UK-based mining company Aterian PLC has acquired additional licenses to explore for lithium within Botswana's Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, one of the largest areas of potential lithium brine extraction outside of South America.
Aterian acquired a 90% interest in Atlantis Metals, closing out a deal which gives the company rights to three licenses covering a combined 2,516.93 square kilometers within the salt pans in Northern Botswana. The deal also grants Aterian six new copper-silver prospecting licenses, totaling 970.08 square kilometers, in the Kalahari Copperbelt region.
Aterian already holds licenses for a lithium mine in Rwanda and has partnered with global mining giant Rio Tinto to explore in the area. "Our strategy is to responsibly explore and develop critical minerals and metals across Africa, a region vital for a successful energy transition," said Charles Bray, Executive Director at Aterian PLC. "Completing this acquisition and portfolio expansion further expands our presence on the continent. It perfectly fits our strategy of focusing on critical metals, copper and lithium, in stable and business-friendly jurisdictions."Previous testing in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans region has yielded lithium concentrations ranging from 103 mg/l to 223 mg/l, which are higher than some existing Chinese brine and lepidolite projects, but lower than the highest-grade projects in Argentina and Chile. The Salar de Cauchari project, for reference, owned by Ganfeng lithium and Lithium Americas, has a grade of 590mg/l lithium content.
While the region offers significant lithium potential, finding lithium in sufficient quantities will be challenging, especially given the large area that needs to be explored. However, recent technological advancements, such as Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), have made lower-grade lithium deposits more accessible for miners. "The Makgadikgadi Pans of the Kalahari Desert offer tremendous lithium potential. The Pan is the lowest elevation within a geological basin and so water naturally dissolves minerals, forming a brine that gathers in the pan," Charles Bray told Argus. He added that there would be "a lot of work" needed to quantify lithium concentrations in the licensed areas, but Aterian believes this region offers similar potential to the lithium brine formations in Latin America.
