Five of the Best Lithium Stocks of 2023

June 14, 2023 - Baystreet.ca


With big demand for electric vehicles, and all things green, lithium demand will only increase.

Unfortunately, supply will struggle to keep pace, with lithium an essential component in transitioning to a lower-carbon global economy. In addition, according to CarbonCredits.com, “According to market predictions, EVs will make up over 50% of new passenger car sales in the US by 2030. One estimate says that the potential growth of the battery market would need 90 more facilities the size of the Tesla Gigafactory over the next decade.” All of which is great news for companies, such as Usha Resources Ltd. (TSXV: USHA) (OTCQB: USHAF), Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC) (TSX: LAC), American Lithium Corp. (NASDAQ: AMLI) (TSXV: LI), Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV) (TSXV: ODV), and Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ: PLL).

Also, remember, according to Li-Bridge, global demand for lithium batteries is expected to jump five-fold by 2030, as noted by Reuters, which added, “Demand for lithium batteries in the United States is expected to grow more than six times and translate into $55 billion per year by the end of the decade.”

Look at Usha Resources Ltd. (TSXV: USHA) (OTCQB: USHAF), For Example

Highlights:

- The Company has completed a 2-week visit covering approximately 5% of the 15,680-hectare project area. 217 rock samples have been collected and submitted for laboratory analysis.

- The lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite trend on the property has a potential strike length of >8 km.

- ~3 km of strike and ~1 km of width of the system has been mapped in detail, with 45 new pegmatites identified within this LCT‑field, bringing the total to 47. The system is open in both directions.

- The largest pegmatitic outcropping is ~350 m long by ~70 m wide with full size unknown.

- Beryl, tantalum oxides and further coarse-grained tantalite have been identified throughout the system, confirming that the White Willow system is highly evolved as coarse‑grained tantalite will be present in the most fractionated zone of an LCT-system where spodumene, if present, is anticipated to occur.

- The Company has also completed a historical data compilation that further demonstrates the White Willow system is very evolved, as very anomalous cesium (>50 ppm) and lithium (>300 ppm) were identified in 36 and 45 samples, respectively, with 6 samples above 1,000 ppm Li up to 0.5% LiO2.

- The presence of very anomalous lithium and cesium indicates that the samples were collected from within the outer zone of a fertile LCT-system which is where spodumene, if present, is anticipated to occur.

- The Company also announces that its technical team has mobilized and arrived onsite in preparation for the start of drilling for its program at its Jackpot Lake lithium brine project in Nevada.

Usha Resources Ltd., a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company, has discovered a significant lithium-cesium-tantalum system at its White Willow Lithium Pegmatite Project. The property is situated 170 kilometres west of Thunder Bay in proximity to other lithium projects in the region, such as the Seymour Lake Lithium Project, the Georgia Lake pegmatite field, and the Separation Rapids Lithium deposit, showcasing the region's rich lithium potential.

The maiden geological work was completed on only approximately 5% of the 15,680-hectare project area, and the Company plans on returning in July to complete a more comprehensive field program to build on the findings following the receipt of analytical results.

“We are thrilled with the findings from this initial program at White Willow,” said Deepak Varshney, CEO of Usha Resources. “Unlike most companies who have recently acquired properties in Ontario and Quebec with a focus on location, our acquisition of this project was predicated on a technical model that showed that the two initial pegmatites identified were part of a larger unexplored system waiting to be discovered. Having now identified 45 new pegmatites within a zone where spodumene is anticipated to occur and grown the strike and width of the system over 10 and 20 times in size, respectively, we believe Willow to be a flagship asset where we firmly believe Ontario’s next major lithium discovery will occur.”

The Company completed a two (2) week site visit with its technical team where it completed a first-pass program comprised of sampling pegmatites, mapping, and prospecting. 217 rock samples have been collected and submitted for laboratory analysis.

The LCT pegmatite trend at the Project has a potential strike length of over eight kilometres as beryl was noted through prospecting across the length of the pegmatite swarm. Approximately three kilometres of strike was mapped in detail, with 45 new pegmatites identified, the largest of which was approximately 350 metres by 70 metres, indicating that a significant LCT‑system is present at White Willow. The system is open in strike and width.

Beryl and tantalite were identified throughout the system, including a second showing of coarse-grained tantalite approximately 80 metres down-strike from the Maple Leaf Showing which has assayed 14.64% Ta2O5, confirming that the White Willow system is highly evolved. The identification of tantalite throughout the pegmatite swarm is a key finding as coarse‑grained tantalite will be present in the most fractionated zone of an LCT-system where spodumene, if present, is anticipated to occur.

Coarse-grained tantalite is only known to be found at one other locality in Ontario which is the North Aubrey pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour Lake Project where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04% Li2O.

In addition to the above, the Company has also completed a historical data compilation that also demonstrates the White Willow system is very evolved. The following were the key findings from the review:

- 103 samples were identified to contain anomalous lithium (>115ppm) of which 45 were very anomalous (>300ppm). 6 samples assayed above 1,000 ppm, up to 0.5% LiO2, further demonstrating the potential for spodumene as Li contents for muscovite from a spodumene pegmatite is usually >1000 ppm. A sample from the host rock was also identified to contain 1,300 ppm lithium, indicating that a secondary lithium rich fluid had passed through as the enrichment of the host rock would be due to “bleed” from the pegmatitic melt as it was injected due to intrusion of the parental granite.

- 86 samples were identified to contain anomalous cesium (>50ppm) of which 36 were very anomalous (>115ppm) with a high of 1,833 ppm Cs2O. The presence of very anomalous cesium indicates that the samples were collected from within the outer zone of a fertile LCT-system which is where spodumene, if present, will be identified.

- 47 samples were identified to contain anomalous tantalum (>30ppm) of which 6 samples were very anomalous (>100ppm) including the coarse-grained tantalite that assayed 14.64% Ta2O5 at the Maple Leaf Showing.

- Till and lake sediment surveys identified highly anomalous lithium values that are in the 98th percentile of the entire provincial government database.

Jackpot Lake Exploration Update

The Company is also pleased to announce that its technical team has mobilized and arrived onsite in preparation for the resumption of drilling at its Jackpot Lake lithium brine project in Nevada.

The objective is to advance each of JP22-01 and JP22-02 to approximately 2,000 feet, thereby potentially greatly expanding on the 99-foot and 273-foot higher-porosity sand and conglomerate zones already identified in each drill hole, respectively, where it believes the best potential brines are present. Sampling these zones is a high priority for the project as the coarse-grained basal units are a primary focus for expansion at Albemarle's Silver Peak mine, the only domestic supplier of lithium within the U.S., and at Pure Energy's Clayton Valley project where a large volume of brine with superior grades has been identified.

The work will build on the recent identification of the highest grades of lithium at the project at JP22-02, where grades as high as 820 ppm (average 334 ppm over 30 samples) were identified in shallow soils (less than 500 ft), confirming the soils at the project are highly enriched in lithium and compare very favourably with the reported average of 100 ppm for the Esmeralda formation, one of the potential sources of the lithium enrichment for the brines present in Clayton Valley which hosts Albemarle's Silver Peak lithium brine mine.

Other related developments from around the markets include:

Albemarle Corporation announced a definitive agreement with Ford Motor Company to deliver battery-grade lithium hydroxide to support the automaker's ability to scale electric vehicle (EV) production. Albemarle will supply more than 100,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide for approximately 3 million future Ford EV batteries. The five-year supply agreement starts in 2026 and continues through 2030. Both Albemarle and Ford are committed to supplying the U.S. EV supply chain via lithium hydroxide domestically produced in the United States or originating in a country with a U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Lithium Americas announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved the execution of an arrangement agreement providing for the reorganization of the Company that will result in the separation of its North American and Argentine business units into two independent public companies. The Separation will establish an Argentina focused lithium company and a North America focused lithium company. Lithium Argentina will own Lithium Americas’ current interest in its Argentina lithium assets, including the 44.8% interest in Caucharí-Olaroz, the 100%-owned Pastos Grandes project and the 65% interest in the Sal de la Puna project. Lithium Americas will own the 100%-owned Thacker Pass lithium project in Humboldt County, Nevada, as well as the Company’s investments in Green Technology Metals Limited (ASX:GT1) and Ascend Elements, Inc.

Osisko Development Corp. announced new 2023 underground diamond drilling results at its 100%-owned Trixie test mine, within the Company's wider Tintic Project and to provide an overview of the ongoing 2023 exploration program at Tintic, located in the historic East Tintic Mining District in central Utah, U.S.A. In addition, the Company is also reporting the remaining DD and reverse circulation drilling results from its 2022 exploration program. Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development, commented, "The underground diamond drilling results from this year's drill campaign continue to generate targets and understanding of the epithermal veins and breccias at Trixie. High-grade gold and silver is observed in the footwall of the T2 and T1 zones, as both disseminated and vein mineralization. As these initial results indicate, the drillholes are intersecting all zones within the deposit area and continue to build upon the exploration successes achieved in 2022. We are also excited to launch our initial drill campaign to target copper porphyry potential at Tintic, which is slated to begin in Q3 2023."

Piedmont Lithium, a leading global developer of lithium resources, reported the results of a Definitive Feasibility Study of the Company’s proposed Tennessee Lithium project in McMinn County, Tennessee. The Study of the 30,000 metric ton per year lithium hydroxide plant featuring the innovative and waste-reducing Metso:Outotec conversion technology affirms the potential for Piedmont to develop an American-based lithium hydroxide business using spodumene concentrate from market sources, including via existing offtake agreements with Sayona Quebec and Atlantic Lithium. Piedmont President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Phillips, said he was pleased with the project economics and the positive impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, which strongly favors domestic battery and critical minerals production. “America’s pro-EV and battery manufacturing policies are providing an advantage to Piedmont at a time when many analysts are projecting lithium shortages to continue into the 2030s. Piedmont’s selection for a $141.7 million grant last year by the U.S. Department of Energy exemplifies America’s commitment to developing a domestic lithium supply chain.1

Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Usha Resources Ltd. paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services to be distributed by Winning Media. Winning Media is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Winning Media owns ZERO shares of Usha Resources Ltd. Please click here for disclaimer.

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