Lithium Valley Main Report 2018
Mineral Resources – Mt Marion The Mt Marion lithium project is located approximately 40km south west of Kalgoorlie and is jointly owned by Mineral Resources (43.1%), Neometals (13.8%) and one of China’s largest lithium producer, Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium (43.1%). Annual production of an initial 280,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate was achieved in 2017. 89 Talison Lithium – Greenbushes lithium mine expansion Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes lithium mine, a JV between US based chemical company Albemarle and Tianqi Lithium Australia, is currently undergoing a $320m expansion. This will see the mines capacity double, ensuring it remains the world’s largest hard rock lithium mine. It is proposed to expand the processing capacity of the existing Chemical Grade lithium production from 1.92m tonnes per annum to 4.32m tonnes per annum. With the construction of a new processing plant a notional increase in production of Chemical Grade spodumene concentrate from 0.64m tonnes per annum to 1.2m tonnes per annum is expected. The expansion will require a contract workforce, which at the peak of the construction period is expected to be up to 200 employees. Some of the contract workforce will be accommodated locally, with the remainder commuting from Bunbury. It is envisaged that an additional 40 full- time employees will be required when the plant is operating at full capacity. 90 Albemarle – Kemerton Albermarle is in the final stages of the approval of its new lithium refinery in the Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area. The Albemarle Kemerton Plant will produce up to 100,000tpa of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (Lithium Hydroxide Product) from five 20,000tpa process trains. It is estimated 500 jobs will be created and up to $1 billion of capital will invested into the new refinery. Pending approvals, Albemarle aims to begin construction sometime in 2018 for an In August 2017, BHP’s Nickel West announced the construction of the worlds’ largest nickel sulphate plant within the KIA. With Phase 1 funding approval and final approvals pending, the plant is scheduled for first production in April 2019. Initially 100,000 tonnes per annum of nickel sulphate hexahydrate will be produced through dissolving nickel powder in sulphuric acid from Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie Smelter. The process will be fully automated prior to the product being bagged for sale. The plant has been designed for a low-cost expansion to 200,000 tonnes per annum as demand dictates. 92 expected first production in 2020. 91 Nickel West – Kwinana Refinery
89 Mineral Resources (2018), Mt Marion Lithium Project, http://www.mineralresources.com.au/mrl-mining/lithium.html . (Accessed: 01 May 2018) 90 Talison Lithium Australia Pty Ltd Greenbushes Mine Site CG Plant #2 Report, January 2017 91 McKinnon, S (2017), Albemarle follows lead with plans for WA lithium plant, 15 November 2017, The West Australian, https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/albemarle-follows-lead-with-plans-for-wa-lithium-plant-ng- b88660102z . (Accessed: 01 May 2018) 92 Haegel, E (2017), Nickel West – Energising Our Future, Presented at Diggers and Dealers conference, 09 August 2017, https://www.bhp.com/-/media/documents/media/reports-and-presentations/2017/170809_energisingourfuture.pdf . (Accessed: 01 May 2018)
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