Pilbara Minerals advances lithium processing project

Australian lithium producer Pilbara Minerals Limited has announced via the ASX that its partnership with Australian environmental technology company Calix Limited has made “significant progress” in the development of the companies’ midstream lithium processing demonstration plant.

Since entering into the joint venture on 28 November 2022, the detailed front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the proposed demonstration plant has progressed towards support of a final investment decision (FID), which is expected to be put to the boards of both companies for approval in the near term.

As the date for FID was originally targeted for the end of the 2023 financial year, both JV parties have agreed to bring forward certain project expenditure in respect of the detailed engineering, initially planned for post-FID, to ensure the delivery schedule and development of the project continues unimpeded. Both parties remain committed to finalising the studies to support the FID, which are now at an advanced stage, with a decision expected to be made on or about the end of July.

The development of the demonstration plant is supported by $20 million in Australian Government funding announced under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI). The MMI Grant Agreement between Pilbara Minerals and the Australian Government (Department of Industry, Science and Resources) was executed on 28 April 2023.

Successful demonstration of the midstream process may lead to a commercial-scale plant being built as part of Pilbara Minerals’ future midstream strategy and to future commercialisation of the calcination technology, with the JV licensing the technology to the global spodumene processing industry.

Pilbara Minerals owns 100% the world’s largest, independent hard-rock lithium operation. Located in Western Australia’s resource-rich Pilbara region, the Pilgangoora Operation produces a spodumene and tantalite concentrate.

Calix Limited is an environmental technology company, whose core technology platform delivers efficient indirect heating of raw materials to enable electrification of industries, efficient capture of unavoidable emissions, and green industrial processing solutions. The company said its flash heating approach can also produce unique nanoporous materials with enhanced chemical and/or bio-activity.

Image credit: Pilbara Minerals