Grid Metals Corp. [TSXV: GRDM); OTCQB: MSMGF] reported the first five assays from its 2025 cesium-focused drill program at the 100%-owned Falcon West Cesium property located approximately 110 km east of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The drill target at Falcon West is pollucite-hosted cesium mineralization within the Lucy South lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite. Lucy South is a highly fractionated, shallow, and flat-lying pegmatite which is located approximately 500 metres off the Trans-Canada highway. Initial 2025 drilling has intersected the Lucy South pegmatite including a strongly fractionated core zone carrying high grades of cesium, lithium and rubidium.
Highlights from the first five drill holes include 1.73 metres with 14.0% Cs2O, 1.71% Li2O and 0.36% Rb2O (LU25-01; from 27.1 metres), including 0.42 metres with 27.4% Cs2O; 3.01 metres with 14.0% Cs2O and 0.50% Rb2O (LU25-03; from 31.5 metres) including 0.61 metres with 24.2% Cs2O and 0.50 metres with 24.7% Cs2O and 2.90 metres with 9.6% Cs2O and 1.85% Li2O (LU25-04; from 25.8 metres), including 0.85 metres with 19.6% Cs2O.
The company is completing approximately 70 drill holes, focused on delineating the initial near-surface strike and extent of the Lucy South pegmatite and the distribution of cesium within it. The current drill program is the first concerted effort to define the potential for a cesium resource at the property. The company is pleased to note that the cesium mineralization in the first five drill holes appears to be primarily associated with the mineral pollucite, the preferred mineral for cesium chemical processing.
Dr. Dave Peck, P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration, stated: “Our Falcon West cesium drill program is off to a great start with hole LUC25-03 returning the highest cesium grade-thickness intercept ever recorded at the Property and one of the highest grade-thickness cesium intercepts reported in recent years, globally. Cesium grades north of 20% in drill core are exceptionally rare, marking the Lucy South pegmatite and the Falcon West property as a notable geological target.”
Robin Dunbar, CEO of Grid Metals, commented, “Cesium is one of the rarest and most sought-after critical metals with a growing number of strategic applications. In the last several months, it has been designated a critical metal by both the U.S. and Canadian governments.
The cesium market is facing a global shortfall of feedstock to supply a growing number of applications including defense applications and next-generation solar panels. We are off to a positive start in our efforts to demonstrate that Falcon West has the potential to develop into a globally significant cesium project to support a North American focused cesium supply chain.”
The current area of exploration interest is the near-surface portion of the Lucy South pegmatite where several recent exploration campaigns identified high cesium values. The initial area of interest is an approximate 150×40 metre area where the Lucy South pegmatite is within ~35 metres of surface. In this initial phase, a substantial portion of the target area will be drilled at closely spaced centres.
To date, drilling has identified a distinct zonation pattern of mineralization within the Lucy South pegmatite. Zonation consists of a wall zone on the margins of the pegmatite with variably developed internal subzones enriched in cesium (pollucite +/- biotite), lithium (spodumene +/- lepidolite), rubidium (feldspar +/- biotite) and tantalum (presumed to be associated with columbo-tantalite). The discrete nature of the pegmatite and the distinctive mineral assemblage provides a well-defined exploration target for the ongoing and future drill programs.
As noted, the company is planning to complete approximately 70 drill holes by the end of 2025 with all holes targeting Lucy South within approximately 35 metres of surface. Based on the success of the current program, a follow-up program would likely commence in January 2026.
Grid Metals is focused on exploration and development in southeastern Manitoba with four key projects in the Bird River area.
The Makwa Property (Ni-Cu-PGM-Co), which is subject to an option and joint venture agreement whereby Teck Resources Ltd. [TSX: TECK.B; TECK.A; NYSE: TECK] can earn up to a 70% interest in Makwa by incurring a total of CAD$17.3 million, comprising project expenditures (CAD$15.7 million) and cash payments or equity participation (CAD$1.6 million) with Grid. Makwa is located on the south arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt.
The Mayville Property (Cu-Ni) is located on the north arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt. The property is owned subject to a minority interest.
The Falcon West Property (Li-Cs) is located 110 km east of Winnipeg along the Trans-Canada highway and contains highly anomalous cesium values including 3.0 m at 14.0% Cs2O and 2.2 m at 15.0% Cs2O.
The Donner Property (Li-Cs) is adjacent to the Mayville Property, and Grid owns 75% of the project.
All of the company’s southeastern Manitoba projects are located on the ancestral lands of the Sagkeeng First Nation with whom the company maintains an exploration agreement.
