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Mexico
Sonora Project

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 Location:
52 km E from Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico

  Project Contacts:
Calle de Las Galaxias 68 Parque Industrial Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Sonora, Mexico
83297
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageConstruction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Lithium
  • Sulfate of potash (SOP)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start...
Mine Life19 years (as of Jan 1, 2018)
Sonora is regarded as one of the world’s larger known clay lithium deposits.


Owners

Source: p. 4, 9
CompanyInterestOwnership
Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co., Ltd. 50 % Indirect
Bacanora Lithium Plc. 50 % Indirect
Ganfeng completed its option to increase its stake in Sonora Lithium Ltd ("SLL") from 22.5% to 50% (the "Option") on 26 February 2021. On completion of the transaction, a revised 50:50 Joint Venture Agreement (“JVA”) came into force, whereby each party is responsible for their portion of the Project capex. After review of the provisions of the revised JVA, the Company has assessed that Bacanora now has joint control over SLL and its subsidiaries (the “Sonora Lithium Group”).

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Hydrothermal
  • Sedimentary


Summary:

The Sonora deposit is believed to have formed by hydrothermal alteration as a result of alkaline volcanism effecting layers of volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks deposited in a basin environment. The origin and timing of the mineralised content remains unclear with regard to source and whether the alteration was essentially syn-genetic with deposition of the sedimentary rocks or whether the alteration is a post depositional event. Additional work is required to clarify the origin of these deposits.

Mineralisation on the concessions consists of a series of lithium-bearing clays that occur within two bedded sequences, the Upper and the Lower Clay units, which are separated by an ignimbrite sheet.

Bacanora understands there to be a number of lithium-bearing clay minerals, with polylithionite being the only one currently positively identified. The clay units are believed to have formed from supergene or diagenetic alteration of volcanic ash. The clay layers also contain relict quartz and feldspar crystal shards, lithic fragments and silica bands, and traces of other minerals. The layers are locally interbedded with reddish terrigenous beds composed of sand and silt-sized material.

Initial interpretation has indicated a high grade lithium core in the area covered by the La Ventana, El Sauz and Fleur concessions where the lithium grades are generally above 3,000 ppm Li. This high grade zone extends from the middle of La Ventana southward across Fl ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Mining operations will be carried out with front end loaders and haul trucks for waste mining and an ancillary fleet of dozers, graders and water trucks. Ore mining will be done with surface miners which have better selectivity for mining the lithium clays up to the contact with adjacent lithologies.

The open pit phase designs are based on 10 m mining benches (sub-divided into five 2 m benches for scheduling), 20 m wide haul roads (includes allowance for berms and ditches) and 42o inter-ramp slope angle on the hanging wall (east) side of the pits. The lithium clay beds dip to the east and there are no haul ramps on the final east wall of the reserve pit so the inter-ramp slope angle and overall slope angle are the same at 42° for the final pit based on geotechnical investigations. The internal mining phases used for the 19 year production schedule have ramps on the east wall to facilitate waste stripping when mining extends beyond the 19 year mine plan.

The mine plan covers the first 19 years of production and there are additional mineral resources and reserves to extend mining and processing beyond 19 years. For the 19 year mine schedule, a total of 37.1 Mt of ore at a diluted grade of 4,151 Li ppm and 1.76% K and a stripping ratio of 3.4:1 will be mined. The Li cutoff grade for material sent to the plant is 1,500 ppm during years 1 to 18 and 2,000 ppm during year 19.


Crushing and Grinding
Source: Subscription required

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Processing

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

- subscription is required.


Projected Production:

CommodityProductUnitsLOM
Lithium Carbonate t 600,900
Sulfate of potash (SOP) Crystals t  ......  Subscription required

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Stripping / waste ratio 3.42 *
Waste tonnes, LOM 126,672 kt *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 37,058 kt *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 163,730 kt *
Plant annual capacity 2.2 Mt *
Annual production capacity 35,000 t of lithium carbonate *
Annual production capacity 28,805 t of Sulfate of potash (SOP) crystals *
Tonnes processed, LOM 37,058,000 t *
* According to 2017 study.

Reserves at December 13, 2017:
Mineral Reserves: Cut-off grade of 1,500 ppm Li.
Mineral Resources: Cut-off grade of 1,000 ppm Li.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 80,146 kt Lithium 3905 ppm
Proven 80,146 kt LCE 1,666 kt
Proven 80,146 kt Potassium 1.64 %
Probable 163,662 kt Lithium 3271 ppm
Probable 163,662 kt LCE 2,849 kt
Probable 163,662 kt Potassium 1.36 %
Proven & Probable 243,808 kt Lithium 3480 ppm
Proven & Probable 243,808 kt LCE 4,515 kt
Proven & Probable 243,808 kt Potassium 1.45 %
Measured 103,000 kt Lithium 3480 ppm
Measured 103,000 kt LCE 1,910 kt
Measured 103,000 kt Potassium 1.5 %
Indicated 188,000 kt Lithium 3120 ppm
Indicated 188,000 kt LCE 3,130 kt
Indicated 188,000 kt Potassium 1.3 %
Measured & Indicated 291,000 kt Lithium 3250 ppm
Measured & Indicated 291,000 kt LCE 5,038 kt
Measured & Indicated 291,000 kt Potassium 1.4 %

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Lithium USD 3,910 / t *  
Cash costs Lithium USD 3,418 / t *†  
Assumed price Sulfate of potash (SOP) USD 550 / t *  
Assumed price Lithium USD 11,000 / t *  
* According to 2017 study / presentation.
† Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs:

Units2017
OP mining costs ($/t mined) USD 1.66 *
* According to 2017 study.

2017 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
OP OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Net revenue (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 @ 0% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 0% $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
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of January 25, 2018:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Dozer (crawler) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2019
Feasibility Study Report 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Press Release 2017
Technical Report 2016
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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