Advantage Lithium, the 75% owner of the Argentina-based Cauchari joint venture with Orocobre, has appointed GHD Chile to complete early engineering geared towards completing a feasibility study by June next year.

Advantage Lithium is fast-tracking the project, jumping straight to the definitive feasibility study, passing the intermediate preliminary feasibility study, given its faith in the expertise of GHD and the technical expertise and experience of Orocobre.

The company published the results of the preliminary economic assessment in August 2018, highlighting that the Cauchari mine, in Argentina, will produce 20 000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent over 25 years and that it has a net present value of $830-million.

Advantage aims to have the Cauchari mine in production by the third quarter of 2021, and advance it to full production in 2023.

“The Cauchari project is quickly becoming one of the most advanced lithium brine development projects in South America, with similar chemistry to our nearby Olaroz lithium facility," commented Orocobre MD and CEO Richard Seville.

Advantage also reported that the Phase 3 drilling programme was nearing completion and that the results would feed into an updated resource estimate, targeted for the third quarter of next year.

Meanwhile, the company also strengthened its team in Argentina, appointing Carolina Carmona as environmental services manager to manage the project permitting processes and provide oversight to the project environmental impact assessment and other submissions.

Alex Caqueo joined the project team as senior project scheduler to coordinate all aspects of the project development plan and execution schedule.

Dave Cross was appointed CFO, replacing Lindsay Murray.

Carlos Perez joined the company as site manager to oversee site and camp activities as the project moves towards production. He has extensive experience managing mining project activities in the north of Argentina.