Rare Earths Minerals PLC (LON:REM) associate Macarthur Minerals (CVE:MMS) has applied for five additional lithium exploration licences in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The licences cover an area of 185 sq km (45,000 acres) and would expand Macarthur’s total tenement area to 1,379 sq km (341,000 acres) for 'hard rock' lithium.
Talks are now underway over potential joint ventures to maximise exploration throughout 2016.
REM owns an approximate 15.5% stake in Macarthur.
Kiran Morzaria, REM’s chief executive, said it very much welcomed Macarthur’s expansion in to 'hard rock' lithium and focus on what is one of the key raw materials for the production of lithium batteries.