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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
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.

An updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is due for release in mid-January 2022.


Owners

Source: p. 1
CompanyInterestOwnership
Lithium Power International Ltd. 100 % Indirect
On 23 December 2022, Lithium Power International Limited (“LPI” or the “Company”) successfully completed the Plan of Arrangement with joint venture partner Bearing Lithium Corp. (BRZ:TSXV) (“Bearing Transaction”) who held a 17.14% interest in the Maricunga lithium brine project in Chile (“Maricunga”).

As announced on 20 December, the Company completed the merger with Salar Blanco, LLC to acquire the 31.31% of Maricunga which was held by joint venture partner Minera Salar Blanco SpA (“SBD Transaction”) (together with the Bearing Transaction, the “Transactions”).

As a result of the Transactions LPI has now successfully completed consolidation of ownership of 100% of Maricunga.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Evaporite


Summary:

Based on the drilling campaigns carried out in the Salar between 2011 and 2021, eight major geological units were identified and correlated from the logging of drill cuttings and undisturbed core to a general depth of up to 400 m. Only borehole S-29 on the western edge of the Salar encountered bedrock at 219 m depth. Salar de Maricunga is a mixed style salar. An upper halite unit occurs (up to 34 m in thickness) in the central northern part of the Salar and hosts the upper brine aquifer. The halite unit is underlain by low permeability lacustrine sediments. 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 centre of the Salar where they form the distal facies with an increase in sand and silt. At depth two unconsolidated volcanoclastic units have been identified that appear quite similar. These two volcanoclastic units are separated by a relatively thin and continuous sand unit which may be reworked material of the lower volcanoclastic unit. A volcanic breccia was identified on the northern and western parts of the OCC that locally interfingers with the lower volcanoclastic unit. A lower brine aquifer is hosted in the lower alluvial, volcanoclastic, and volcanic breccia units (below the lacustrine sediments).

Mineralization
The brines from Maricunga are solutions nearly saturated in sodium chloride with an average concentration of total dissolved ........


Mining Methods

  • Solution mining


Summary:

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

Results of the pumping tests on the Stage One 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 there it will be pumped, using a booster pumping station, 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 OCC indicate that an average of 15,200 TPY of lithium carbonate production will require an average annual brine feed rate of 12,960 m3/d or 150 l/s.

Wellfield layout
Results of the Stage One Project pumping tests and the reserve model simulations indicate that pumping rates of individual brine production wells will range between 8 l/s and 18 l/s. Well completion depths will vary between 40 m (upper brine aquifer) and 400 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 19 wells will be required over the life of the Project. However, no more than 11 wells will be operating at a single time. Permanent power will be delivered to the wellfield area through a mid-range power lin ........


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

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Projected Production:

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Lithium t 15,200304,000
All production numbers are expressed as carbonate.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2022 study.
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Reserves at September 20, 2021:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven & Probable 92,000,000 cu. m Lithium 976 mg/L 58,000 t
Proven & Probable 92,000,000 cu. m LCE 311,000 t
Measured 162,000,000 cu. m Lithium 968 mg/L 154,500 t
Measured 162,000,000 cu. m Potassium 7125 mg/L 1,140,000 t
Indicated 216,000,000 cu. m Lithium 939 mg/L 203,500 t
Indicated 216,000,000 cu. m Potassium 6746 mg/L 1,460,000 t
Measured & Indicated 378,000,000 cu. m Lithium 953 mg/L 358,000 t
Measured & Indicated 378,000,000 cu. m Potassium 6933 mg/L 2,600,000 t

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required&nbs
Assumed price Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required&nbs
* According to 2022 study / presentation.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

2022 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Processing OpEx $M USD 58.7
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Income Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Operating margin (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
EBITDA (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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Pipelines and Water Supply
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Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 23, 2023
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Feasibility Study Report 2022
Press Release 2022
Press Release 2022
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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