It now appears as though two major potential lithium operations in North America have hit some major hurdles. Ioneer, an ASX listed company developing the Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada and Nemanska a TSX listed Canadian company developing a hard rock deposit in Quebec both have problems.
A little buckwheat plant that apparently grows in only one place in the world just so happens to grow entirely
and only in the footprint of the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine. How lucky for them! Who knows if they will resolve this - they probably will .... eventually...., but it is likely to delay permitting and thus development of the project. See the following link for the story.........
https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/a-rare-buckwheat-sits-above-a-proposed-lithium-mine-a-conservation-group-wants-to-protect-itand.....
The only other hard rock deposit in North America, other than PLL in North Carolina, has hit a financing roadblock. If you recall, earlier in the year they reported a $300 million projected capital overrun largely due to trying to develop a project in the frozen tundra of Northern Quebec and someone grossly underestimating the cost estimate to do so. They had a group come in to rescue them, the Pallinghurst Group, but apparently they could not work things out on financing and now they are planning a shutdown and laying staff off. The quote: "
Activity implementation rhythm adjusted in Whabouchi and Shawinigan". Well, that is one way to put it...........
activity implementation rhythm adjustment!!! Eventually, they too will get their rhythm back but it will take time.
See the following link for the story.............
http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/10/15/1929966/0/en/Nemaska-Lithium-Provides-Update-on-the-Whabouchi-Project.html
And then there was one!These developments open the door wide open for Piedmont. Now there is
only one presently viable hard rock project in North America. PLL and INR were considered by many to be the two best or most viable lithium projects in the US, now INR is out for a while and Nemanska the best in Canada is on hold. All PLL needs to do is walk through the door with permits in hand .... along with a nice partnering agreement. There seemed to be a little forward momentum on PLL over the past 4 or 5 days. Keep it going PLL. Show us the permits! The others are dropping like flies.
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