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Chile
Maricunga Project

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 Location:
135 NE from Copiapó, Chile

  Project Contacts:
Level 7,151 Macquarie Street
Sydney
New South Wales, Australia
2000
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StagePermitting
Mine TypeIn-Situ
Commodities
  • Lithium
  • Potassium
Mining Method
  • Solution mining
Processing
  • Lithium Carbonate Plant
  • Solvent Extraction
  • Ion Exchange (IX)
  • Solar evaporation
Mine Life20 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
MSB received its environmental approval (RCA) for the Maricunga Project on February 4, 2020. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was submitted to the Chilean Authority, Servicio de Evaluacion Ambiental (SEA), in September 2018.

The EIA approval represents the final major regulatory milestone in advancing the Project, which is now ready to move towards construction subject to completion of Project Financing.
Latest NewsBearing Closes Private Placement     December 1, 2020


Owners & OPERATOR

 
CompanyInterestOwnership
Bearing Lithium Corp. 18.02 % Indirect
Minera Blanco 30.98 % Indirect
Lithium Power International Ltd. 51 % Indirect
Minera Salar Blanco SpA. (operator) 100 % Direct
Lithium Power continues to hold 51 per cent ownership of the Maricunga Joint Venture Company, Minera Salar Blanco S.A. (MSB). The remaining shareholding in MSB remains unchanged, with Minera Blanco (a private company owned by Mr Martin Borda) holding 30.98 per cent and Toronto listed company Bearing Lithium holding 18.02 per cent.

Deposit Type

  • Evaporite


Summary:

Salars occur in closed (endorheic) basins without external drainage, in dry desert regions where evaporation rates exceed stream and groundwater recharge rates, preventing lakes from reaching the size necessary to form outlet streams or rivers. Evaporative concentration of surface water over time in these basins leads to residual concentration of dissolved salts (Bradley et al., 2013) to develop saline brines enriched in one or more of the following constituents: sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, carbonate species, and, in some basins, metals elements such as boron and lithium.

Salar de Maricunga is a mixed style salar, with a halite nucleus of up to 34 m in thickness in the central northern part. The halite unit is underlain by a clay core on the eastern and central part of the Salar. The clay is locally interbedded with silt and silty sands. The Salar is surrounded by relative coarse grained alluvial and fluvial sediments. These fans demark the perimeter of the actual salar and at depth grade towards the center of the Salar where they form the distal facies with an increase in sand and silt. At depth two unconsolidated volcaniclastic units have been identified that appear quite similar. These two volcaniclastic are separated by a relatively thin and continuous sand unit which may be reworked material of the lower volcaniclastic unit.

The brines from Maricunga are solutions saturated or close to saturation in sodium chloride with an average concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) of 311 g/l. The average brine density is 1.20 g/cm3. Other components present in the Maricunga brine are: K, Li, Mg, Ca, SO4, HCO3 and B. Elevated values of strontium (mean of 359 mg/l) also have been detected.


Mining Methods

  • Solution mining


Summary:

The production process starts with the brine extraction wells in the Salar.

Results of the pumping tests on the Blanco Project indicate that brine abstraction from the Salar will take place by installing and operating a conventional brine production wellfield. Brine from the individual production wells will be fed into two collection/transfer ponds in the northwest of the Salar from where it will be boosted through the main trunk pipeline up to the evaporation ponds some 12 km to the north in the general plant area.

The brine composition and lithium concentrations of the Blanco Project indicate that a 20,000 TPY lithium carbonate production will require an average annual brine feed rate of 16,4120 m3/d. Seasonal fluctuations in the evaporation rate dictate that the required brine feed rate may be as low as 5,110 m3/d (59 l/s) during the winter months and will reach a maximum of 21,560 m3/d (250 l/s) during the summer months.

Results of the Blanco Project pumping tests and the reserve model simulations indicate that pumping rates of individual brine production wells will range between 14 l/s and 25 l/s. Well completion depths will vary between 40 m (upper brine aquifer) and 200 m (lower brine aquifer). The brine production wells will be completed with 12-inch diameter stainless steel production casing and equipped with 380 V submersible pumping equipment. It is projected that a total of 44 wells will be required over the life of the Project. However, no more than 15 wells will be operating at a single time. Permanent power will be delivered to the wellfield area through a mid- range power line.

Brine discharge from each wellhead will be piped through 8-inch diameter HDPE feeder pipelines to two central collection/transfer ponds in the northwest of the Salar. A 12 km length, 20-inch diameter steel / HDPE main trunk pipeline will be installed between the collection/transfer ponds and the evaporation ponds area. A booster pumping station will be installed at the bottom of the main trunk line adjacent to the collection ponds to pump the brine up to the evaporation ponds (130 m lift).


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Lithium Carbonate Plant
  • Solvent Extraction
  • Ion Exchange (IX)
  • Solar evaporation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The objective of the Project is to produce 20,000 TPY of battery grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3).

The raw material for both processes is the brine extracted from MSB’s mineral properties in the salar. This brine is fed to evaporation ponds where various salts precipitate. Enriched Li+ ion brine is obtained as a result of the evaporation stage.

This lithium-rich brine is fed to the Salt Removal Plant to remove most of the calcium and magnesium and further concentrate lithium in the brine. This brine is then pumped to the lithium carbonate production process, which consists of purification steps for boron, calcium and magnesium removal, a precipitation step for lithium carbonate, and steps for solid and liquid separation. Finally, there is a phase for drying, micronizing and packaging.

SOLAR EVAPORATION PONDS
The solar evaporation ponds are a group of concentration facilities that take advantage of the natural water evaporation effect to concentrat ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameterAvg. LOM
Lithium Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required
Lithium Head Grade, mg/L 1,115
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Projected Production:

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Lithium t 20,000401,000
All production numbers are expressed as carbonate.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required
Daily mining rate  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required
Annual processing rate  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2019 study.
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Reserves at December 24, 2018:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained MetalRecoverable Metal
Proven 35,000,000 cu. m Lithium 39,000 t 23,000 t
Proven 35,000,000 cu. m LCE 203,000 t 118,000 t
Probable 90,000,000 cu. m Lithium 101,000 t 58,000 t
Probable 90,000,000 cu. m LCE 539,000 t 313,000 t
Proven & Probable 125,000,000 cu. m Lithium 1117 mg/L 139,000 t 81,000 t
Proven & Probable 125,000,000 cu. m LCE 742,000 t 430,000 t
Measured 130,000,000 cu. m Lithium 1175 mg/L 146,000 t
Measured 130,000,000 cu. m Potassium 8624 mg/L 1,065,000 t
Indicated 210,000,000 cu. m Lithium 1153 mg/L 244,000 t
Indicated 210,000,000 cu. m Potassium 8306 mg/L 1,754,000 t
Measured & Indicated 350,000,000 cu. m Lithium 1167 mg/L 389,000 t
Measured & Indicated 350,000,000 cu. m Potassium 8500 mg/L 2,818,000 t
Measured & Indicated 350,000,000 cu. m LCE 2,070,000 t
Measured & Indicated 350,000,000 cu. m KCl 5,383,000 t

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required *
* According to 2019 study / presentation.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

2019 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Income Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Royalty payments $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Operating margin (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
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Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 7, 2020
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Bearing Closes Private Placement December 1, 2020
Bearing Announces Second Tranche to Private Placement November 26, 2020
Bearing Announces Private Placement November 24, 2020
Minera Salar Blanco Receives Environmental Approval for the Maricunga Lithium Project February 5, 2020
Bearing Closes Over-Subscribed Private Placement Financing February 4, 2020
Bearing Announces Private Placement Financing December 10, 2019
Bearing Announces MOU With CODELCO to Jointly Develop the Maricunga Project August 1, 2019
Bearing Announces Results of Definitive Feasibility Study January 22, 2019
Bearing Lithium Announces Submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") September 17, 2018
Bearing Lithium Announces Receipt of Key Regulatory Export License for Maricunga Project March 14, 2018
Bearing Lithium Provides Maricunga Project Update February 5, 2018
Bearing Lithium: Maricunga JV Project to Base PEA on Annual Production Totaling 20,000 Tonnes of Lithium Carbonate November 30, 2017
Bearing Lithium Closes Li3 Energy Acquisition October 2, 2017

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