Blackstone increases lithium concessions to 8900 hectares

Blackstone Resources AG (SWX: BLS) is pleased to announce that it substantially increased its lithium assets in Chile. These lithium concessions are held by Blackstone Resources Chile SpA, a fully owned subsidiary of Blackstone Resources AG, Switzerland.
 
Lithium is fast becoming a vital strategic metal because it is used in all the lithium-ion or lithium metal batteries and it will be fought hard for as we enter a new technological age. It is currently used in rechargeable batteries to power mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and more importantly, electric vehicles.
 
This trend that we are now seeing towards such vehicles will lead to a dramatic future increase in this metal. According to BloombergNEF, demand is set to increase 28 times in the next 20 years from current levels.
 
This development is so significant that even US President Joe Biden has declared lithium a strategic asset and has unveiled plans to secure its supply globally with Canada, Australia, Brazil and other countries. In the last 12 months, most lithium mining companies have seen their share-prices soar, alone in the year up to now, lithium producer’s shares of SQM (+120%), Albamarle (+207%), Ganfeng (+225%) and Livent (+157%) have all risen strongly and will further increase.
 
Blackstone Resources is investing heavily into lithium
 
Blackstone Resources is strongly investing in the exploration of this metal as it foresees clearly a strong demand and rising prices in the future. We believe that demand will significantly outstrip the increases we have seen in lithium supply. As well as rising demand for lithium, the risk of bottlenecks, shortages and geopolitical tensions are the usual traits that define strategically important metals.
 
Therefore, Blackstone has strategically increased its lithium concessions in Chile to 8900 hectares of exploration and 6428 hectares of exploitation-assets in five different locations. All of Blackstone’s concessions are currently under development with geophysics, geochemical studies and three important NI 43-101 technical report being made for three zones.
 
Lithium in Chile is contained within the brine in salt lakes and their surroundings. It is much cheaper to extract lithium from brine versus the spodumene, a mineral of lithium aluminium inosilicate, which is usually mined in Australia or Canada. 
 
Blackstone’s goal is to sell some of its rights of its concessions to an interested party and in addition, to establish a joint-venture with large battery-manufacturers, an industrial partner or OEM. It will also carry-out the necessary discussions with various interested parties, which are already taking place.
 
Blackstone Resources strategy in investing in battery-metals was followed for the last five years and is in line with the worldwide demand of battery metals. Especially lithium is becoming very rare because it is used in every lithium battery we use today and in the future.