• Impact Minerals identifies battery and strategic metals targets at Jumbo JV
  • Sipa Resources wraps up AC drilling at Skelton Rocks project in WA
  • Calidus Resources JV partner maps pegmatite with strike length of 1km+ in WA

 All your ASX lithium news for Tuesday, March 8.

 

Late last week Tesla secured approvals to begin EV production at a new plant outside of Berlin,Germany, which will have capacity to make 500,000 vehicles a year once fully operational.

The $5.5 billion Gigafactory means the company can build its market share in Europe, while cutting costs for shipping and import – with everything made locally.

Tesla faced a few hurdles with the approvals process but is now ready to kick off production at Giga Berlin in the coming weeks.

And the company hasn’t wasted any time advertising for jobs.

 

 

But Tesla isn’t the only one eyeing a German foothold in Europe, with Volkswagen hot on its heels with plans for a $2.2 billion EV plant.

The German automaker expects production of its net carbon-neutral Trinity model to begin in 2026.

 

Here’s how ASX lithium stocks are tracking today:

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Only 13 stocks were in the green today, with 30 flatlining and 52 in the red.

 

Who’s got news out today?

Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT)

The company has identified high priority targets for a range of battery and strategic metals at its aptly-named ‘Jumbo’ joint venture project in WA.

Soil geochemistry work has highlighted the projects’ potential to host nickel-copper-platinum group elements, lithium-caseium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites, rare earth elements and rubidium.

“These soil results further confirm to us that Impact has secured a large and very prospective part of the emerging mineral province of south west Western Australia which already contains the recent Julimar Ni-Cu-PGM discovery and the Greenbushes lithium-tantalum mine, both world-class deposits,” managing director Dr Mike Jones said.

“The region is clearly vastly under-explored and has great potential for the discovery of deposits covering a wide range of battery and strategic metals.”

Impact plans to start first pass follow-up field checking and sampling in the June quarter.

 

Sipa Resources (ASX:SRI)

The explorer has completed its first aircore drill program at the Skeleton Rocks project in WA, which tested greenstone units prospective for gold, nickel-copper and lithium mineralisation.

“Our first program at Skeleton Rocks was successfully completed and the identification of quartz- sulphide veins in several holes is an exciting development,” MD Pip Darvall said.

“These results increase our confidence in the project and have led us to immediately plan further auger surveys given their ability to efficiently discriminate priority target areas.

“First assay results from the drilling are expected in the coming weeks and if positive will immediately result in additional follow up field programs.”

 

 

Calidus Resources (ASX:CAI)

Pirra Lithium have found a lithium-bearing pegmatite with a mapped strike length of more than 1km around 50km south-west of Marble Bar in the East Pilbara, with assays up to 2.3% Li2O.

Calidus has a 50% stake in the company and MD Dave Reeves welcomed the news.

“It is already clear that we are in the early stages of an exciting lithium discovery with both scale and strong grades,” he said.

“There is a compelling business case to accelerate exploration now we have confirmed lithium grades for this significant outcropping pegmatite.”

Interestingly, despite the pegmatite being located close to the Hillside – Marble Bar Road in the Spear Hill area, there is no record of geological mapping or sampling and the area has never been drilled.

“These results highlight the immense prospectivity of the large tenement package and rights owned by Pirra Lithium,” Reeves said.

“Work is continuing to determine the full extent of the pegmatite and to identify other pegmatites in the vicinity. As part of this, we are preparing for a maiden drilling program.

“The company will also continue its aggressive exploration program elsewhere on the tenement package.”