PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Bald Hill lithium and tantalum project, in Western Australia, has moved into the feasibility study stage, following a positive conceptual engineering study.
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the conceptual study at the Bald Hill mine. This has allowed us to move confidently into a feasibility study and engage an engineering group with experience in lithium engineering, construction and mine commissioning,” ASX-listed Tawana Resources MD Mark Calderwood reported on Monday.
The feasibility study, which will likely be completed by the end of March, will look at a staged flow sheet, which is expected to reduce the time and cost to initial production, allowing a fast-tracked approach from the study to detailed design, construction, commissioning and lithium concentrate production.
The Phase 1 flow sheet will consist of a one-million-tonne-a-year spodumene concentrator circuit, and long-lead items will be procured during the early stages of the detailed design, in order to meet a targeted commissioning date of October 2017.
“The company continues to be well positioned to become a spodumene producer in 2017. The company is also fully funded to complete the feasibility study, detailed design, any deposits required for long lead capital items and the ongoing resource and exploration drilling,” said Calderwood.