Surge Battery Metals drills 116 meters of 3,752 ppm Lithium at Nevada North Lithium Project, Nevada
Surge Battery Metals Inc. [TSXV: NILI; OTCQX: NILI; FSE: DJ5] reported that Nevada North Lithium LLC (NNL), the joint venture formed by Surge and Evolution Mining Limited [OTC: EVMNY], has reported the second and final batch of assay results from its 2025 core drilling program at the Nevada North Lithium Project (NNLP), Nevada.
Following the successful step-out results reported in Part 1, these final five holes focused on infill drilling to support the upcoming Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). The results confirm the continuity and high grade of the deposit’s core.
Highlights from the Final 5 Holes – Significant High-Grade Intercepts: Hole NNL-030 intersected a cumulative thickness of 116 metres (381 ft) averaging 3,752 ppm Lithium (Li), including a high-grade upper zone of 32.1 metres (105 ft) grading 4,521 ppm Li.
Deposit Continuity: Hole NNL-036 confirmed the robustness of the resource, returning 78.6 metres (258 ft) averaging 3,141 ppm Li, including a deep, high-grade basal zone grading 4,580 ppm Li.
Critical Hydrogeological Data: Hole NNL-035, strategically positioned near Texas Spring, provided essential groundwater monitoring data. While this hole intersected a high-energy fluvial channel (resulting in naturally eroded clay horizons), it successfully installed Vibrating Wire Piezometers (VWPs) to model the basin’s hydrology-a key requirement for the PFS and permitting.
Critical Geotechnical Data: Successfully captured high-resolution televiewer data and completed geotechnical logging across all 2025 drill holes, ensuring precise modeling of fault structures. Representative samples from every lithological unit are now undergoing rock strength testing to define safe pit wall angles for the PFS.
Strategic By-Product Potential: Infill drilling consistently returns consistently elevated concentrations of Cesium (up to 163 ppm) and Rubidium (up to 349 ppm) directly associated with the lithium core. The Company is actively evaluating the deportment of these high-value critical minerals in the ongoing metallurgical study, representing an opportunity for the project’s value proposition.
The primary objective of these holes was to convert Inferred Resources to the Indicated and Measured categories. The results exceeded expectations, with consistent mineralization intersected across significant widths.
Hole NNL-030 stands out as a top-tier intercept, returning nearly 120 metres averaging >3,700 ppm Li, confirming the presence of a thick, ultra-high-grade core that will likely drive early-year economics in the mine plan.
Hole NNL-032, in the centre of the current resource, bolsters the high Li grades and thicknesses of horizons in the center of the deposit.
Hole NNL-033 fills in a critical area in the north of the resource, connecting the two-hole pad in the northeast to the rest of the mineralized sequence.
Hole NNL-035 targeted a strategic hydrogeological location near Texas Spring. Drilling encountered a localized fluvial scour zone, resulting in a thinner mineralized interval (23.1m at 1,743 ppm Li). Crucially, the hole was successfully completed as a monitoring well with Vibrating Wire Piezometers (VWPs). This installation provides the essential groundwater data required to calibrate the regional model and de-risk the environmental permitting timeline.
Hole NNL-036 demonstrated that high-grade mineralization persists at depth, intersecting a 9.4-meter zone of 4,580 ppm Li near the bottom of the hole (422-453 ft).
Greg Reimer, President, CEO and Director of Surge, commented, “This infill drilling is doing exactly what it was designed to do: upgrade the resource, confirm continuity of some of our best lithium intercepts and de-risk the early years of a potential mine plan at Nevada North. Coupled with a robust PEA economic profile, we believe Nevada North is strongly positioned as we move forward with the development of our PFS. We look forward to updating the Mineral Resource Estimate as our next key milestone.”
Surge Battery Metals is at the forefront of securing the supply of domestic lithium through its active engagement in the Nevada North Lithium Project. The project focuses on development of high-grade lithium energy metals in Nevada, USA, a crucial element for powering battery electric storage and electric vehicles.
Evolution Mining is a leading, globally relevant gold miner. Evolution operates six mines, comprising five wholly-owned mines – Cowal in New South Wales, Ernest Henry and Mt Rawdon in Queensland, Mungari in Western Australia, and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada, and an 80% share in Northparkes in New South Wales.
Nevada North Lithium LLC owns the Nevada North Lithium Project southeast of Jackpot, Nevada about 73 km north-northeast of Wells, Elko County. The first three rounds of drilling at the project identified a strongly mineralized zone of lithium bearing clays occupying a strike length of more than 4,300 metres and a known width of greater than 1,500 metres. Highly anomalous soil values and geophysical surveys suggest there is potential for the clay horizons to be much greater in extent.
The Nevada North Lithium Project has a pit-constrained Inferred Resource containing an estimated 11.24 Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) grading 3,010 ppm Li at a 1,250-ppm cutoff. The recently completed PEA for the project reported an after-tax NPV8% US $9.17 Billion and after-tax IRR of 22.8% at $24,000/t LCE and an OPEX of US $5,243/t LCE.