Ken Brinsden
Photo by: Bloomberg
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Pilbara Minerals has produced its first coarse concentrate from the Pilgangoora lithium project, in Western Australia.
The first coarse production followed on from the first fines concentrate last month, and resulted from the coarse circuit being brought on line.
A total of some 1 000 t of coarse and fines concentrate has been produced to date.
The company said on Tuesday that with each primary sub-circuit of the Pilgangoora concentrator having now been operated, commissioning of the plant can now move forward to completion, then to product specification optimisation and production ramp-up.
As part of completing the commissioning process and product specification optimisation, fines concentrate will now undergo final processing through the dressing circuit, which is one of the last sub-systems to be commissioned within the concentrator.
Fines concentrate will be assayed following final commissioning of the spodumene concentrate dressing circuit. Assays are awaited for the coarse concentrate production.
“The extensive planning and due-diligence undertaken by our engineering, construction and production teams is now well and truly paying dividends as we progressively bring the plant on line and ramp up its capacity,” said Pilbara MD and CEO Ken Brinsden.
“We look forward to the successful delivery of our first high quality concentrate products to our customers next month,” he added.
The Stage 1 project at Pilgangoora will be a two-million-tonne-a-year operation, producing an average of 314 000 t/y of 6% spodumene concentrate and 321 000 lb/y of tantalite, over 36 years. The Stage 2 expansion will increase production to five-million tonnes a year.