Granting of Licenses and Operational Plans at Llamara

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL), an exploration and improvement firm, advancing the following era of sustainable lithium initiatives in Chile, publicizes that the entire exploration licences on the potential greenfield undertaking protecting a complete space of over 344 km² (the “Llamara Challenge”) which the Firm utilized for in Q2 2022, have been granted by the Chilean authorities. The Firm plans to begin an exploration drilling programme on the undertaking within the coming weeks.

Highlights:

· The Llamara Challenge is positioned throughout the Lithium Triangle in northern Chile, 600km north of the Firm´s two flagship initiatives, Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin

· Historic geophysics traces accomplished by an oil exploration firm reveals an intensive subsurface low resistivity zone which is interpreted to be a brine aquifer within the undertaking space with an aquifer thickness of a number of hundred metres

· The aquifer has not been sampled for lithium, nevertheless elevated lithium grades are recorded in floor evaporite deposits, indicating a lithium supply throughout the basin

· A drilling programme to check the subsurface aquifer will begin within the coming weeks with the drilling of a low-cost exploration drill gap, topic to acquiring the mandatory native approvals

· The drill website was chosen primarily based on info from a geophysics survey which interprets a thick hypersaline aquifer on the location ranging from a depth of roughly 240m

· Individually, a geology marketing consultant has been engaged to finish a area and desk-top examine on the close to floor evaporite lithium mineral potential within the undertaking space

· If a lithium useful resource is established on the greenfield undertaking, both primarily based on the subsurface aquifer or floor evaporites, it’s anticipated Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) can be utilised for processing to minimise the environmental influence of lithium extraction

· With drilling programmes on the extra superior Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin initiatives ongoing, the Firm is extraordinarily energetic with useful resource drilling programmes anticipated to be progressing in any respect three initiatives concurrently shortly.

Commenting, Aldo Boitano, Chief Govt Officer, of Cleantech Lithium PLC, mentioned:

“We’re very happy to have been granted the Llamara licences by the Chilean authorities, permitting us to maneuver ahead with an exploration drilling programme. This can be a massive licence space protecting 344 km² inside which a historic geophysics survey interprets a thick subsurface brine aquifer. The deliberate drilling will intention to determine if the brine aquifer is enriched in lithium. We can even perform a area and desk-top examine on the potential for a floor evaporite lithium deposit within the undertaking space.

“Drilling programmes to increase current useful resource estimates at our Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin initiatives are ongoing with Llamara offering further exploration potential. We’re not conscious of any exploration firm within the lithium sector that has progressed useful resource drill programmes at three initiatives concurrently, which additional highlights the standard of the group we’ve in Chile.

“We are going to endeavour to maintain the market updated with our progress and count on to announce the outcomes of the preliminary drilling at Llamara in early Q2 2023.”

Additional Data:

Exploration Drilling Programme to Check Subsurface Brine Aquifer

The first exploration goal on the Llamara Challenge is to check the lithium enrichment of a subsurface brine aquifer interpreted from historic geophysics surveys. Inside the undertaking space, two geophysics traces primarily based on transient electromagnetics (“TEM”) have been accomplished by an oil exploration firm. The situation of Traces 45 and 24 in relation to the licence space is proven in Determine 1.

Determine 1. Historic Geophysics Traces Intersecting Challenge Space

TEM primarily based geophysics present a resistivity sign with the bottom resistivity correlated to brine aquifers, as dissolved salt ions in brine are extremely transmissive. Determine 2 presents the resistivity profile of a number of TEM stations on the jap facet of Line 24, that are positioned on the lately granted licence space. The bottom resistivity band which is proven by the sunshine magenta color scheme measuring resistivity of <1.0 Ohm, is interpreted to correlate to extremely concentrated brine. An exploration drilling gap LM01 is deliberate on the location of TEM station 39, the place the resistivity profile signifies the brine aquifer has an approximate beginning depth of 240m.

Determine 2. Historic Geophysics Traces Intersecting Challenge Space

An Aircore drilling rig shall be mobilised to the positioning within the coming weeks with the capability to drill to a depth of 700m. The exploration effectively won’t initially be cased or developed as this can be a comparatively low-cost drilling technique designed to intersect the brine aquifer, gather brine samples and take a look at the lithium enrichment. The outcomes of this preliminary drilling program are anticipated in early Q2 2023 and shall be reported to the market.

Analysis of Floor Evaporite Lithium Useful resource Potential

The Firm has engaged a Chilean geological marketing consultant to undertake a area and desk-top examine to judge the lithium useful resource potential of any close to floor evaporite minerals, fashioned by the pure evaporation of brine, within the undertaking space. A personal Chilean firm with licences instantly west of CleanTech Lithium´s undertaking has reported an NI43-101 compliant useful resource of 1.2 million tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equal (“LCE”) at a mean grade of 956ppm Li (peak grade of three,560ppm Li) primarily based on an evaporite deposit.

If a lithium useful resource is established on the undertaking both primarily based on the subsurface aquifer or floor evaporites, DLE can be utilised for processing to minimise the environmental influence of lithium extraction.

Competent Particular person

Christian Gert Feddersen Welkner: Geologist and Grasp of Science, main in geology (College of Chile). With greater than 20 years of expertise, Mr Feddersen is a certified individual, as outlined within the AIM Notice for Mining, Oil and Gasoline Firms (June 2009), unbiased of the corporate and a member of the Chile Mining Sources and Reserves Competence Qualifying Fee, a “Recognised Skilled Organisation” (OPR). He’s registered with No. 132 within the public registry of Competent Individuals in Mineral Sources and Reserves, underneath the Regulation of Competent Individuals and its Laws in pressure in Chile. Mr Feddersen, who has reviewed and authorised the geological info included within the announcement, has ample expertise related to the model of mineralisation and sort of deposit into account and the exercise being undertaken and qualifies as a reliable individual, as outlined within the JORC Code.

-ENDS-

The data communicated inside this announcement is deemed to represent inside info as stipulated underneath the Market Abuse Laws (EU) No 596/2014 which is a part of UK legislation by advantage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon publication of this announcement, this inside info is now thought-about to be within the public area. The one who organized for the discharge of this announcement on behalf of the Firm was Gordon Stein, Director and CFO.

Notes

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL) is an exploration and improvement firm, advancing the following era of sustainable lithium initiatives in Chile. Proudly sustainable, dedicated to net-zero, our mission is to supply materials portions of battery grade, carbon-neutral lithium utilizing confirmed sustainable Direct Lithium Extraction know-how, powered by clear power, we plan to be the greenest lithium provider to the EV market.

CleanTech Lithium has three potential lithium initiatives – Laguna Verde, Francisco Basin and Llamara – positioned within the lithium triangle, the world’s centre for battery grade lithium manufacturing. The Laguna Verde and Francisco Basin initiatives are located inside basins solely managed by the Firm, which affords important potential improvement and operational benefits. Llamara is the Firm’s newest greenfield undertaking, which presents materials potential upside at a low preliminary price. All three initiatives have direct entry to glorious infrastructure and renewable energy.

CleanTech Lithium is dedicated to utilizing renewable energy for processing and decreasing the environmental influence of its lithium manufacturing by utilising Direct Lithium Extraction. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative know-how which solely removes lithium from brine, with greater recoveries and purities. The tactic presents brief improvement lead instances, low upfront capex, with no in depth website building and no evaporation pond improvement so there isn’t any water depletion from the aquifer or hurt to the native atmosphere.

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