Overview
Stage | Construction |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 50 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Covalent Lithium is progressing with the development of the Mt Holland lithium project. Construction continues on the mine with the village and the aerodrome completed. Construction on the concentrator and the Kwinana refinery continues, with first production from the refinery expected in the second half of calendar year 2024. |
Source:
p. 1
Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd (Covalent) is the manager appointed by a joint venture between subsidiaries of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) and Wesfarmers Limited to develop and operate the Mount Holland Lithium Project, which will be a unique, fully integrated producer of battery quality lithium hydroxide in Western Australia.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Earl Grey pegmatite is hosted within a series of steeply dipping ultramafic and mafic rocks of Archaean age. The pegmatite consists of a main tabular body of approximately 1,000m in strike length, over 2,000m in dip extent, and thicknesses of up to 100m. This main pegmatite is flanked by several hanging wall and footwall dykes, and the main body itself branches into multiple dykes at its southern and eastern extents. The pegmatite dips 5-15° to the north west and is slightly offset by several north-south trending fault zones.
The mineralogy of the pegmatite consists of a simple albite-quartz-microcline-spodumene-petalite assemblage with minor biotite, muscovite and tourmaline. The only significant mineralogical variation across the deposit occurs within the lithium aluminosilicates; spodumene, petalite and several alteration phases occur in discrete domains.
Spodumene is present in two forms at Earl Grey; a coarse form produced during initial crystallisation of the melt, and a finer spodumene-quartz intergrowth (SQI) derived from the isochemical inversion of petalite.
Summary:
The Mount Holland Lithium Project (the project) is an integrated project consisting of a mine, concentrator, and refinery to produce battery quality lithium hydroxide (LiOH) for the international market.
Conventional open pit mining utilising experienced contractors will be adopted at Earl Grey(subject to further study). The mining method was evaluated for a traditional truck and hydraulic excavator (backhoe) operation, combined with suitable drill and blast. The operation evaluated different bench heights in different areas of the pit. In the pegmatite and waste contact zones, mining was determined to be standard 5m benches (2 x 2.5m flitches), and a 10m bench height was assumed for bulk waste mining outside of these zones. Ramp widths were maintained at a nominal 30m. A series of 15 pit designs (staged cutbacks) are planned with mining developing from the initial pits at the south end where the pegmatite comes to surface and proceeding in a northerly direction as the deposit is systematically mined down dip. Equipment (100t-200t excavators loading 100-200t trucks) has been selected and scheduled to meet the 2Mtpa plant throughput. Overall the pit design contained 94.2 million tonnes of ore at 1.5% Li2O and 421 million tonnes of waste at an overall strip ratio of 4.5 to 1.Dump trucks will haul ore to the ROM pad approximately 2km haul from the pit crest to the ROM. After various pit optimisations were performed using the geological block model which supports ........

Source:

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Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Projected Production:
Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual |
Lithium
|
dmt
| 50,276 |
All production numbers are expressed as hydroxide.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Annual production capacity
| ......  |
Annual processing rate
| ......  |
* According to 2021 study.
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Reserves at December 31, 2018:
Mineral Resources cut-off: 0.5% Li2O
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven
|
54.4 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.5 %
|
Proven
|
54.4 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
1.3 %
|
Proven
|
54.4 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
45 ppm
|
Probable
|
39.8 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.5 %
|
Probable
|
39.8 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
1.4 %
|
Probable
|
39.8 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
54 ppm
|
Proven & Probable
|
94.2 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.5 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
94.2 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
1.4 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
94.2 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
50 ppm
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| Commodity | Units | Average |
All-in sustaining costs (AISC)
|
Lithium
|
USD
|
...... *†
|
* According to 2021 study / presentation.
† Net of By-Product.
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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