andMr. Bruton asked the Minister for Energy if he will make a statement on the extent of and plans for the exploitation of Ireland's resources of the mineral, lithium.
Written Answers. - Mineral Resources.
247.
Occurrences of the mineral lithium have been discovered, in ground, held under prospecting licences, near Tullow, County Carlow. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the full extent of mineralisation; further exploratory work would be necessary for this purpose.
The possibility of accelerating the work of exploration with a view to developing a mining operation and some downstream development arose some years ago when a major company in the lithium field and the licensee approached my Department with a view to the former party becoming involved in the project. In the detailed negotiations that took place in 1979 this party insisted on terms which my Department considered could be detrimental to the interests of the State and it was not possible, therefore, to reach agreement. The party concerned did not pursue the matter subsequently.
The prospecting licences covering the area of the lithium occurrences require the licence holder to maintain a level of exploration work that is satisfactory from my point of view. My Department, in conjunction with the Geological Survey Office, is continuously monitoring the situation to ensure that the work is done.