In Namibia’s Hardap Region, between Kalkrand and Hoachanas, the horizon is flat and the ground is white with salt.
Beneath these dry pans lies what Arcadia Minerals believes to be one of the country’s most significant new lithium prospects.
The Bitterwasser Project, spanning over 340,000 hectares, is unique in that it encompasses both lithium in clays and lithium in brines.
Together, these two systems could add a new dimension to Namibia’s emerging role in supplying the minerals needed for the global energy transition.
The Bitterwasser licenses stretch across a fault-bound half-graben basin, filled with sedimentary packages up to 100 metres thick and capped by red Kalahari sands. Salt pans, some kilometres wide, dominate the surface. Beneath their flat crusts, Arcadia has identified lithium, potassium, and boron anomalies that point to mineralisation.
The combination of surface clays and subsurface aquifers sets Bitterwasser apart from most other lithium deposits.
Lithium globally is extracted in three ways. Hard-rock spodumene is mined in Australia and elsewhere by blasting and crushing pegmatite ore.
Lithium in brines is exploited in South America’s salars, where lithium-bearing waters are pumped into evaporation ponds. Lithium-in-clays, a newer category, involves leaching fine-grained sediments.
Namibia now hosts all three forms. At Uis and Lithium Ridge, Andrada Mining is developing hard-rock spodumene deposits. At Bitterwasser, Arcadia is advancing the dual potential of clays and brines.
Arcadia holds Bitterwasser through its Namibian subsidiary, Brines Mining & Exploration Namibia (Pty) Ltd (BME).
The project comprises four Exclusive Prospecting Licenses—7614, 8101, 8102, and 8103—with EPL 8104 pending transfer into BME’s name. Together, these span about 343,894 hectares.
The initial step occurred in 2021, when BME secured a 25 per cent interest in the Bitterwasser ground through an option agreement.
In September 2023, BME exercised its second option and acquired the balance of shares in Bitterwasser Lithium Exploration (Pty) Ltd, giving Arcadia a full 100 per cent interest in the clay component of the project.
The transaction included a capital injection of N$2 million and a deferred payment of N$7 million, payable if a Definitive Feasibility Study demonstrates the extraction of at least 500,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent from brines.
This staged acquisition gave Arcadia complete control of the project area and the flexibility to pursue both clay and brine exploration strategies under a single structure.
Exploration has concentrated first on Eden Pan, one of fourteen exposed pans. In 2022, drilling and sampling activities here resulted in a JORC-compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 85.2 million tonnes at 633 parts per million lithium carbonate equivalent.
This equates to about 287,000 tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent. Cyclone test work concentrated a portion of the material to 59.6 million tonnes at 817 ppm lithium carbonate equivalent.
Metallurgical tests produced encouraging results.
Leach trials using organic acids achieved up to 82 per cent lithium recovery, outperforming results obtained with sulfuric acid.
The findings suggested that Eden Pan material could be treated efficiently and with potentially lower environmental impact than conventional processes. Because the mineralisation lies at or near the surface, mining would involve shallow excavation rather than deep blasting.
While the clay results gave Arcadia a foundation, the brine potential drew equal interest. Geophysical surveys had mapped a 42-kilometre by 9-kilometre anomaly interpreted as a saline aquifer.
In late 2023, Arcadia drilled nine vertical boreholes at six locations, targeting these structures. Stratigraphic drilling confirmed the presence of brine-bearing horizons at depths of approximately 28 metres.
Laboratory testing of the brine samples faced challenges. Results varied between laboratories, and in 2024, Arcadia reported that some assays were unreliable.
The company began reviewing analytical methodologies and sampling procedures to ensure future assays could be trusted. Despite these issues, the drilling confirmed that Bitterwasser does host subsurface brine systems worthy of further investigation.
Arcadia has set out a structured roadmap for advancing Bitterwasser. The next phase at Eden Pan involves infill and extension drilling aimed at upgrading the Inferred Resource to Indicated status.
This will provide greater confidence in tonnage and grade estimates, allowing for more robust economic modelling. A pre-economic assessment and scoping study are being prepared to define the early economics of clay extraction and processing.
Parallel to the clay work, Arcadia is advancing brine exploration. A new six-hole drilling program is being planned to recover fresh aquifer samples and test their lithium concentrations.
These results will determine whether Bitterwasser’s brine system has commercial potential.
Metallurgical testing continues, following earlier success with organic acid leaching. Bench-scale studies are underway to refine processing methods and evaluate routes for producing battery-grade lithium carbonate.
To fund these programs, Arcadia raised about USD 1.5 million in a 2023 placement. The proceeds are being directed toward drilling, metallurgical work, and the pre-economic assessment. Management has emphasised a corporate strategy built on three pillars: bringing at least one cash-generating asset into production, reinvesting revenues into advancing the rest of the exploration portfolio, and relying on in-house technical expertise to progress early-stage projects toward feasibility.
Bitterwasser is part of a broader lithium story emerging in Namibia. At Uis, Andrada Mining is expanding hard-rock spodumene production. At Lithium Ridge, also operated by Andrada, drilling is targeting new spodumene resources.
Arcadia’s work at Bitterwasser introduces clay and brine systems, giving Namibia exposure to all three global lithium deposit types.
This diversity strengthens the country’s position as it pursues the goals outlined in the Green Industrialisation Blueprint and the forthcoming NDP6, which call for greater participation in critical mineral supply chains.
The Bitterwasser Project today stands on two tracks: a defined clay resource at Eden Pan that is being advanced through drilling and studies, and a brine system that remains in early exploration but shows large-scale potential.
Arcadia’s ownership consolidation in 2023 secured complete control of the licenses, providing a clear path to pursue both strategies.
The company’s near-term milestones include upgrading the clay resource, publishing the pre-economic assessment, and delivering new brine assay results.
