Battery materials company Talga Group Ltd is continuing exploration activities at the Vittangi Graphite Project to explore the extent of its natural graphite in Sweden.
Talga is exploring its natural graphite in Sweden to meet customer demand and the European Union‘s strategic material supply goals, guiding its growth plans as it reviews expansion options, new initiatives, and regional asset development.
Natural graphite has been identified as a critical and strategic material by the European Commission, owing to its use as the anode in lithium-ion batteries. Almost all graphite anode material utilised by EV manufacturers in Europe is imported from Asia due to a current shortage of local supply.
Talga has Europe’s largest natural graphite deposits classified to JORC standards; however, early battery anode production plans of 19,500tpa address just a fraction of the estimated local battery production capacity (1,450,000tpa by 2030).
Talga has completed a deep geophysical survey at the Nunasvaara South deposit of Vittangi, using ground electromagnetic methods to locate iron/REE orebodies up to 1,000 meters below the surface. The survey used a fixed transmitter loop with roving receiver, sampling at 5Hz along five profiles. Results will be announced once completed.
The geophysical results will be utilised to target strategic drilling to extend the 11.1Mt Nunasvaara South resource, which is located downdip of the open pit 2.4Mt ore deposit that supplies the Company’s current 100,000tpa ore mining plan outlined in the 2021 Detailed Feasibility Study.
This work will inform development alternatives, such as an early shift to underground extraction, which might result in shorter timelines for higher production, less waste, and reduced land impacts.
Talga has successfully drilled a 6km long zone of strong EM conductors up to 300m wide, with no surface expression, on its Vittangi nr 6 exploration permit, approximately 8km northeast of the world-class Nunasvaara and Niska deposits.
The company has completed a 730m “scout” drilling in five diamond drillholes on the most accessible section of the zone, following regional airborne EM surveys and new ground “Slingram” geophysical surveys.
The study found significant zones of mineralisation across 120m true width, with individual graphite units up to 40m wide, with downhole intercepts of 212m @ 4.5% graphite and 77m @ 4.1% graphite, with maximum grades reaching 14.1%Cg at 22.1m and depths ranging from 0.5-5.0m.
The graphite discovery is significant for first pass “scout” drilling under cover, with the potential for increased grade and scale in the future; however, Talga noted that developments at Nunasvaara South and Niska remain the top priority.
SLR Consulting Limited has increased the Global Mineral Resource cut-off grade for the Vittangi Graphite Project, updating the Mineral Resource estimate (MRE) as part of the Vittangi Anode Project financing work streams.
The Vittangi MRE, based on a 12.5%Cg cut-off grade and Whittle open pit shells, is now estimated to total 35.0Mt, averaging 23.8%Cg, containing 8.3Mt of graphite. This includes Indicated Resources estimated to total 26.7Mt averaging 24.3%Cg and Inferred Resources estimated to total 8.3Mt averaging 22.1%Cg.
The Vittangi Graphite Mineral Resource estimate for Talga’s Swedish graphite resources has been revised to 70.8Mt, averaging 18.8%Cg, with 13.3Mt of graphite, making it the largest natural graphite resource in Europe, including 30.1Mt averaging 22.4%Cg and 40.7Mt averaging 16.2%Cg.
