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RESPEC CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTO BATTERY MATERIALS MARKET
Ben Haveman, Project Geologist II
benjamin.haveman@respec.com
Lithium—with an atomic number of 3—is the third lightest element and the lightest solid at room temperature and pressure.
These characteristics and the element’s high electrochemical potential are why the world has turned to lithium as the most suitable candidate for rechargeable battery material. Other battery metals include cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, and phosphorus, but lithium is the frontrunner because its unrivaled charge-to-weight ratio (preferred for batteries in transportation applications) makes it the least likely of the battery metals to be replaced by substitution.
Phase I Drilling Campaign drill sites in Big Smoky Valley, Nevada credit to Jason Latkowcer, CEO, Pan American Energy
Lithium is sourced from three types of deposits in economic concentrations: brines, hard rock, and certain claystone bodies.
RESPEC has experience in all three deposits but has worked mainly with brine and claystone within the past year. These two deposit types continue to fuel exploration campaigns throughout the Great Basin of the American West (primarily Nevada, Arizona, and Utah). Exploration for lithium brine also continues to generate activity in Western Canada, and, much like exploration for hard rock, lithium is a significant exploration driver in eastern parts of Canada.
As current and forecasted demand for lithium and other battery metals remains strong, RESPEC’s Mining & Energy (M&E) group has gained a very promising foothold in this rapidly expanding market.
By working across multiple offices on numerous projects and effectively leveraging our collective expertise, we have positioned ourselves as a respected consultant able to assist with all stages of exploration and reporting. RESPEC teams in Reno, Nevada; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Grand Junction, Colorado, have each successfully completed multiple lithium-focused projects recently, with others currently underway and numerous proposals pending. In Esmeralda County, Nevada, alone, since Q4 of 2022, these offices have collectively overseen more than 13,500 feet of drilling, administered Standard Penetration Testing to support geotechnical reporting, and collected over 1,400 core and sediment samples for geochemical analysis.
As critical minerals markets continue to expand, exploration and subsequent production will strive to meet increased demand.
The M&E group at RESPEC is prepared to overcome the unique challenges these mineral deposits present and stands ready to serve those in the lithium and battery metals space.