Charger goes full tilt at Bynoe

Charger boss Aidan Platel has injected a sense of urgency into the Bynoe lithium project on the doorstep of Core Lithium’s Finniss mine in the Northern Territory. In less than five months, Platel, who once lied about his young age to join a mining exploration team, has put three drill rigs to work, testing deeper into the ground in pursuit of higher-grade lithium.

Platel is competitive and loves fishing and pursuing challenging goals with tangible outcomes. He attributes his passion for the thrill of the chase to his high school years and mining industry experience.  

“When I was 16, I lied to a mining camp about my age and said I was 18 so I could work for them during school holidays,” he reminisces. “I acquired practical skills that I still use today, but the most valuable lesson I learned was that mining exploration is a team effort.” 

Platel’s work in Brazil, particularly in the nickel industry, and his brief stint in Tanzania sparked his interest in battery metals. After consulting overseas, he led critical mineral explorers in Australia and became head of Charger Metals and its Bynoe lithium project. Thanks to his leadership, Bynoe is now showing promising results.

What interests you specifically about battery metals? 

It is crucial to prioritise electric vehicle materials and carbon neutrality for the betterment of our planet. The lithium sector is captivating, as big corporations invest in smaller ones for just their potential, which would have once been unthinkable. To delve into battery metals, one must discover new minerals and locate them in unorthodox manners. These dynamic aspects of the battery metals field make it both exhilarating and challenging! 

What motivates you personally? 

I love the daily excitement and urgency to make significant discoveries before time runs out. The clock is ticking, adding more tension and anticipation to the job. 

What lesson have you learned? 

We have faced frustration from seed and significant investors due to the two-year timeframe it took to reach our current point. However, I am proud that we completed all necessary licensing and land access when the rain stopped. We persisted in our efforts to commence drilling early, and our hard work has paid off as we now have a strong momentum with things moving rapidly. Additionally, the team has worked hard to acquire all the necessary permits to carry out a comprehensive drilling program, already demonstrating encouraging signs. 

What do you hope to achieve with this drilling? 

We have hired a highly experienced contractor to work in the challenging Bynoe environment. It is crucial to have expertise in this type of terrain to avoid the risk of significant downtime. Additionally, the site is dry, and we have established clear targets. The team is excited and motivated, having already drilled 8000 metres of ground since announcing drilling had commenced in mid-May.   

Have there been any recent noteworthy observations from the site?  

We are exploring a large pegmatite field and are confident in making a significant discovery at the Enterprise prospect, which has spodumene pegmatite intersections extending over 500 metres. Although lithium mineralisation in the region typically only spans 200-300 metres, Enterprise has the potential to become a significant discovery in the field, and we need to keep drilling to understand the extent of this prospect entirely. The spodumene intersections at Enterprise gave us confidence in our exploration efforts, and we are keen to explore as many of the 20 or more priority targets we have defined, including the promising 7Up prospect.  

What are the objectives of the deeper drilling? 

To fully understand the system, we drilled vertically about 250 meters across two sections. Currently, we have two areas covered. Our past programs have taught us that stepping off more than 80 meters could result in missing critical information. Therefore, we are taking baby steps between 40-50 meters and searching for at least two to three hits in each section before proceeding further. 

Do you feel pressure to maintain newsflow? 

There is persistent market pressure to announce developments regularly. I wouldn’t say I like announcing visual results. It’s always better to wait until you have the numbers before discussing them. Unfortunately, announcing visuals seems to have become the norm regarding market expectations, so you’re damned if you do it and damned if you don’t! 

What’s happening at Lake Johnston? 

We plan to begin drilling before Christmas, which is our current focus. We have recently completed a soil program, and the results should be available soon for updating the market. We also expect to complete more drilling at Medcalf, where we have previously intersected high-grade spodumene mineralisation and other targets we develop through soil and mapping.  

The drill rig begins work on the Bynoe Lithium Project.

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