Neo Lithium Corp (CVE:NLC) (OTCQX:NTTHF) (FRA:NE2) said it has hired Golder Associates Ltd, as well as the Argentinean National University of San Martin (UNSAM), to assist with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program as part of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) in preparation for the future construction and operation of Neo Lithium’s 3Q Lithium Project in Argentina.
As part of the ESG protocols for the 3Q project, Golder will estimate the project’s carbon footprint and benchmark the carbon intensity and other key ESG metrics against similar projects.
"We have been working since the very beginning of the project following the highest standards. We now bring Golder to work cooperatively with UNSAM and our team to upgrade the standards to be applied even further to future construction and production of the 3Q Project," Neo Lithium CEO Waldo Perez said in a statement.
READ: Neo Lithium advancing one of the world's best lithium brine projects towards final feasibility
Perez added: "We take very seriously our compromise with all of our stakeholders and future generations, which in large part includes all aspects of ESG."
UNSAM, meanwhile, has been engaged to implement sustainable mining protocols for the 3Q operation, including completing the protocols and organizing the implementation of the ESG system, as well as preparing a comprehensive regional diagnosis of relevant social issues that will allow the development of a longer-term strategy during the life of mine of the 3Q Project. The process is expected to be finalized during 2021 as part of the DFS work.
Neo Lithium noted that it started the process of preparation, training, and implementation of an ESG system through the e3 Plus framework for its 3Q Project since the early stages of exploration in 2016, which included hiring multiple international consultants.
It added that it has continued to operate and enhance these processes.
Neo Lithium’s flagship Tres Quebradas project in Argentina, also known as the '3Q' project, lies in the southern end of what is known as the ‘Lithium Triangle’, covering 35,000 hectares.
3Q is one of the top three highest-grade lithium projects in the world and is the seventh-largest brine project on the planet with significant exploration potential.
The project has proven and probable reserves of 1.3 million tonnes of lithium carbonate (LCE) with 790 milligrams per litre (mg/l) of lithium and a report last year highlighted its strong economics and 35-year mine life. In terms of resources, at the overall deposit area, using a 400 mg/l cut-off, the 3Q project has over four million tonnes of LCE in the higher confidence measured and indicated (M&I) category.
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