Bluebird Battery Metals, a Canadian junior precious metals company has commenced initial exploration at its Canegrass Nickel-Cobalt-Copper project in Western Australia.
Image: Canegrass Project Location Map. Photo: courtesy of CNW Group/Bluebird Battery Metals.
The underexplored Canegrass Ni-Co-Cu project, which spreads across 4,200 hectares, is located nearly 60kms southeast of Mount Magnet. It is located within the Windimurra Igneous Complex.
According to Bluebird Battery Metals, an aerial survey in 2013 identified 14 conductors within the property with six of them associated with coincident magnetic anomalies.
The Canadian miner said that initial diamond drilling, comprising 10 holes, was completed in 2014 at two of the fourteen conductors. Nickel, cobalt and copper were intersected in nine of the ten drilled holes.
Hole CPRC004 encountered 13.0m grading 0.91% Ni, 0.08% Co and 0.58% Cu, said Bluebird Battery Metals.
The company said that downhole EM surveys concluded in 2014 identified off-hole anomalies that were not followed up later or drilled. From the initial exploration, recommendations included follow up ground EM surveys over the identified conductors along with a high resolution airborne magnetic survey over the entire asset.
Last month, Bluebird Battery Metals launched ground EM surveys at two priority targets – CG02 and CG039 where nickel, cobalt and copper were identified close to surface during previous drilling program. A month before that, the company acquired the project.
Bluebird Battery Metals said that presence of strong EM conductors at the two targets was identified following the preliminary interpretation of the results by Newexco, its lead geophysical contractor. The company based on this will expand the ground EM survey program for the remaining conductors identified in 2013.
Bluebird chairman and CEO Peter A. Ball said: “Previous exploration, not followed up on since 2014, highlighted exciting nickel and cobalt grades close to surface that clearly deserve attention noting the recent increase in cobalt and nickel commodity prices.
“The interest in the Battery Metals Sector has surged in the past year, noting the exponential demand for Cobalt related to the Electric Vehicle revolution, and the supply gap that is foreseen in the next few years.”