Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL, OTC:PLLTL) Inc accomplice Atlantic Lithium Ltd (AIM:ALL, OTCQX:ALLIF, ASX:A11) continues to make vital progress to start mining the Ewoyaa Lithium Undertaking in Ghana, West Africa, together with acquiring bulk buyer classification from the Power Fee which is able to scale back total electrical energy price by 30%-50%.
The allow, which is legitimate for one 12 months and renewable earlier than its expiration, will enable the corporate to enter right into a aggressive bid course of with varied bulk power suppliers within the nation.
The companions are concentrating on the graduation of building in late 2024 and preliminary manufacturing in early 2025.
Agency path to manufacturing
“Following the grant of the mining lease in October 2023, we at the moment are firmly on the trail in the direction of constructing Ewoyaa as Ghana’s first lithium mine,” Atlantic Lithium chief govt officer Keith Muller stated.
“Alongside our ongoing lately prolonged exploration packages, which proceed so as to add worth to the challenge, glorious progress is being made in the direction of reaching shovel readiness.”
Among the many progress made, the allowing section is effectively underway, with the corporate having had energetic engagement with native stakeholders inside and surrounding Ewoyaa’s lease space, together with holding an inaugural neighborhood consultative committee assembly in October to debate how the challenge can profit the native inhabitants.
“Ever because the firm started working in Ghana, the native inhabitants has proven unbelievable backing for the challenge and this continues whilst we close to building,” Muller added.
Different key contracts progressing quickly embrace:
- Superior discussions for the award of the engineering, procurement, building and administration (EPCM) contract for the principle processing plant and all non-processing infrastructure;
- Tender stage underway to nominate a mining contractor and for the procurement of the modular dense media separation (DMS) unit, respectively;
- Tender stage to begin imminently for the procurement of the cellular crusher to feed the modular DMS unit; and
- Award of contract within the second quarter of subsequent 12 months to divert transmission strains crossing the challenge website.
Flotation research
A flotation scoping research has been accomplished and confirms the case for the inclusion of a flotation circuit, which is able to function independently and downstream from the principle DMS plant.
Naturally occurring fines, presently supposed to be offered as a low-grade lithium secondary product, might be processed by way of the flotation circuit into higher-value focus merchandise.
These merchandise will scale back the corporate’s publicity to the low-grade lithium-bearing merchandise market within the occasion the market is adversely affected within the near-to-medium time period.
The development and integration of the circuit might be carried out after the principle processing plant has achieved a gentle state of two.7 million tonnes annualised throughput.
Feldspar research
The definitive feasibility research to evaluate the viability of manufacturing feldspar as a by-product of spodumene focus manufacturing to be equipped to the native Ghanaian ceramics market is constant.
This research, undertaken along side the College of Mines and Expertise, has now accomplished sodium evaluation of drilling samples saved on the challenge website.
The sodium evaluation, together with X-ray diffraction evaluation of a collection of complete rock pegmatite samples, will feed right into a maiden mineral useful resource estimate for feldspar manufacturing.
The maiden MRE, which is able to prioritise the primary 5 years of the challenge’s mine schedule, is anticipated to be revealed this quarter.
Atlantic Lithium believes Ewoyaa might be a serious home supply of feldspar and generate vital worth to the challenge and the native communities throughout the central area and to Ghana extra broadly, together with job creation within the ceramics sector in addition to companies and providers associated to the business.
Key appointments
A variety of strategic hires had been made lately to bolster the expertise and experience of the management group.
Ahmed-Salim Adam joins as basic supervisor of Operations, Andrew Henry as basic supervisor for Industrial and Finance, and Simone Horsfall as basic supervisor of Individuals.
An completed mining basic supervisor with greater than 15 years of expertise throughout all phases of mine growth, manufacturing and closure in Ghana, Adam has an intensive understanding of technical, monetary and regulatory complexities throughout the mining sector, in addition to robust management qualities.
In the meantime, Henry brings vital business and finance administration expertise, together with throughout the mining sector, the place he has honed his experience on technique, planning and evaluation, contracts, and large-scale challenge growth.
He was most lately the business supervisor at international lithium chemical compounds firm Allkem and previous to that, at main gold mining firm Newcrest Mining, the place he spent greater than 4 years.
A senior human sources skilled with a give attention to the mining sector, Horsfall spent greater than a decade at AngloGold Ashanti as Human Assets supervisor and, extra lately, at 29Metals as group supervisor of Human Assets.
Her appointment will assist the corporate’s transition in the direction of turning into a globally vital lithium producer.
