Oar Resources’ Fresh Look Shows Battery Potential at Oakdale Graphite Project
THE CONFERENCE CALLER: One of Oar Resources’ (ASX: OAR) original projects is coming to the fore as the company reshapes its focus on battery and critical minerals, the 2023 RIU Explorers Conference heard. By Ngaire McDiarmid
Metallurgical test work, announced this morning ahead of CEO Paul Stephen’s presentation, identified ultra-fine flake graphite in historical drill core from Oar’s Oakdale graphite project on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
Ultra-fine flake graphite is increasingly in demand and seeing price growth due to its suitability for producing spherical graphite, used in battery manufacturing, Stephen noted.
Historically jumbo flakes had attracted higher prices so the fine material at Oakdale had made the project less attractive in the past, Stephen told Resources Roadhouse on the sidelines of the conference.
“Let’s go look at the project with different eyes,” he said of the company’s new approach.
“Let’s look at the grade, let’s look at the potential increase in tonnages and then let’s look at the processing advantages of having a clay-based product, it’s not going to need the capital costs some of the other plants.
“It’s early days, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
In keeping with its new focus, Oar acquired the Denchi lithium project in Western Australia in the December quarter, divested an iron ore project and was actively seeking partners for its Douglas Canyon gold-silver project in the US.