follow-up exploration activities.
Talga Group has opened in the green, with shares up 5.23 per cent to $1.61 each at 10:34 am AEDT.