Pilbara Minerals to Commence Drill Programs at Tantalum, Lithium Projects

Pilbara Minerals Ltd. (ASX:PLS) announced that it will begin major drilling programs at its flagship Tabba Tabba tantalum project and its newly acquired Pilgangoora tantalum-lithium project. Both projects are located in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

As quoted in the press release:

Initial drilling at the Tabba Tabba Tantalum Project – where mining is scheduled to commence in Q4 2014 – will assist with mine start-up, pre-strip and grade control activities and, more importantly, ensure that any additional mineralisation outlined is included the final mine design. Several holes are also planned to test extensions of the mineralised pegmatite along strike to the south and west and at depth. The second and much larger program at the Pilgangoora Tantalum-Lithium Project has two purposes. The existing resource at Pilgangoora is categorised as Inferred and a number of the modelled ore zones lack information with regard to the Lithium (Li2O) content.

Pilbara’s CEO, Neil Biddle, said:

We are now also focused on the higher grade tantalum at Pilgangoora as potential feed for the Tabba Tabba plant with the higher grade, low-iron spodumene (lithium) representing a longer term growth opportunity to deliver product into the high-end ceramic and glass manufacturing industries.

Click here to read the Pilbara Minerals Ltd. (ASX:PLS) press release.