Avalon and Sibelco establish joint venture to develop flagship lithium mine in Ontario

Avalon Advanced Materials (TSX: AVL and OTCQB: AVLNF) (“Avalon”) and SCR-Sibelco NV (“Sibelco”) are pleased to announce the closing of their joint venture transaction. The new joint venture company, Separation Rapids (“SRL”), has a mandate to advance mining activities at the flagship Separation Rapids deposit near Kenora, ON, as well as at the Lilypad Project located near Fort Hope, ON.
SRL is jointly owned by Sibelco (60%) and Avalon (40%) and is well positioned with a unique dual-market strategy to supply petalite-lithium to both the global glass & ceramics industry, as well as to the North American EV battery manufacturing market.

Agreement Highlights

“Through this exciting joint venture, and after years of exploration and patience, the unique and valuable petalite deposit at Separation Rapids will finally be commercialized for the benefit of all stakeholders and the Ontario community at large”, said Scott Monteith, Avalon CEO. “We are unlocking the potential of Separation Rapids and other projects, and in so doing, taking another key step in establishing the end-to-end lithium supply chain we envision for Ontario.”

Separation Rapids

Located 70 kilometers north of Kenora, ON, Separation Rapids is a flagship deposit of petalite lithium which in addition to its traditional uses in the glass & ceramics markets can, using new innovative technology processes, also economically yield EV battery-grade lithium at scale. On August 10, 2023, Avalon released an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for Separation Rapids, conducted by SLR Consulting (Canada), an independent global mining advisory and consulting firm. The MRE revealed a measured and indicated deposit 20% larger than earlier estimates. The MRE, compliant with NI 43-101, showed a measured and indicated resource of 10.08 million tonnes (Mt) of petalite, grading on average 1.35% Li₂O. The resource is primarily from an open pit, while a smaller amount is from an underground resource.  A new $3.6 million drilling program commenced on September 26, 2023, which will seek to upgrade the inferred to indicated and add more resource to the deposit as well as perform geotechnical drilling within the pit area. The drill program is expected to be completed by February 2024.

Antwerp-based Sibelco is an international leader in the glass & ceramics market, with deep expertise in the mining, processing and recycling of specialty industrial minerals.

Lilypad Project

Located near Fort Hope, ON the Lilypad Project consists of 14 claims, comprising 166 new claim units or cells, totaling slightly over 3,299 hectares (8,152 acres), covering a field of lithium, tantalum and cesium mineralized pegmatites. Lithium pegmatite occurrences have been discovered in the area as spodumene and as lepidolite. Encouraging for the future development of the Project is the fact that significant mineral discoveries to the north (Ring of Fire) have prompted developing road access into the area. This would greatly enhance the economic viability of any mineral deposits present in the region, including the deposits in the Lilypad area. Economic resources of the cesium ore mineral pollucite are very rare, and Lilypad represents one of the very few known significant occurrences of this mineral in the world. With declining production from traditional sources, new producers are needed for this scarce advanced material to meet growing demand.