JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Emerging strategic metals company Pilbara Minerals is closing in on the feasibility study for its lithium project after delivering a major resource upgrade, the first binding offtake agreement and key downstream processing agreements during the June quarter.
The company reported on Friday that the definitive feasibility study on the Pilgangoora lithium/tantalum project was in its final stages, with all work streams progressing on schedule for the final study to be published in the coming month.
The completion of the DFS would pave the way for the final project approvals and financing, with first production targeted by the end of next year.
The Pilgangoora project, located about 120 km from Port Hedland in Western Australia, has been confirmed as the second-largest spodumene and tantaline project in the world and will be developed into one of the world’s largest lithium mines.
About 40% of the mine’s 330 000 t/y production will be supplied to a Chinese company, General Lithium, under a six-year, 140 000 t/y offtake agreement, set to start in the first quarter of 2018.
Pilbara Minerals recently reported an updated resource of 128.6-million tonnes, grading 1.22% lithium (spodumene) and 138 parts per million tantalum, containing 1.57-million tonnes of lithium oxide and 39-million pounds of tantalum. This was a 60% increase in total resource tonnage, compared with the previous resource upgrade announced on February 1 this year.