Pan Asia Metals (ASX:PAM) began the year with infill and extension drilling at the Reung Kiet Lithium Project in Thailand.
Throughout 2022 the company conducted metallurgical testwork with the goal of producing lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide.
The company currently has 3 projects in Thailand comprising of the Reung Kiet Lithium Project, the Kata Thong Lithium Project, and the Khao Soon Tungsten Project.
March defined by groundwork for a Mineral Resource Estimate
Pan Asia began the year with an infill and extension diamond drilling program at Reung Kiet consisting of 16 holes.
During this time, the company engaged CSA Global to assist in the preparation for an inaugural MRE for the project. It also set an exploration target for the Bang I Tum Prospect.
Pan Asia reported it engaged BGRIMM Machinery and Automation Technology Co. (BGRIMM) in China to conduct metallurgical testwork at Reung Kiet.
The company then commenced the June quarter by announcing an inaugural MRE for Reung Kiet, which was 10.4 million tonnes @ 0.44% Li2O for around 113,000 ounces of contained lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).
The company forged ahead with infill and extensional drilling with results being in-line with expectations
The MRE was based on 47 drillholes completed at the project. The company forged ahead with infill and extensional drilling with results being in-line with expectations.
A second drill rig was also brought onsite to accelerate the drilling program.
Pan Asia also secured another prospecting licence immediately south of Reung Kiet and was also granted 8 general prospecting licences in the Phang Nga and Ranong provinces.
Focus shifts to Bang I Tum Prospect in September quarter
Pan Asia reported the September quarter started with the receipt of assays for holes RKDD047 through to RKDD061 that demonstrated the strike at Reung Kiet remained open to the north and south as well as down-dip.
This enabled the company to define a drill supported exploration target of 8 million tonnes to 14 million tonnes at a grade ranging between 0.5% to 0.8% Li2O at Bang I Tum.
‘High-grade’ rock chip and soil samples and associated geological mapping further increased the exploration potential at Bang I Tum during this quarter.
The company also hosted a site visit with the Thai Director General for the Department of Primary Industries (DPIM). In addition to this, Pan Asia stated it was well-received by Thailand’s Office of the Board of Investment.
During Q4, Pan Asia reported it had received ‘exceptional’ results from ore sorting testwork at Reung Kiet. These results indicated 72.8% lithium recovery into a 39.2% sample yield at an average grade of 0.92% Li2O.
Through this testwork, the lithium grade almost doubled from 0.50% Li2O in the feed to 0.92% Li2O in the sorted products.
In late November, the company also reported further drill results at Reung Kiet which demonstrated extensions at depth and along strike of the existing mineral resource.
Wrapping up the year, Pan Asia metals reported it will continue drilling at Reung Kiet and Bang I Tum. Floatation testwork is also being conducted on the sorted lithium products, and additional ore sorting testwork will be carried out.
