Photo by: Atlantic Lithium
Name of the Project
Ewoyaa lithium project.
Location
Ghana.
Project Owner/s
Aim-listed lithium explorer and developer Atlantic Minerals. Piedmont has an earn-in right of 50% of Atlantic’s Ghanaian projects, including Ewoyaa, and the company holds a 10% equity interest in lithium explorer Atlantic Lithium.
Project Description
Ewoyaa has probable reserves of 25.6-million tonnes grading at 1.22% lithium oxide. Total mineral resources are estimated at 35.3-million tonnes grading at 1.25% lithium oxide.
Over the 12-year life-of-mine, the project is expected to produce 3.58-million tonnes a year of 6% and 5.5% spodumene concentrate, as well as 4.7-million tonnes of secondary product as a by-product of dense-media separation (DMS).
Development involves the opencut mining of several lithium-bearing pegmatite deposits, conventional DMS processing and supporting infrastructure.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $1.5-billion and an internal rate of return of 105%, with a payback of 19 months.
Capital Expenditure
$185-million.
Planned Start/End Date
Production of spodumene concentrate and secondary product is targeted for the second quarter of 2025.
Latest Developments
Atlantic Lithium has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ghanaian University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) to undertake a definitive feasibility study (DFS) on the viability of producing feldspar feedstock as a by-product of spodumene production at the Ewoyaa project.
The DFS, released in July this year, did not consider the production of feldspar.
The partnership with UMaT will assess the prospective market conditions, as well as the and commercial, technical and financial viability of feldspar, silica and muscovite production as by-products. The outcomes of this study will form a recommendation on the viability of feldspar production, and a high-level implementation schedule for the work.
“We believe that the Ewoyaa lithium project represents a major potential source of feldspar, identified as a by-product of spodumene concentrate production at the proposed dense-media separation plant, which is widely used in ceramics and associated industries,” Atlantic CEO Keith Muller has said, adding that the commercialisation of feldspar at Ewoyaa offered the potential to generate significant value for Ghana, in addition to the project’s lithium production.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Atlantic Minerals, tel +61 2 8072 0640 or email info@atlanticlithium.com.au.