Lithium developer Alpha Lithium reports it has found record-grade lithium concentrations and significant flowrates from the latest production well – WBALT15, which was recently drilled within the Tolillar Salar, in Argentina.

Test results from WBALT15 – which, like the majority of wells drilled by Alpha, was drilled and cased as a production well – returned lithium concentrations up to 360 mg/ℓ.

Alpha is focused on the development of over 27 500 ha of what may be the last undeveloped lithium salar in the region.

Pumping tests on WBALT15 demonstrated a significant flow rate, averaging greater than 40 m³/h of brine over a 72-hour flow test on a restricted pump.

A larger pump was not available during this initial flow test, but one will be available when the well is put into production. Alpha expects significantly higher pumping rates to be achieved with a larger pump.

The well at WBALT15 was drilled to 365 m and traversed a significant clastic sequence, with coarse to fine-grained gravel, sands and clays.

The active aquifers in the wellbore that are capable of production occur between 70 m and 359 m downhole.

Results from WBALT15 were favourable, with average drainable porosity measured between 40 m and 140 m of about 15%, reaching a maximum of about 35%. Between 140 m and 365 m, the average drainable porosity measured up to about 10%.

WBALT15 was drilled over 700 m west of WBALT7, which returned similar lithium concentrations, but with an even higher transmissivity value of 240 m²/day.

The extensive distance between these two wellbores, combined with the significantly high flow rates and the highest lithium concentrations discovered so far, support Alpha’s view that this is a large and high-quality portion of the salar.

WBALT15 was drilled off the western edge of the visible salar, on an alluvial fan.

Both WBALT15 and WBALT7 are two of the southernmost wellbores drilled to date, the results of which motivate for further exploration efforts towards the previously unexplored southern and western portions of the salar.

President and CEO Brad Nichol says that, as the company continually acquires knowledge from its experiences in Tolillar, the South American exploration team has raised the bar once again.

“The westward and southward incremental drill bit advancement continues to build on our team’s knowledge of where the flow rates and grades are trending higher,” he says.

Nichol adds that Alpha once again has a rig that is capable of drilling to 500 m or deeper, with the deepest well to date being 385 m. “We expect to build our resource through additional depth, additional breadth and improved quality.”

Alpha is currently using five drilling rigs, targeting a combination of freshwater wells, brine production wells and diamond drill holes.

The freshwater wells will be used for the production of a freshwater recharge study, expected to be published in the next 30 days, while the brine production wells will be used for expansion and production of the lithium brine resource.

The diamond drill holes will be used to provide core and porosity data at greater depths to inform an updated resource estimate, expected in the first quarter of 2023.