Lithium

Matsa Resources eyes lithium discovery in Thailand

Mon 07 Feb 22, 4:59pm (AEDT)
Vietnam Thailand

Key Points

  • Matsa will commence exploration activities for lithium in Southern Thailand
  • This follows recent lithium exploration success from Pan Asia Metals
  • Matsa hopes to achieve drill ready targets "as soon as practicable"

Matsa Resources (ASX: MAT) believes its new Thai lithium licence applications “contain all the right ingredients to make a discovery”.

The company acquired 65 prospecting licences spanning over 942km2, host to lithium occurrences reported by Thailand’s Department of Minerals and Resources.

Matsa hopes to take off after ASX-listed peers Kingsgate (ASX: KCN) and Pan Asia Metals (ASX: PAM), both of which have found exploration success for gold and lithium respectively. 

Kingsgate shares are up 87% in the last 12-months, while Pan Asia has ballooned over 200% over the same time period.

Pan Asia Metals is on schedule to deliver its inaugural Mineral Resource in the first quarter of 2022. The company’s flagship Reung Kiet Lithium project has so far returned 107 samples with average lithium grades of 1.43% (medium grade). 

Pan Asia management said that based off its current drill results, a “10,000 tonne per annum lithium chemical plant is a realistic objective.”

A nearology play?

Matsa has positioned multiple new lithium tenants within close proximity of Pan Asia's Reung Kiet.

One of the criteria used to select the tenements was "being either contiguous or in close proximity to Pan Asia Metals’ licences where recent drilling produced drilling intersections of up to 1.44%Li2O.” 

Matsa said that exploration programs will initially focus on the Phang Nga (near Phuket) province, which is adjacent to Reung Kiet. 

The goal is for initial geological mapping and rock chip sampling to lead into drill ready targets “as soon as practicable”. 

Matsa’s chairman Paul Poli commented on the company’s newfound asset, saying “Matsa sees enormous opportunities in exploration for lithium, gold and base metals, not only because of the highly prospective geology, but also the economic ramifications of Thailand’s close location to China.”

“I see Thailand as an emerging mining frontier where tier one discoveries are bound to be made and with the change of attitude to mining it will be a great exploration destination.”

Cash injection on the horizon 

In December, Matsa entered into a binding agreement to sell its Red October and Devon gold projects for consideration of $20m. 

The company intends to use some of the funds from the sale to advance its Thai projects. 

Written By

Kerry Sun

Content Strategist

Kerry holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University. He is an avid swing trader, focused on technical set ups and breakouts. Outside of writing and trading, Kerry is a big UFC fan, loves poker and training Muay Thai. Connect via LinkedIn or email.

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