Arizona Lithium Limited (ASX: AZL, OTC: AZLAF) announced on Monday the commencement of production drilling at the Prairie Project in Saskatchewan.

The project, located in the Williston Basin of Saskatchewan, utilizes conventional oil and gas drilling and completion methods to access lithium-rich brine from aquifers about 2.3 km underground.

The drilling program, covering three pads, will extend over the next few months. Production and disposal testing of the wells on Pad #1 is scheduled to start in June. The initial phase will involve drilling vertical wells to explore the Souris River and Dawson Bay formations for commercial viability.

The commencement of drilling operations on Pad #1 marks the beginning of Canada’s first commercial lithium production plant, the miner said.

“These are very deep holes being drilled by a heavy duty oil drilling rig. It will take over 40 service providers and hundreds of people to execute a drilling and completion program like this,” Arizona Lithium Managing Director, Paul Lloyd said.

The Prairie Lithium Project holds a resource of 6.3 MT of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), comprised of 4.5 MT LCE Indicated and 1.8 MT LCE Inferred.

Shares of Arizona Lithium rose 10.6% in Monday trading on the ASX. The company has a market capitalization of A$107 million ($71 million).

Source: MINING.COM – Read More