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Name of the Project
North American Lithium (NAL) project.
Location
Quebec, Canada.
Project Owner/s
Sayona Quebec is 75%-owned by Sayona Mining and 25%-owned by Piedmont.
Project Description
A positive prefeasibility study (PFS) completed in May 2022 confirmed the project’s technical and financial viability.
The project has a mine life of 27 years, based on Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant proven and probable reserves of 29.2-million tonnes grading 0.96% lithium oxide.
Conventional bulk mining methods will be used to mine using hydraulic excavators, dump trucks and drill-and-blast, coupled to a run-of-mine stockpile. The processing plant will have a capacity of 1.5-million tonnes a year and will produce 163 266 t/y of spodumene concentrate for total spodumene production of 4.4-million tonnes over the mine’s life.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of C$952-million and an internal rate of return of 140%, with a capital payback of two years.
Capital Expenditure
A$102-million.
Planned Start/End Date
The operation is on track for resumption of spodumene concentrate production in the first quarter of 2023.
Latest Developments
Commercial production of spodumene concentrate by NAL has started, with NAL producing its first spodumene concentrate at the start of March this year, with first shipments expected in July.
The project was completed on time and on budget.
Sayona is targeting an expansion of NAL’s future mine production capacity following the recent acquisition of 48 new claims spanning nearly 2 000 ha, located adjacent to the NAL operation.
A PFS is also under way to evaluate downstream production at NAL through the completion of the project’s lithium carbonate plant, which was partially built by previous owners. The results of the study are expected in the first half of this year.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
L. Fournier & Fils (mining contract).
Contact Details for Project Information
Sayona Mining, tel +61 7 3369 7058 or email info@sayonamining.com.au.