TSX-V-listed Frontier Lithium has been awarded up to C$6.1-million in funding from the government’s Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) to support infrastructure for its PAK lithium project, in Ontario.
One project is the preconstruction activities, including environmental studies, for an all-seasons, 56-km, two-lane mine access road that would link the PAK lithium project to the Ontario highway system.
The second project will conduct engineering, design and permitting studies for a substation and transmission line to enable grid connection from the PAK project to the Wataynikaneyap (Watay) power transmission line.
“As we move forward on our path to building the first fully integrated lithium mining-and-processing operation in Ontario, we know our objectives align nicely with that of the CMIF – to address infrastructure gaps, reduce emissions, and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples,” said Frontier president and CEO Trevor Walker.
The project encompasses close to 27 000 ha and remains largely unexplored; however, since 2013, the company has delineated two premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposits (PAK and Spark), located 2.3 km apart.
Exploration is continuing on the project through two other spodumene-bearing discoveries: the Bolt pegmatite (located between the PAK and Spark deposits), as well as the Pennock pegmatite (25 km north-west of PAK deposit within the project claims).
A 2023 prefeasibility study for the PAK project delivered a 24-year project life, delivering a post-tax net present value of $1.74-billion and an internal rate of return of 24.1%. 