Infinity bolsters board with lithium expert

Infinity Lithium continues to bolster its board of directors following the appointment of lithium guru, Jon Starink. The well-credentialed Starink comes to the company following stints in both mining consultancy and the finance sector – Starink also brings with him a wealth of experience in the development and operation of hard-rock lithium mining and processing operations.

Infinity Lithium Corporation’s Chairman, Adrian Byass said:

“The appointment is another tangible example of the necessary evolution of the Board which has seen the recent additions of both Jon and recently Remy Welschinger. With both having excellent project finance and implementation skills, equity capital markets experience, and deep European networks I am confident shareholders will benefit from their knowledge and capabilities. These appointments to balance our corporate and technical capabilities are essential to maintain the momentum gained from earlier this year through the InnoEnergy Agreement and Feasibility Study commencement.”

Mr Starink is a Chartered Engineer, Scientist and Chemist with extensive experience in providing engineering and process design for the construction and operation of hard-rock lithium mining and processing operations.

Starink also boasts a strong background in research and development in addition to project financing. He was based in London for more than 17 years, with a broad network of European and Middle Eastern contacts to assist the company with the development of its San Jose lithium project in Spain and potential offtake for future production.

Infinity is currently advancing its San Jose hard-rock lithium project in Spain. The project located in the Extremadura region of Spain sits adjacent to the Portuguese border around 280km south-west of Madrid. The project is 75 per cent owned by Infinity, with the remaining 25 per cent owned by Spanish mining contractors, Valorzia Mineria.

The project covers an extensive mineralised terrane and hosts a massive open-pit resource of 111.3 million tonnes grading 0.61 per cent lithium oxide with a potential credit of 206 ppm tin.

Work on the development of the San Jose project has now advanced to a Feasibility stage with the completed Pre-Feasibility Study returning a solid set of numbers including a projected 19-year mine life to feed 30-years of production, a Net Present Value of US$860 million and total revenue from lithium hydroxide production of an incredible US$6 billion over the life of the operation or US$200 million per annum.

What sets the San Jose project apart from its peers is a two-fold advantage; the project is located in Europe, the world’s fastest-growing lithium-ion battery market, and secondly, the mineralisation at the developing operation is hosted by lithium-bearing micas, not spodumene which is the host mineral in Western Australian deposits.

The company has already successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide samples from these micaceous lithium ores, utilising conventional processing methods and is now refining and augmenting these processes as part of its Feasibility Study, or “FS”.

The work has not gone unnoticed, with European-based InnoEnergy stumping up €800,000 towards the further development and process flow sheet of the development.

This development is being done in line with the European ‘green’ targets that will involve the incorporation of innovative technologies, including a clean ‘water leach’ in place of an acid leach to produce its lithium products for sale. The project seems ideally located sitting amongst the horde of emerging battery manufacturers currently spreading across Europe.

Whilst Mr Starink joins Infinity as an Executive Director, he will also take the reins as the company’s Chief Technical Officer working with the company’s science team, and Dorfner Anzaplan in Germany, to optimise the production of lithium hydroxide samples from the project as part of Stage One of the FS.

Starink will play a key role as the FS progresses and will oversee the appointment of the engineering, procurement, and construction team in addition to the construction of the company’s pilot plant as part of the Stage Two FS program.

The inclusion of Jon Starink to Infinity Lithium’s board drops yet another piece of the puzzle into place as the company seeks to cement its place as a fully integrated, European-based, lithium producer supplying a high-quality material to the burgeoning lithium-ion battery producers across the continent.

Is your ASX listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au