REVIEW: IRIS Metals Paving Way for Near-Term Lithium Production in South Dakota, US
- StockSurge Team
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
IRIS Metals (ASX: IR1) has unveiled a JORC 2012-compliant initial Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its Beecher Project in South Dakota, as it moves towards its goal of near-term lithium production in the US.
The Indicated Resource totals 2.20 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.05% Li₂O, focused on the Longview pegmatite—one of three known lithium-bearing pegmatites within the Beecher Project. The resource supports a fully permitted open-pit mine restart, advancing IRIS’s strategy to establish a scalable hub-and-spoke production model in the broader Black Hills region.
Pathway to Production and Strategic Expansion
IRIS will collect a bulk sample in Q2 CY2025 to progress advanced metallurgical test work. Early results show the Longview ore can be processed using a conventional dense media separation (DMS) and flotation flowsheet, achieving up to 80% lithium recovery to produce SC6 spodumene concentrate—a key battery-grade lithium product.
The company is aiming to deliver additional MREs for its Tin Mountain and Edison Projects in Q4 2025, supporting a centralised processing facility. A refined, project-wide MRE is also expected in Q1 2026, alongside a comprehensive economic study.
With a 17,000-hectare land package, IRIS is targeting an 8–10 Mt exploration objective, forming the backbone of its long-term lithium production strategy in the US.
President of U.S. Operations, Matt Hartmann, commented: “This [Beecher Project] resource represents potential near-term production from one of the three lithium-bearing pegmatites at the Beecher Project and marks the first step in quantifying IRIS’ mineral resource inventory in South Dakota. IRIS will continue to aggressively advance drilling at Beecher and other development projects in the Black Hills as we progress our hub & spoke operational model towards a project study and investment decision in early 2026.”
2025 Drilling and Development Timeline
IRIS has a packed pipeline of deliverables for 2025, including:
Ongoing drilling at Beecher, Tin Mountain, and Edison Projects
Expansion of airborne geophysics across the Black Hills portfolio
Federal claim exploration to unlock future targets
Continued process optimisation and mining studies
Evaluation of strategic downstream partnerships for battery-grade lithium production
Iris reported approximately A$6.5M in cash at bank for the period ended 31 December 2024 and has a market capitalisation of about A$34M at 20 cents per share.
