Charger Metals (ASX:CHR) has mobilised a second drill rig to its Lake Johnston Lithium Project in Western Australia as part of a 10,000m program targeting resource growth.
The company now operates diamond and reverse circulation (RC) rigs at the Medcalf lithium deposit, with RC drilling having commenced just over a week ago. The program will double the metres drilled at Medcalf.
Drilling targets extensions and infill opportunities at the Medcalf inferred mineral resource estimate (MRE). The MRE comprises 10.6 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1% lithium oxide (Li2O) and 107 parts per million (ppm) tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5).
Additionally, drilling further defined the Medcalf West Exploration target of 3–5Mt @ 1–1.4% Li2O. The program aims to de-risk geology, grow the total resource, and provide diamond core samples for ongoing metallurgical and geotechnical testwork.
Following the recent Medcalf resource upgrade representing a 34% increase in contained Li2O, the board has committed to completing a Scoping Study on the Lake Johnston Project.
The current resource sits on a high drilling density grid of predominantly 40m by 80m spacing, including 10,936m of drilling at a cost of $32 per contained tonne of Li2O.
The drilling program will be fully funded from Charger’s recent sale of the Bynoe Lithium Project to Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) for $3.75 million cash, received on 17 July 2026.
The Lake Johnston Project sits 450km east of Perth in the Yilgarn Province. It lies about 70km from the Earl Grey Lithium Project, where Covalent Lithium began mining and commissioning operations in March 2024.
Charger Metals is an Australian battery metals explorer with additional nickel-copper-PGE exposure at its Coates Project in Western Australia.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Charger Metals
