Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2043 |
Forming the key part of Sayona’s Abitibi hub along with the nearby Authier Lithium Project, the restored North American Lithium (NAL) operation together with the Company’s emerging northern hub, now comprises North America’s largest lithium (spodumene) resource base.
On August 2, 2023 North American lithium producer Sayona Mining Limited announced about the first commercial shipment of spodumene (lithium) concentrate from the North American Lithium (NAL) operation in Québec, Canada. |
Source:
p. 12,21,45
Sayona Mining’s Canadian subsidiary, Sayona Québec is owned by Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA, 75%) and Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL, 25%).
Contractors
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Summary:
The project is located in the region of The Archean Preissac-Lavorne which is a syn- to post-tectonic intrusion that was emplaced in the southern Volcanic Zone of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt of the Superior Province of Québec.
The spodumene pegmatites on the property are very poorly exposed.
The rocks are split between granodiorite of the Lacorne batholith, volcanics and some biotite shists, as well as the pegmatites dykes that mainly intrude the granodiorite and the volcanics.
Volcanic rocks on the property are represented by dark green mafic metavolcanics and medium grey silicified intermediate volcanics. The mafic rocks are medium grey to dark grey-green colour and cryptocrystalline to very fine grained.
Both mafic and intermediate volcanic rocks are affected by moderate to strong pervasive silicification, minor chloritisation and patchy to pervasive lithium alteration. There is alteration of the green hornblende in proximity to the spodumene pegmatite. There are also amphibolites that are fine grained, weakly foliated and dark green.
The granodiorite is medium grey to greenish grey, massive coarse grained to porphyritic, and exhibits a salt-pepper appearance. The main mineral constituents of granodiorites are light grey to greenish white plagioclase (40-45 vol%), dark green to black amphibole, most likely hornblende (15-20 vol%), mica(20 vol%), represented by biotite and muscovite, grey quartz (10-15%vol) and ........
Summary:
Mining will be undertaken by conventional bulk mining methods utilising hydraulic excavators, dump trucks and drill and blast coupled to a ROM stockpile. Ore will be trucked directly from the blasted faces to the ROM stockpile and fed to the primary crusher using Front-End Loader (FEL). Allowance has been made for blending from the ROM and external stockpiles. The planned mining operation is based on 12 hour shifts with two crews working one week (7 days) double shifts and 2 weeks (14 days) single shifts.
Planned mining activities are as follows:
- Clearing of vegetation, stripping of topsoil and overburden, and removal to storage location on-site;
- Haul road and ramp construction;
- Drilling and blasting of ore and associated waste, including pre-splits on final walls;
- Loading of ore and waste from the pits;
- Haulage of ore to the ROM pad and waste to dump areas.
The pit will be mined using 10 m benches separated in 2 to 3 flitches in ore (of varying height depending on the blasting heave). This height gives reasonable production efficiency while keeping dilution to a minimum. In waste, the flitch height could be increased to improve efficiency within the limits of the equipment size
Mining will be undertaken using phases, commencing with the development of the actual Phase 1 at the south-east limit of the deposit, advancing to the north and in depth in six ph ........
Source:
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Reserves at April 14, 2023:
Ore reserves are measured as dry tonnes at the crusher above a diluted cut-off grade of 0.60% Li2O.
The calculated open-pit cut-off grade is 0.15% Li2O for open pit, a cut-off grade of 0.60% Li2O was used for the open-pit MRE due to processing limitations.
The cut-off grade for underground resources was calculated at 0.62% Li2O, but rounded to 0.60% Li2O; it used identical costs and recoveries, except for mining costs being at C$100/t.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
Total
|
0.7 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.24 %
|
8,700 t
|
Probable
|
Total
|
21 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.08 %
|
226,800 t
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
21.7 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.08 %
|
235,500 t
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
1 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.19 %
|
11,700 t
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
24 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.23 %
|
296,600 t
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
25 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.23 %
|
308,200 t
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
22 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.2 %
|
264,100 t
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
11 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.3 %
|
141,800 t
|
Total Resource
|
Total
|
58.3 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.23 %
|
714,200 t
|
Financials:
| Units | 2023 | 2022 |
Pre-tax Income
|
M CAD
| ...... | ...... |
After-tax Income
|
M CAD
| ...... | ...... |
Operating Cash Flow
|
M CAD
| ...... | ...... |
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