Overview
| Stage | Pre-Feasibility |
| Mine Type | In-Situ |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Mine Life | 25 years (as of Jan 1, 2020) |
Updated report shows Kachi M&I resource doubled to 2.2 million tonnes Lithium Carbonate Equivalent with 3.1 million tonnes Inferred resource. Considering this material resource upgrade, and with a new team now in place, the Company is doing a rigorous evaluation of project timelines and estimated capital costs, which it expects to complete and report on early in the second quarter of 2023. |
Source:
p. 8
The Company owns 100% of the project, which covers 70,000 hectares (170,000 acres) with 37 mineral exploration leases held through Lake’s Argentine subsidiary, Morena del Valle Minerals SA.
Contractors
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Summary:
The known sediments within the salar consist of salt/halite, clay, sand and silt horizons, accumulated in the salar from terrestrial sedimentation and evaporation of brines. Brines within the Salt Lake are formed by solar concentration, interpreted to be combined with warm geothermal fluids, with brines hosted within sedimentary units. Geology was recorded during the diamond drilling and from chip samples in rotary drill holes.
The Salar de Carachi Pampa is located within a large hinterland water catchment that focuses water flows into the closed drainage intermontane Carachi Pampa basin of about 9,500 km2. In particular, it drains the lithium bearing volcanic rocks of Cerro Galan volcano and associated hot springs, which is also interpreted to be the source of lithium for the Livent’s Fenix lithium brine project production at Salar de Hombre Muerto, about 110 km north of Kachi.
The Carachi Pampa basin is bounded to the east and west by NNE-SSW trending mountain ranges that have been raised by reverse faults to expose a basement sequence of rocks that rise to an elevation of 5,100 metres. The ranges are formed from Ordovician Falda Cienaga Formation comprising green-grey turbidites in outcrop, Permian Pataquia Formation, a red-bed sedimentary unit, and beige-green Eocene-aged Geste Formation of continental fluvial sediments.
The Carachi Pampa salt lake is rhomboidal in shape with a NW-SE long-axis, and covers a known surface area of about 135 ........
Summary:
The conceptual mining method is recovering brine from the Salt Lake via a network of wells, the established practice on existing lithium and potash brine projects.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Projected Production:
| Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual |
|
Lithium
|
t
| 25,500 |
All production numbers are expressed as carbonate.
Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | |
|
Annual production capacity
| ...... |
|
Annual processing rate
| ...... |
|
Annual brine extraction
| ...... |
* According to 2020 study.
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Reserves at November 27, 2018:
No cut-off grade has been applied.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Indicated
|
650,000,000 cu. m
|
Lithium
|
289 mg/L
|
188,000 t
|
|
Indicated
|
650,000,000 cu. m
|
Potassium
|
5880 mg/L
|
3,500,000 t
|
|
Indicated
|
650,000,000 cu. m
|
LCE
|
|
1,005,000 t
|
|
Indicated
|
650,000,000 cu. m
|
KCl
|
|
6,705,000 t
|
|
Inferred
|
3,200,000,000 cu. m
|
Lithium
|
209 mg/L
|
638,000 t
|
|
Inferred
|
3,200,000,000 cu. m
|
Potassium
|
4180 mg/L
|
12,500,000 t
|
|
Inferred
|
3,200,000,000 cu. m
|
LCE
|
|
3,394,000 t
|
|
Inferred
|
3,200,000,000 cu. m
|
KCl
|
|
24,000,000 t
|
|
Total Resource
|
3,800,000,000 cu. m
|
Lithium
|
211 mg/L
|
826,000 t
|
|
Total Resource
|
3,800,000,000 cu. m
|
Potassium
|
4380 mg/L
|
16,000,000 t
|
|
Total Resource
|
3,800,000,000 cu. m
|
LCE
|
|
4,400,000 t
|
|
Total Resource
|
3,800,000,000 cu. m
|
KCl
|
|
30,700,000 t
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| | Commodity | Units | Average |
|
Cash costs
|
Li2CO3
|
USD
|
...... &nbs
|
|
Assumed price
|
Li2CO3
|
USD
|
...... &nbs
|
* According to 2021 study / presentation.
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2021 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :
| Metrics | Units | LOM Total |
|
Total CapEx
|
$M USD
|
......
|
|
After-tax NPV @ 8%
|
$M USD
|
......
|
|
After-tax IRR, %
|
|
......
|
|
After-tax payback period, years
|
|
......
|
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Mine Management:
| Job Title | Name | Profile | Ref. Date |
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
|
Nov 3, 2022
|
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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