PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Northern Territory government has granted lithium miner Core Lithium mining approval for its BP33 underground mine, the second proposed mine at the Finniss lithium operation near Darwin.

Core said on Thursday that the granting of the mining authorisation and mine management plan (MMP) for BP33 was the final step in the approvals process for BP33 ahead of a potential investment decision by the Core Lithium board.

BP33 is located within trucking distance of the Grants openpit, crusher and dense media separation (DMS) plant and has a current mineral resource of 10.1-million tonnes at 1.48% lithium oxide.

The BP33 project will employ 60 people during construction, and around 150 people during operations.

“The Territory is becoming a major player in the critical minerals supply chain and we have exciting opportunities for the territory to become a leading supplier of the critical minerals needed for the renewable energy transition in Australia and the world,” said Northern Territory Mining and Industry Minister Nicole Manison.

“Core Lithium has demonstrated their ability to extract and export critical minerals within a short time frame, and the latest proposed mine will be no exception. This is big news for the Northern Territory economy, local suppliers and local jobs, as we move towards a A$40-billion economy by 2030.”

The approval of the BP33 project coincided with the first shipment of spodumene concentrate from Finniss, with 5 500 t of spodumene being loaded onto the St Andrew ship at Darwin port, bound for China.

“The first export of Finniss’ spodumene concentrate was delivered safely to port ahead of schedule. This is a significant milestone for the Core business, our shareholders and the Finniss lithium operation,” said Core CEO Gareth Manderson.

“With the resumption of full mining activities at Grants, we were also able to produce, transport and load an additional 2 000 t onto the St Andrew as part of our sales agreements with Yahua. Our focus now is to safely complete commissioning of the DMS plant at Finniss and ramp up our integrated operation.”