PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior Piedmont Lithium has acquired a 60.6 acre parcel of land in North Carolina as a potential site for a planned lithium chemical plant.
The site is some 20 miles from the proposed Piedmont lithium mine and concentrator, which would minimise the cost of freight for concentrate delivery to the proposed plant, Piedmont told shareholders on Thursday.
Located within a heavy industrial zone, the site had direct access to a Norfolk Southern rail line, as well as major roads, while also having access to natural gas and power transmission.
“We are very pleased to have identified such an attractive site for our downstream operations. The site is a short drive from our core mining and concentration properties, it is the proper scale for our contemplated lithium chemical production operation, and it offers all the infrastructure one would seek for such a facility,” said Piedmont president and CEO Keith Phillips.
The site will now be included in the scoping study for the Piedmont operation, which is on track for completion in the third quarter of this year.
The proposed plant will convert spodumene concentrate into lithium chemicals, with a focus on battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The company will start permitting for the lithium chemical plant once the scoping study has been completed.
“Piedmont is focused on building an integrated lithium chemical operation in North Carolina, and this site will be an integral part of our plan,” Phillips said.