Lithium – Donner & Falcon West

Above: Map of southeast Manitoba showing the Donner and Falcon West lithium projects. Winnipeg is expected to develop into a battery metals hub for both lithium and nickel copper concentrates.

DONNER LITHIUM PROJECT

The Donner Lithium Property is a 75% Grid / 25% Li Equities Investments LP, formerly Lithium Royalty Corp. (LRC) joint venture. Terms of the transaction can be found in the press release dated January 14, 2022 (HERE). Tanco and LRC each have a 2% royalty interest on the Donner project.

The Donner project contains a NI 43-101 compliant resource of 6.81 million tonnes (“MMt”) (Inferred) grading 1.39% Li2O. The maiden resource estimate consists of 2.10 MMt grading 1.42% Li2O of Open Pit resources (cut-off grade of 0.3% Li2O) and 4.71 MMt grading 1.37% Li2O of below pit underground resources (cut-off grade of 0.5% Li2O) from the Main Dyke and Northwest (“NW”) Dyke.

Notes for the Mineral Resource Estimate:

1. The Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) has an effective date of the June 27, 2023. The Qualified Persons for the MRE are Mr. Rohan Millar, P.Geo. an employee of SGS.
2. The classification of the current Mineral Resource Estimate into Inferred Resource is consistent with current 2014 CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves.
3. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate and numbers may not add due to rounding.
4. All Resources are presented undiluted and in situ, constrained by continuous 3D wireframe models, and are considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction.
5. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration.
6. It is envisioned that parts of the Donner deposit may be mined using open pit mining methods. In-pit mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.3% Li2O within a conceptual pit shell.
7. The results from the pit optimization are used solely for the purpose of testing the “reasonable prospects for economic extraction” by an open pit and do not represent an attempt to estimate mineral reserves. There are no mineral reserves on the Property. The results are used as a guide to assist in the preparation of a Mineral Resource statement and to select an appropriate resource reporting cut-off grade.
8. Underground (below-pit) Mineral Resources are estimated from the bottom of the pit and are reported at a base case cut-off grade of 0.5% Li2O. The underground Mineral Resource grade blocks were quantified above the base case cut-off grade, below the constraining pit shell and within the constraining mineralized wireframes. At this base case cut-off grade the deposit shows good deposit continuity with no orphaned blocks.
9. Bulk density values (specific gravity 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre) were determined based on physical test work from each deposit.
10. The in-pit base case cut-off grade of 0.3% Li2O considers a lithium concentrate 6% (LC6) Li2O price of US$1800/tonne, a mining cost of US$3.50/t rock and processing, treatment and refining, transportation and G&A cost of US$45.00/t mineralised material, and an overall pit slope of 55 degrees.
11. The below-pit base case cut-off grade of 0.5% Li2O considers a lithium concentrate 6% (LC6) Li2O price of US$1800/tonne, a mining cost of US$60.00/t rock and processing, treatment and refining, transportation, and G&A cost of US$45.00/t mineralised material.
12. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.

Based on recent metallurgical test results (see press release dated June 26, 2023 HERE), spodumene accounts for ~90% of the lithium in the Main and Northwest Dykes. Initial metallurgical test results from Donner also concluded that standard flotation was the best method for recovering lithium from the samples.

Agreement with Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada Limited (Tanco)

Grid announced a Memorandum of Understanding with Tanco on October 17, 2022 (see press release HERE). The agreement sets out a framework for a toll milling agreement between Grid and Tanco. Grid is in continuing discussions with Tanco to reach a definitive agreement regarding terms of toll milling of Donner feed at the Tanco minesite.

Binding Lease Agreement for True North Mill

Grid announced a binding lease agreement with 1911 Gold Corporation to use its nearby True North mill for the production of lithium spodumene concentrate on July 18, 2023 (see press release HERE). The results of the positive engineering study were announced on October 25, 2023 (see press release HERE).

The True North mill is part of an integrated, fully permitted gold mine, mill and tailings complex last operational in November 2022. It is located 85 km by road from the Donner Property. The current processing facility consists of crushing, milling, centrifugal gravity concentration, and flotation circuits with annual capacity of 475,000 tpa.

Project Update

The Company has now completed significant work towards a NI 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”). The project design is based on mining at the Donner Lithium Project and trucking of the material to the True North Mill in Bissett, Manitoba to produce ~75,000 tpa of spodumene concentrate. The major consultants working on the PEA are Primero Engineering and Mining Plus, who are supported by Arsalan Talebzadeh, P. Eng., a consultant to the Company. Major components of the study have been substantially completed including a mine plan, capital and operating cost estimation and a number of optimization trade-off studies.

The Company is continuing optimization work including further metallurgical test work from the NW Dyke. Grid is also actively continuing with permitting initiatives to obtain an Advanced Exploration Permit for the Donner site.

FALCON WEST LITHIUM PROJECT

The project is 100% owned by Grid Metals and covers 61,200 ha with 70 km of strike length along a highly prospective contact zone.

Lithium bearing pegmatites on the property are hosted in mafic volcanics rock units at the contact between the Wabigoon and Winnipeg River geological subprovinces which also hosts other lithium showings along strike. Pegmatites are noted in historic assessment report drill logs along a strike length of over 6 km to the southwest of the ArtDon-Lucy (“ADL”) target area. Rare metal pegmatites have been documented in the metavolcanic belt from the property east to West Hawk Lake. Historical work and results from Grid’s maiden drill program at the ArtDon-Lucy target (see April 29, 2024 press release HERE) indicates complex pegmatites with high-grade cesium (e.g. 3.3 at 10.3% Cs2O) along with high-grade lithium (e.g. 12.2 m at 2.2% Li2O and 10.5 m at 2.0% Li2O). 

Above: Falcon West Lithium Property regional map. The property covers the favourable geological contact between the Winnipeg and Wabigoon subprovinces. Several lithium bearing pegmatites (ArtDon and Lucy) have previous drilling and high-grade lithium.