PERTH (miningweekly.com) – First spodumene has been produced at the North American Lithium (NAL) operation in Quebec, with ASX-listed Sayona Mining telling shareholders that commissioning of the project is proceeding on schedule and within budget.
Some 70 t of lithium concentrate has been produced at NAL, marking a significant milestone in the restart of the operation.
“This is another great achievement for the team at NAL. I extend my thanks to everyone concerned for progressing the NAL restart on time and on budget, something few others have achieved in recent times amid escalating cost and supply chain pressures,” said Sayona MD Brett Lynch.
“These are exciting times with the first saleable lithium concentrate to be produced soon, marking the next step in Sayona’s evolution towards becoming a leading hard rock lithium producer.”
The company told shareholders that the first spodumene shipment is expected in July this year, with four shipments targeted for the first half of the 2024 financial year. Sayona is targeting the production of between 85 000 t and 115 000 t of spodumene during this period.
An earlier prefeasibility study estimated that the 1.5-million-tonne-a-year NAL operation could deliver 4.4-million tonnes of spodumene concentrate over a mine life of 27 years.
Sayona is targeting an expansion of NAL’s future mine production capacity following the recent acquisition of 48 new claims spanning nearly 2 000 ha, located adjacent to the NAL operation.