PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Lithium miner Pilbara Minerals hit its production targets during the first quarter, with the miner producing 81 431 t of spodumene concentrate, which is within the guidance of between 75 000 t and 90 000 t.
The March quarterly production was slightly below the 83 476 t produced in the December quarter, with Pilbara telling shareholders that production had, in part, been impacted by the rising instances of community transmission of Covid in Western Australia, which reduced the availability of staff and contractors.
Shipments for the March quarter totalled 58 383 t, down from the 78 679 t shipped in the December quarter, following a port delay in loading 20 000 t of cargo which was scheduled for late March, but departed Port Hedland in April.
The miner said that with Covid-19 expected to continue to partly impact the company’s operations through the June quarter, there remains some uncertainty regarding production forecasts through to June.
“Covid has, and may continue in the near term, to cause operational delays, including staffing shortages for both shutdown and operating staff. Despite these impacts, 2022 annualised production guidance has been maintained in the range of 340 000 t to 380 000 t, albeit noting that any continuing Covid-19 impacts may result in production being in the lower half of the guidance range,” the company said in a statement.