PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Lithium miner Pilbara Minerals has loaded its maiden shipment of spodumene concentrate at Port Hedland, which is expected to depart shortly to offtake partners in Asia.
The company’s chartered vessel is expected to receive up to 8 800 t of spodumene concentrate, with the product being loaded consisting of a blend of coarse and fines concentrates from the Pilgangoora concentrator.
“Our first shipment is on spec and will soon be on its way to our customers, representing a historic moment for everyone involved with the company,” said Pilbara MD and CEO Ken Brinsden.
“The efficient and professional execution of each step along the way is testament to the capacity of our team and the upfront investment that Pilbara has made in the Pilgangoora project and its facilities.”
“To achieve this in under four years since we put in our first drill hole is a demonstration of the quality of our project, our people and our partners,” Brinsden added.
He noted that with the shipment milestone now being achieved, Pilbara will continue to focus on ramping up the Pilgangoora plant to its Stage 1 nameplate capacity to fulfill the sizeable offtake positions of its customers.
“With the ramp-up of all elements of the Stage 1 project now well and truly on track, the Stage 2 expansion of the Pilgangoora project to five-million tonnes a year will now be front-of-mind for us. That will cement Pilbara Minerals’ position as one of the most important new lithium raw material developments globally.”
The Stage 2 expansion will increase production from 314 000 t/y, to between 800 000 t/y and 850 000 t/y of high-quality spodumene concentrate over a mine life of 17 years.