The Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) share price is charging higher today.
Shares in the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) lithium stock closed yesterday at 4.2 cents. In late morning trade on Thursday, shares are swapping hands for 4.4 cents apiece, up 4.8%.
For some context, the ASX 300 is down 1.0% at this same time.
Here's what's spurring investor interest today.
What's boosting the ASX lithium share?
The Sayona Mining share price is smashing the benchmark today after the miner reported it has kicked off reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its Tabba Tabba Lithium Project, located in Western Australia.
Sayona is exploring a region where air core drilling previously identified high-potential pegmatite systems. RC drilling will enable the miner to drill significantly deeper.
The initial campaign comprises more than 2,000 metres of RC drilling across 14 holes. Sayona plans to conduct additional drilling throughout 2024 as it gains more geological information across the prospective area.
On the funding front, Sayona Mining could be getting a boost after the lithium miner reported it had secured a $180,000 co-funding grant from the WA Government's Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS).
Sayona said the government grant will help finance innovative exploration drilling in the search for flat lying spodumene pegmatite systems within the Tabba Tabba lease.
According to the ASX lithium stock:
Flat lying pegmatite systems often have limited surface expression and require a systematic exploration approach to best focus drilling into the most prospective target areas.
Sayona is advancing this process, being guided by gravity data, mapping, rock and soil sampling and drill information.
What did management say?
Commenting on the drill campaign sending the Sayona Mining share price sharply higher today, CEO James Brown said:
We are excited to have commenced RC drilling over the highly prospective Tabba Tabba lease which has known lithium mineralisation in close proximity and along strike.
Previous soil sampling and air core drilling identified areas of anomalous geochemistry that have been confirmed to also contain gravity features of significance. We now intend to test these targets with RC and possibly diamond drilling as supported by results.
We are highly committed to our wholly owned Western Australian lithium assets and intend to continue an active exploration program over the 2024 field season.
Sayona Mining share price snapshot
While today's gains will be most welcomed by shareholders, the Sayona Mining share price is still down a precipitous 80% from this time last year.
