Bluebird Assays High-Grade Vanadium at its Drill Ready Canegrass Battery Metals Project in Western Australia and Provides Project Update
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www.bluebirdbatterymetals.com
Bluebird Assays High-Grade Vanadium at its Drill Ready Canegrass Battery
Metals Project in Western Australia and Provides Project Update
Vancouver, British Columbia, August 7, 2018 – Bluebird Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: BATT;
US:BBBMF) (the “ Company” or “ Bluebird”) is pleased to highlight its recent high grade
Vanadium assay results and provide the following update regardi ng exploration activities at the
Canegrass Ni-Co-Cu Property.
Canegrass Exploration Activities Highlights:
The Company has completed a high resolution airborne magnetic s urvey of the property
and the data is currently being reviewed in conjunction with the historical property data to
identify and prioritize drill targets for follow up diamond dri lling expected to commence
later this month.
Review of historical data highlighted strongly anamolous vanadi um, titanium and iron in
surface rock chip samples associated with the Shephard’s Discor dant Zone (“SDZ”), a
regional scale structure that hosts the Windimurra Vanadium Min e, 20 kms to the North.
The historical data, collected i n 2007 by Maximus Resources Ltd . (ASX:MXR), extends
over a 4.5 km strike length in the northern portion of the Canegrass claim group (Reference
Figure 1). In total, 325 samples returned V 2O5 grades in excess of 1.0%, with the
sample population averaging 1.21% V2O5, 12.6% TiO2 and 50.1% Fe. The full dataset
will be available on the Company’s website.
Company geologists, guiding a cultural survey of preliminary drill sites, recently collected
additional rock samples at VTEM TM 13-08 (Refer to Figure 1.0 ), in the center of the
historical sample population. These latest rock samples from ou tcrop returned the
following results:
Sample Fe TiO 2 V 2O5
# % % %
494 48.7 12.4 1.25
498 53.6 13.7 1.30
499 53.3 13.6 1.29
500 50.2 12.4 1.27
The recent results, generated from a small sample population, s uggest that the large
historical dataset results may be valid.
“Vanadium prices have increased 300% since 2017 to approximately US$19/lb at the end of July
2018, and we believe vanadium prices will continue to increase as a result of higher demand in
both the steel sector as we ll as battery manufacturing,” commented Peter A. Ball, CEO of
BlueBird. “Given the price appreciation, the vanadi um grades and potential size of the
mineralized area in the norther n portion of our Canegrass Ni-C o-Cu Project are a compelling
exploration target. The favourable structural zone transects the entirety of our Canegrass Propert,
extending over 9.0 kms from north to south. The historical grades are more than double the reserve
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grade of the adjacent Windimurra Vanadium Mine Complex a few kilometers to the north. As a
result, we will immediately look to evaluate th e resource potential in our initial exploration
program commencing in August 2018.”
Figure 1: Canegrass Property – High Resolution Airborne Magnetics and
Maximus Resources Sampling Grid Inset:
Atlantic Vanadium Ltd., (“Atlantic”), own the adjacent Windimur ra V-Fe Mine, located
approximately 20 kms to the north of BlueBird’s 100% controlled Canegrass Property. The
Windimurra Mine is a modern mine and mill complex with total ca pital investments of
AUD$500M to date. The mine is currently under care and maintena nce, and is currently being
evaluated for the potential restart of mining and processing of vanadium.
Current mineral reserves at Windimurra are estimated at 55.0 M tonnes averaging 0.49% V 2O5.
The reserve is localized within a 6.0 km section of the SDZ. Ai rborne surveys by Atlantic have
traced the SDZ over 20 kms to the south where it enters the Can egrass property (Refer to Figure
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2). Atlantic notes that they cons ider the 20 km area south of t he currently suspended mining
operation to be highly prospective for V-Fe-Ti mineralization w i t h s u r f a c e s a m p l e s r e t u r n i n g
grades in excess of 0.8% V 2O5.. As noted above, the 325 historical samples over a 4.5km lengt h
on the Canegrass property, immediately adjacent and south, averages 1.21% V2O5..
Figure 2: Atlantic Vanadium Pty Ltd.:
About Vanadium
Vanadium is a key additive used i n steelmaking to increase the hardness of steel. Globally, 85%
of Vanadium production is used in steel making. Vanadium is als o increasingly used in battery
production as Vanadium Flow Batteries are gaining increased market share. Many experts believe
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that Vanadium Flow batteries are the best solution to store ele ctricity in conjunction with
alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power, which are intermittent in nature.
“Vanadium is yet another battery metal occurri ng at our 100% owned Canegrass property,
further illustrating the significant prospectivity of mineral exploration in Australia, something we
are quite excited about. We look forward to our upcoming drill program commencing later this
month, targeting Nickel-Cobalt mineralization, and now will be expanded to include drill testing
of this high-grade Vanadium-Titanium-Iron mineralization,” commented Alf Stewart, President
of BlueBird Battery Metals.
Analysis of the four recent rock chip samples collected near VT EM TM 13-08, was carried out at
SGS Australia Pty Ltd in Perth, Australia, and samples (<3.5 kg) were dried, crushed to -75um for
analysis. The samples were then prepared by borate fusion and analysed by XRF for, Al2O3, SiO2,
Fe2O3, MgO, MnO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, P2O5, V2O5, TiO2, Cr2O3 and loss on ignition.
Details regarding the collection and analysis of the historical data are unknown at this time,
other than samples were collected by Maximus Resources Ltd. in 2007. Bluebird notes that
there is no guarantee that the historical results are representative and cannot guarantee that
the Company will be able to duplicate the results with future sampling programs.
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed an d approved Wes Hanson, P.Geo.,
a director of the Company and a Qualified Person pursuant to Na tional Instrument 43-101. The
qualified person has not yet visited the Canegrass Project, and therefore has not yet verified the
data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information or
opinions contained in the written disclosure.
About Bluebird Battery Metals
BlueBird Battery Metals (TSXV: BATT; US: BBBMF) is a Canadian publicly listed company
focused on the global exploration and development of strategic battery metals projects, primarily
cobalt, and nickel. BlueBird’s goal is to pursue a business mod el that offers direct and long-term
leverage to the price appreciation in cobalt, nickel and manganese, three principal materials in EV
batteries. The Company plans to become a leader in the battery metals sector, as cobalt is currently
in a global supply deficit, has a vulnerable supply chain, and is part of an emerging sector with
extraordinary potential. BlueBir d is currently advancing a port folio of battery metals focused
assets in in Western Australia, New South Wales, Australia, and in the Yukon, Canada, and
reviewing new acquisition opportunities to add to the Company’s project portfolio.
On Behalf of the Board of BlueBird Battery Metals Inc.
Peter A. Ball
Chairman and CEO
For more information, please contact 1-855-584-0160 or [email protected].
This news release may contain or refer to forward-looking information based on current expectations, including, but
not limited to the Company acquiring an interest in properties controlled by Pure Minerals Ltd., exploring the
Canegrass Ni-Co-Cu Property, the Batt Co-Cu Property and the impact on the Company of these events, including
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the effect on the share prices. Forward-looking information is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, as actual
results may differ materially from forecasted results. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date hereof
and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange nor their Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in the policies of the TSX Ve nture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.