Overview
| Stage | Permitting |
| Mine Type | In-Situ |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Mine Life | 20 years (as of Jan 1, 2018) |
Source:
p. 2
Pure Energy Minerals Limited (“Pure Energy”) is a public company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia.
Its primary project is the Clayton Valley Lithium Brine Project (the “CV Project”), located in Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. The Pure Energy entered into an Earn-In Agreement (the "Agreement") with Schlumberger Technology Corporation, a subsidiary of Schlumberger Limited ("SLB"), dated May 1, 2019 whereby the Pure Energy has granted SLB an option in favour of SLB to acquire all of the Pure Energy’s interests in the CV Project (the “Option”). Upon exercise of the Option, the Pure Energy will be entitled to receive a 3% net smelter return royalty (“NSR”) on minerals produced at the CV Project and an advance minimum royalty payment of US$400,000 annually, payable in monthly installments, commencing January 1, 2021 for a period of five years or until the CV Project achieves commercial production.
Contractors
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Summary:
Clayton Valley is located within the Basin and Range Province in southern Nevada. It is a closed basin that is fault-bounded on the north by the Weepah Hills, the east by Clayton Ridge, the south by the Palmetto Mountains and the west by the Silver Peak Range and Mineral Ridge. This area has been the focus of several tectonic and structural investigations because of its position relative to Walker Lane, the Mina Deflection and the Eastern California Shear Zone (McGuire, 2012; Burris, 2013). The basement rock of Clayton Valley consists of late Neoproterozoic to Ordovician carbonate and clastic rocks that were deposited along the ancient western passive margin of North America. During late Paleozoic and Mesozoic orogenies, the region was shortened and subjected to low-grade metamorphism (Oldow et al., 1989; Oldow et al., 2009), and granitoids were emplaced at ca. 155 and 85 million years ago (Ma). Extension commenced at ca. 16 Ma and has continued to the present, with changes in structural style as documented in the Silver Peak-Lone Mountain Extensional Complex (Oldow et al., 2009; Burris, 2013). A metamorphic core complex just west of Clayton Valley was exhumed from mid-crustal depths during Neogene extension. There is a Quaternary cinder cone and associated basaltic lava flows in the northwest part of the basin.
The basin is bounded to the east by a steep normal fault system toward which basin strata thicken. The north and east parts of Clayton Valley are flanked ........
Summary:
Pure Energy plans to use wells to extract brine from the aquifer in the currently defined area of the Resource Estimate. The wells in the wellfield would be drilled and constructed in order to optimize brine production rates and lithium concentrations.
Wells installed at the Project would include extraction wells producing brine for the process facility and monitoring wells for collecting physical and chemical data to assess aquifer conditions during the life of mine. Several possible well designs, including varying well depths and production intervals (screened intervals of well casing) are expected to be planned for the extraction wells to allow for operational flexibility. Boreholes for extraction wells would be drilled using reverse circulation or casing advance drilling methods in order to allow for hydraulically efficient wells. Borehole diameters would be sufficient to allow for installation of casing that will accommodate the submersible pumps. The cased portions of the boreholes are planned as 8-inch nominal diameter. The casing annulus would be grouted above the screened area of the well casing to prevent the potential leakage of dilute brine.
Construction and operation of extraction wells would be phased during initial years of mining. Throughout the life of mine, as existing extraction wells lose efficiency, replacement wells are planned and would be funded by sustaining capital.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Projected Production:
| Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual |
|
LiOH-H2O
|
t
| 11,500 |
All production numbers are expressed as crystals.
Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | |
|
Plant annual capacity
| 11,500 t of LiOH-H2O crystals * |
|
Plant annual capacity
| 10,000 t of LCE * |
* According to 2018 study.
Reserves at June 15, 2017:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Inferred
|
3,315,000,000 M cu.m
|
Lithium
|
123 mg/L
|
40.9 kt
|
|
Inferred
|
3,315,000,000 M cu.m
|
LiOH-H2O
|
|
247.3 kt
|
|
Inferred
|
3,315,000,000 M cu.m
|
LCE
|
|
217.7 kt
|
Source:
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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