Sarah Wells

NEW YORK, July 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX:PLL) (NASDAQ:PLLL) is pleased to report the results of the Company’s Scoping Study for its vertically-integrated Piedmont Lithium Project (“Project”) located within the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt in North Carolina, USA (“TSB”).  The Project includes a lithium hydroxide chemical plant (“Chemical Plant”) supplied with spodumene concentrate from an open pit mine and concentrator (“Mine/Concentrator”).

Infographic 1 Infographic 2 Figure 1 – Lithium hydroxide 2018 cost curve (Source – Roskill) Figure 2 – After tax free cash flow on lithium hydroxide sales during life-of-mine operations

The Project has compelling projected economics due to low initial capital, early spodumene concentrate sales, attractive capital and operating costs, short transportation distances, minimal royalties and low corporate income taxes.  The Project meets an important strategic need for domestic US lithium production and will confer substantial economic benefits on the local region.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Piedmont is pleased to report the results of the Scoping Study for its vertically integrated lithium hydroxide chemical project located in the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt in North Carolina, USA.  The Scoping Study includes a 22,700 tonne per year Chemical Plant supported by a Mine/Concentrator producing 170,000 tonnes per year of 6% Li₂O low-iron spodumene concentrate.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9609f3b0-a695-4403-85bd-1cf8e3ab24e7

• Integrated project to produce 22,700 tonnes per year of lithium hydroxide
• Initial 13-year mine life with 2 years of concentrate sales and 11 years of integrated operation
• Staged development to minimise up-front capital requirements and equity dilution
  • Stage 1 initial capex of US$91mm for the Mine/Concentrator (excluding contingency)
  • Stage 2 capex for Chemical Plant funded largely by internal cash flow
• Estimated 1^st quartile lithium hydroxide operating costs of US$3,960/t
• Conventional technology selection in all project aspects
• Steady state EBITDA of US$220mm annually with steady-state after-tax cash flow of US$170-180mm
• Estimated after-tax IRR of 56% and NPV8% of US$777mm, with ~2-year payback
• Upside opportunities include project life extension and by-product monetisation

The Scoping Study contemplates a staged development approach to minimise start-up risk and up-front capital requirements, with revenue from open-market spodumene concentrate sales in the Project’s initial years helping defray capital requirements for the Chemical Plant.

The Scoping Study demonstrates the compelling economics of the prospective integrated Project, highlighted by low operating costs, high after-tax margins and strong free cash flow.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6ae2f60-3df5-4a34-9cff-dcf36e7a3ea0

First-Quartile Operating Costs

The integrated Piedmont project is projected to have an average life of project cash operating cost of approximately US$3,960 per tonne, positioning Piedmont as the industry’s lowest-cost producer as reflected in the 2018 lithium hydroxide cost curve provided by Roskill in Figure 1.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/58ef51fd-b275-448f-8473-e2371c46c912

Attractive After-Tax Margins and Free Cash Flow

Low operating costs, low royalties, and low corporate tax rates potentially allow Piedmont to achieve after-tax margins approaching US$8,900 per tonne, or approximately 64%.  The Project generates an estimated US$8,650 per tonne of free cash flow during life-of-mine operations after construction of the Chemical Plant.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b4cb6fd-7c83-4b56-8c1c-5ed33f98b2ff

Staged Development Approach Minimises Equity Dilution

The Scoping Study contemplates a staged development approach to minimise start-up risk and up-front capital requirements, with revenue from open-market sales of spodumene concentrate in the Project’s initial years helping defray capital requirements for the Chemical Plant. After-tax free cash flow of approximately US$128 million is expected to be generated prior to the construction of the Chemical Plant, and an additional US$108 million of operating cash flow from concentrate sales is expected to be generated during the Chemical Plant’s ramp-up.

The establishment of positive cash flow from spodumene concentrate sales will position Piedmont to attract financing on terms not available to greenfield developments, including access to the US corporate bond market.  This is expected to lead to lower costs of capital when financing the Chemical Plant, and to allow Piedmont to minimise equity dilution to the Company’s shareholders.

Conclusions and Next Steps

The Scoping Study demonstrates the integrated Project’s strong commercial potential, centred on very low operating and capital costs, and the staged development puts Piedmont in a strong position to engage in discussions around future financing of the Project, including with prospective strategic and off-take partners.

Piedmont will now move forward with a Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”) targeted for completion early in 2019.  The Company will undertake the following work in developing the PFS:

• A previously announced By-product Study to examine the potential to enhance Project economics through the recovery and monetisation of by-product quartz, feldspar and mica
• Additional drilling on the Core property to potentially extend mine and project life by converting the previously announced current Exploration Target into a Mineral Resource
• Metallurgical studies including the evaluation of the potential for a Dense Medium Separation (“DMS”) before the flotation circuit to further enhance operating costs in the Concentrator
• Continued expansion of the Company’s land position in the TSB with a focus on areas of high mineral prospectivity

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are very pleased with the results of the Scoping Study. The economic benefit of developing an integrated lithium chemical business in North Carolina, USA is now clear, driven by the exceptional infrastructure and human resource advantages of our location, as well as the competitive royalty and tax regime offered in the United States. We look forward to an exciting period ahead as we work to enhance the Project even further through continued growth in our resource base and project life, and the evaluation of potential by-product credits”.

Click here to view the full ASX announcement

For further information, contact:

Keith D. Phillips
President & CEO
+1 973 809 0505
kphillips@piedmontlithium.com

Anastasios (Taso) Arima
Executive Director
+1 347 899 1522
tarima@piedmontlithium.com

About Piedmont Lithium
Piedmont Lithium Limited (ASX:PLL) (OTC-Nasdaq Intl:PLLLY) holds a 100% interest in the Piedmont Lithium Project (“Project”) located within the world-class Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (“TSB”) and along trend to the Hallman Beam and Kings Mountain mines, historically providing most of the western world’s lithium between the 1950s and the 1990s. The TSB has been described as one of the largest lithium provinces in the world and is located approximately 25 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a premier location to be developing and integrated lithium business based on its favourable geology, proven metallurgy and easy access to infrastructure, power, R&D centres for lithium and battery storage, major high-tech population centres and downstream lithium processing facilities.

The Project was originally explored by Lithium Corporation of America which eventually was acquired by FMC Corporation (“FMC”). FMC and Albemarle Corporation (“Albemarle”) both historically mined the lithium bearing spodumene pegmatites within the TSB and developed and continue to operate the two world-class lithium processing facilities in the region which were the first modern spodumene processing facilities in the western world. The Company is in a unique position to leverage its position as a first mover in restarting exploration in this historic lithium producing region with the aim of developing a strategic, U.S. domestic source of lithium to supply the increasing electric vehicle and battery storage markets.

Piedmont, through its 100% owned U.S. subsidiary, Piedmont Lithium Inc., has entered into exclusive option agreements and land acquisition agreements with local landowners, which upon exercise, allow the Company to purchase (or in some cases long-term lease) approximately 1,199 acres of surface property and the associated mineral rights.

• Optimized flotation and magnetic separation results achieved consistent high-grade spodumene concentrates (Li2O>6.0%) with low iron content (Fe2O3<1%)
   
• Heavy Liquid Separation results offer opportunity for a potential Dense Medium Separation circuit prior to flotation
   
• Ore sorting and initial pilot scale testwork scheduled for Q3 2018

NEW YORK, July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX:PLL) (NASDAQ:PLLL) is pleased to report that the Company has completed a bench-scale metallurgical testwork program to produce spodumene concentrate from ore samples from the Company’s proposed vertically-integrated Piedmont Lithium Project located in North Carolina, USA.

Piedmont has partnered with North Carolina State University’s Minerals Research Laboratory (MRL) to complete bench-scale testwork including spodumene flotation optimization, magnetic separation to remove iron from spodumene concentrate and Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) to evaluate the potential for a Dense Medium Separation (DMS) circuit.

The completed testwork program confirms the interim flotation and magnetic separation results which the Company published in April 2018 with additional testwork on four composited samples collected from multiple exploration corridors within the Project’s core property.

Click here to view the full ASX announcement

For further information, contact:

Keith D. Phillips
President & CEO
+1 973 809 0505
kphillips@piedmontlithium.com

Anastasios (Taso) Arima
Executive Director
+1 347 899 1522
tarima@piedmontlithium.com

About Piedmont Lithium
Piedmont Lithium Limited (ASX:PLL) (OTC-Nasdaq Intl:PLLLY) holds a 100% interest in the Piedmont Lithium Project (“Project”) located within the world-class Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (“TSB”) and along trend to the Hallman Beam and Kings Mountain mines, historically providing most of the western world’s lithium between the 1950s and the 1990s. The TSB has been described as one of the largest lithium provinces in the world and is located approximately 25 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a premier location to be developing and integrated lithium business based on its favourable geology, proven metallurgy and easy access to infrastructure, power, R&D centres for lithium and battery storage, major high-tech population centres and downstream lithium processing facilities.

The Project was originally explored by Lithium Corporation of America which eventually was acquired by FMC Corporation (“FMC”). FMC and Albemarle Corporation (“Albemarle”) both historically mined the lithium bearing spodumene pegmatites within the TSB and developed and continue to operate the two world-class lithium processing facilities in the region which were the first modern spodumene processing facilities in the western world. The Company is in a unique position to leverage its position as a first mover in restarting exploration in this historic lithium producing region with the aim of developing a strategic, U.S. domestic source of lithium to supply the increasing electric vehicle and battery storage markets.

Piedmont, through its 100% owned U.S. subsidiary, Piedmont Lithium Inc., has entered into exclusive option agreements and land acquisition agreements with local landowners, which upon exercise, allow the Company to purchase (or in some cases long-term lease) approximately 1,199 acres of surface property and the associated mineral rights.

NEW YORK, July 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• Acquisition of Heavy-Industrial zoned property in Kings Mountain, North Carolina
• Short truck haul from proposed mine and concentrator sites
• Immediate access to major rail, power, gas, and highway infrastructure
• Permitting activity for lithium chemical plant expected to commence in Q3 2018
• Site acquisition advances vertically-integrated lithium chemicals production strategy
• Lithium chemical plant will focus on production of battery-grade quality lithium hydroxide

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX:PLL; NASDAQ: PLLL) is pleased to advise that the Company has acquired a 60.6-acre parcel in Kings Mountain, North Carolina as a potential site for its planned lithium chemical plant.  This acquisition represents an important step in the development of the vertically-integrated Piedmont Lithium Project located in North Carolina, USA.

The lithium chemical plant site is approximately a 20-mile truck haul from the Company’s proposed spodumene mine and concentrator, minimizing the freight cost for concentrate delivery to the proposed facility.  Zoned heavy-industrial, the plant site has direct access to a Norfolk Southern rail line, Interstate I-85 and US Highway 29.  The site also has natural gas and power transmission immediately adjacent to the property.

The site will be included in the Company’s scoping study which is on track for completion in Q3 2018.  The planned lithium chemical plant will convert Piedmont Lithium-produced spodumene concentrate to lithium chemicals, with a focus on battery grade lithium hydroxide.  Lithium hydroxide commands a pricing premium relative to lithium carbonate, and recent studies have reported that lithium hydroxide produced from spodumene has a production cost advantage relative to production from brines.  Piedmont Lithium will commence permitting of the lithium chemical plant upon completion of the Scoping Study.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are very pleased to have identified such an attractive site for our downstream operations.  The site is a short drive from our core mining and concentration properties, it is the proper scale for our contemplated lithium chemical production operations, and it offers all the infrastructure one would seek for such a facility. Piedmont is focused on building an integrated lithium chemical operation in North Carolina, and this site will be an integral part of our plans.”

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, July 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• By-products may include quartz, feldspar and mica

• Mineral Resource Estimates for by-products expected H2 2018

• Bench scale metallurgical testwork complete with assays pending

• Historic local spodumene mines had significant by-product revenue

• Confidential discussions held with potential by-product off-take partners

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX: PLL; NASDAQ: PLLL) is pleased to advise that the Company has commenced a By-product Study for the Piedmont Lithium Project, located in the historic Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt in North Carolina, United States.

Piedmont has retained CSA Global to complete Mineral Resource Estimates for potential quartz, feldspar and mica concentrate by-products.  CSA Global will use the same geologic model that was used for the recently completed maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Piedmont Lithium Project as the basis for further study.

North Carolina State University’s Minerals Research Lab has completed bench scale flotation tests and iron removal for quartz, feldspar and mica concentrates.  Assays are pending for these bench-scale tests.  Data and samples from these bench scale test results will be provided to potential off-take partners to evaluate their commercial potential.

Piedmont plans to include revenue potential from by-products in an update to our initial Scoping Study, which is expected to be released in late-July.  The update should be available in late-2018 following the definition of Mineral Resource Estimates for each by-product and will reflect feedback from potential by-product customers.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “While many spodumene pegmatites include quartz, feldspar and mica mineralization, most are located too remotely to economically serve the important markets for these products.  Given our location in the industrial heartland of the USA, there is potential to deliver into the large, glass, ceramic, building products and technology businesses that are based in our region and have great need for these minerals.  The historic Hallman-Beam mine derived substantial revenue from by-products, and if we are able to do the same it will have a positive impact on our production costs.”

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, June 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX: PLL; NASDAQ:  PLLL) is pleased to advise that it will host an investor webinar on Tuesday June 19, 2018 at 11:00am AEST to discuss the maiden Mineral Resource estimate announced yesterday.

During the webinar, President & CEO Keith Phillips will discuss the details of the maiden Mineral Resource estimate. Investors are invited to send questions prior to the webinar to simon@nwrcommunications.com.au and they will be addressed during the webinar.

Investors are advised to register prior to the Piedmont Lithium Investor Webinar at the link below:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5941387393955546625 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

A recording of the webinar will be made available shortly after the conclusion at the same link.

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• Maiden Mineral Resource estimateof 16.2 Mt @ 1.12% Li₂O
• Resource is based on 231 core holes and over 35,300 meters of drilling
• Metallurgical test work ongoing, with pilot-scale testing commencing this month
• Scoping Study for integrated lithium project expected in Q3 2018

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX: PLL; NASDAQ: PLLL) is pleased to announce a maiden Mineral Resource estimate on its Core property of 16.19 million tonnes at 1.12% Li₂O, containing 182,000 tonnes of lithium oxide (Li₂O) or 450,000 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (“LCE”) (the benchmark equivalent raw material used in the lithium industry). Approximately 52% or 8.50 million tonnes of the Mineral Resource is classified in the Indicated Resource category.

The Mineral Resource estimate has been prepared by independent consultants, CSA Global Pty Ltd (“CSA Global”) and is reported in accordance with the JORC Code (2012 Edition).

Piedmont’s maiden Mineral Resource is the first resource estimate completed in over 30 years in the historic Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt, which was the home of most of the world’s lithium production and processing from the 1950s until the 1980s. The region continues to be the home to the US lithium processing facilities of Albemarle Corporation and FMC Corporation. The current resource is within our Core Property, which is 5 kilometres north of the historic Hallman-Beam mine (ex-FMC).

Piedmont is now focused on the completion of the Scoping Study which is expected in Q3 2018 and will reflect the Company’s strategy of building an integrated lithium processing business based on proven, conventional technologies and benefitting from the inherent advantages of Piedmont’s strategic North Carolina location, including;

In addition to the maiden Mineral Resource estimate a new Exploration Target of 4.5 to 5.5 million tonnes at a grade of between 1.10% and 1.20% Li₂O has been estimated by CSA Global within the Core Property.  The potential quantity and grade of this Exploration Target is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “This high-grade maiden resource has surpassed our initial exploration target and represents an important milestone for Piedmont.  The resource will underpin the upcoming Scoping Study, which we believe will reflect the significant advantages associated with our unique location.  There are many interesting lithium projects being advanced around the world, but Piedmont has the only project based in the industrial heartland of the United States and the cradle of lithium production, with all the economic and strategic benefits that derive from that position.  With regional exploration progressing and constructive conversations ongoing with numerous local land owners, we are optimistic that this initial resource will be just the beginning, and that Piedmont is well-positioned to develop a world-class, low-cost integrated lithium business in the United States.”

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• Piedmont has completed its Phase 3 drill program on the Core property and has received assay results from an additional 26 holes, with high grade mineralisation in all holes including:
• 23.3m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 5.2m @ 1.30% Li₂O, 7.5m @ 1.37% Li₂O and5.2m @ 1.58% Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-189
• 28.5m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 8.4m @ 1.47% Li₂O, 5.2m @ 1.53 Li₂O and11.4m @ 1.00% Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-220
• 20.4m@ 1.61% Li₂O of continuous mineralization across 1 pegmatite, including a high-grade zone of 11.0m @ 2.04% Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-228
• Maiden Mineral Resource estimate for the Core property to be announced in the coming weeks
• Hole 18-BD-228 is the thickest single pegmatite to date on the property with over 20 meters of continuous high-grade mineralization (20.4m@ 1.61% Li₂O)
• Exploration drilling on the recently-announced Sunnyside property has commenced and results are expected to be made available in the coming weeks

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX: PLL; NASDAQ: PLLL) is pleased to advise that the Company has completed its Phase 3 Drilling Program and has received assay results from another 26 holes from its Core property in the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (“TSB“) in North Carolina, United States. The Company intends to release a maiden Mineral Resource estimate on the Core property in accordance with the JORC Code in the coming weeks.

For the Phase 3 program, the Company has completed 124 holes totalling 21,360 meters on its core property. Fifteen remaining holes from the Phase 3 campaign have assays pending.

Operational efficiencies during the Phase 3 drilling budget allowed the Company to exceed the planned meterage of 20,000 meters by 1,360 meters and will allow for initial drilling on the Sunnyside and Central properties (see Table below).  The necessary state permits have been received and drilling is underway at the Sunnyside Property with one hole completed.  Results of drilling in these exploratory areas will be released in the coming weeks.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Drilling on the core property is now complete and we look forward to issuing our maiden Mineral Resource estimate in the near future, accompanied by a revised exploration target.  Additionally, we are excited about the exploration drilling that has commenced at Sunnyside and hopeful that we will identify significant resource upside on that property.”

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• Piedmont has received assay results from a further 41 holes with 40 of 41 holes showing high grade mineralisation including:
• 28.5m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 7 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 6.2m @ 1.21% Li₂O and1.4m @ 1.50 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-166
• 19.1mof cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 2 dikes which includes high grade intercepts of 8.3m @ 1.66%Li₂O and 10.9m @ 1.05% Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-174
• 20.9m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 3 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 4.6m @ 1.44% Li₂O and3.0m @ 1.35 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-176
• 18.4m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 7 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 7.7m @ 1.23% Li₂O and1.7m @ 1.52 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-177
• 24.0m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 6 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 11.7m @ 1.23% Li₂O and2.6m @ 1.45 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-180
• 21.3m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 3 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 8.9m @ 1.36% Li₂O and6.2m @ 1.34 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-194
• 17.7m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 4 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 3.3m @ 2.38% Li₂O and9.4m @ 1.65 Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-204
• 21.8m of cumulative thickness of mineralization (non-continuous) across 5 pegmatites which includes high grade intercepts of 8.0m @ 1.62% Li₂O and2.6m @ 1.88% Li₂O in Hole 18-BD-208
• Infill drilling has been completed and the Company is now finishing wide spaced exploration holes on the core property
• Exploration drilling on the recently-announced Sunnyside property will commence in June
• Maiden resource continues to remain on-track for delivery by end of 2^nd Quarter 2018

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) (ASX:PLL; NASDAQ: PLLL) is pleased to advise that the Company has received assay results from a further 41 holes from the current drilling campaign on its properties in the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (“TSB“) in North Carolina, United States. The Company remains on schedule to release a maiden Mineral Resource estimate in accordance with the JORC Code by the end of the 2^nd Quarter 2018.

The results build upon the previous drilling completed on the property and continue to show similar high-grade mineralisation and pegmatite intercepts. For the Phase 3 program, the Company has completed 117 holes totalling 20,279 meters.  Due to operational efficiencies of the Piedmont field crew and the drilling contractor, the original Phase 3 program was completed under budget, thus allowing for additional drill meters at the Piedmont Project as well as initial drilling at the regional targets, Sunnyside and the Central Properties.  The table below shows an updated Plan for Phase 3 drilling.

Infill drilling at the Core property is completed and exploratory drilling will be completed in the coming weeks. The maiden Mineral Resource estimate continues to remain on-track for delivery by end of 2^nd Quarter 2018.

A drill rig will be mobilized to the Sunnyside property within the next few weeks as soon as the North Carolina State Sedimentation and Erosion permit is issued.  The initial Sunnyside drilling is expected to consist of 4 to 6 holes totalling 600 to 900 meters. 

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Phase 3 drilling has been very successful.  Strong results have been generated and the team has accomplished the project on-time and under-budget.  We are on track to have a maiden Mineral Resource estimate in June and a Scoping Study shortly thereafter.”

Piedmont Lithium Project Cross Section

The seven exploratory holes tested three areas. The first was an area in the north western portion of the property defined by holes 18-BD-191, 197, 201, and 208.  This area consisted of subcrop and boulder trains that had not been previously drill tested.  All four holes returned multiple mineralized pegmatites.  A few of the significant intercepts are in18-BD-208 where 8.0m @ 1.62% Li₂O was reported and in 18-BD-197 where 3.0m @ 1.34% Li₂O and 5.5m @ 1.38% Li₂O was reported.

In the second area, located in the north central portion of the property, holes 18-BD-199 and 206 tested outcrop and boulders not previously drill tested.  Both holes returned multiple zone of mineralized pegmatite (results in Appendix 1).  The third area was a follow up to the historic hole 10-BD-14 in which 18-BD-207 was collared approximately 40 meters to the southwest.  18-BD-207 intercepted 6 mineralized pegmatites with high grade intercepts of 3.8m @ 1.20% Li₂O and 2.1m @ 1.99% Li₂O.

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, May 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Jim Harkins as a technical advisor to the Company.  Jim will provide peer review and technical support for the Company’s planned development of a spodumene concentrator in the historic Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (“TSB“) located in North Carolina, United States.

Mr. Harkins has over 35 years’ experience in mineral processing including 20 years in spodumene concentration.  Mr. Harkins worked in increasingly senior engineering roles at FMC’s historic Hallman-Beam mine and was in mill management positions for nine years until FMC ceased operations at Hallman-Beam in 1998.  Mr. Harkins modernized and innovated processing at FMC during his tenure including successful application of some of the earliest commercially available ore-sorting technologies, modernization of flotation technology, and improvements in instrumentation and control.

Mr. Harkins considerable experience in design engineering, operations, management and quality control of spodumene concentration will provide the Company with tremendous knowledge as the Piedmont Lithium Project advances into further technical study.  Mr. Harkins will participate in all aspects of Piedmont Lithium’s metallurgical testwork program and engineering studies in a peer review capacity.

Jim Harkins holds a Bachelor of Science in Mineral Processing Engineering from West Virginia University, is a certified US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) instructor, an active member of SME and the American Society for Quality, and a former member of the NC State University Minerals Research Laboratory advisory board.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Jim Harkins to our team as a Technical Advisor.  With 20 years of spodumene concentration experience, including 9 years as the mill manager at FMC’s historic Hallman-Beam project, Jim is one of the world’s foremost experts in spodumene concentration, and is a further example of the deep lithium industry talent pool available in Gaston County, NC.”    

For further information, contact:

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited

NEW YORK, May 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• The recently-acquired 255-acre property immediately south of the historic Hallman Beam Mine previously operated by FMC Corporation has been named the Sunnyside property and represents an integral part component of the Piedmont Lithium Project
• The Sunnyside property hosts significant surface exposures of spodumene bearing pegmatite
• High grade lithium mineralization identified in grab samples including;
• 3.47% Li₂O
• 2.82% Li₂O
• 2.10% Li₂O
• 1.99% Li₂O
• Piedmont will commence drilling on the Sunnyside property in the coming weeks, immediately after completion of the infill drilling campaign currently finishing up on the core property

Piedmont Lithium Limited (“Piedmont” or “Company”) is pleased to announce a new exploration target, the Sunnyside property, within the historic Carolina Tin Spodumene Belt (“TSB“) in North Carolina.  The Sunnyside property hosts a high grade spodumene showing located immediately south of the historic Hallman Beam Mine, which was operated for 43 years by FMC Corporation and is less than 5 miles from Piedmont’s core property.

Two large surface exposures of spodumene-bearing pegmatite have been identified by initial sampling and mapping and will be the main target of initial drilling on the Sunnyside property which will begin shortly as resource definition drilling is nearing completion at the core property.

Keith D. Phillips, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited about the prospectivity of our new property and the naming is intended to highlight the potential significance of the Sunnyside area to the broader Piedmont Lithium Project.  A successful drill campaign is nearing completion on the core property and a maiden Resource is expected by the end of June.  We will then turn our attention to Sunnyside, where we are hopeful that mine-life and/or throughput additions will have a materially positive impact on the economics of the integrated project.”

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Sunnyside Geology

The Sunnyside property consists of approximately 255 contiguous acres and hosts significant occurrences of spodumene bearing pegmatite.  Initial interpretations recognize two bodies that generally trend to the west northwest which is subparallel to the trend of the historic Hallman Beam deposit.  Surface exposures of outcrop/sub crop/float range from 60 meters by 150 meters for the northern body and from 25 meters by 150 meters for the southern body. A barren pegmatite is mapped trending north northeast.

Select grab samples from the spodumene bearing pegmatite have yielded high grade values including 3.47%, 2,82%, 2.10% and 1.99%Li₂O with further results in Appendix 1.  The mineralization is hosted in fine to coarse grained pegmatite.  Coarse grained varieties commonly contain spodumene crystals greater than 10 cm in length.  Locally, textural and/or compositional banding is observed which consistently dips moderately to the south.

Approximately 280 meters southwest of the main occurrence, several float blocks were sampled and returned 2.61% Li₂O.  Also, to the southwest, the property owner reported spodumene in cuttings from a drilled water well.  An historic mica mine occurs due west of the main occurrence, where mine dump material includes coarse grained pegmatite with muscovite sheets/books greater than 10 cm in diameter.

The Company is highly encouraged by these initial results and considers the Sunnyside exposures as a high priority drill target.  Initial drilling is scheduled for the upcoming weeks and is expected to consist of 4-6 diamond drill holes totalling 600-1000 meters.  Data will be collected from oriented drill core which will aid in the structure interpretation of the spodumene pegmatites.

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SOURCE Piedmont Lithium Limited