Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 2057 |
Pilgangoora Operation – the largest independent hard-rock lithium operation in the world.
The Operation includes open pits and two processing plants (the Pilgan Plant and the Ngungaju Plant). Pilbara Minerals has two expansion projects underway, P680 and P1000.
FY24 target: - Complete construction and commissioning of the primary rejection facility of the P680 Project, increasing the annual nameplate production capacity of the Pilgan Plant by 100,000 tpa, thereby increasing combined production (Pilgan and Ngungaju plants) nameplate capacity to ~680,000 tpa (subject to lithium feed grade and mineralogy). - Complete construction and commence commissioning of the new company owned integrated crushing and ore sorting facility to increase the ore throughput capacity of the Pilgan Plant to ~5 Mtpa in support of future project expansions. - Commence construction of the P1000 Project with the aim of increasing total spodumene concentrate production capacity to up to 1 Mtpa. |
Latest News | Primero to work on next phase of Pilgangoora P680 lithium expansion project November 10, 2023 |
Source:
p. 55,216
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Pilbara Minerals Ltd.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Pilgangoora Operations Pty Ltd
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Pilbara Minerals wholly owns the Pilgangoora operation through its subsidiary Pilgangoora Operations Pty Ltd.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Pilgangoora pegmatite deposit is one of the largest hard rock lithium deposits in the world.
The Pilgangoora pegmatite district is located within the East Strelley greenstone belt, approximately 30 km east of Wodgina. Three principal pegmatite groups or domains are identified in the centre of the project area: Eastern, Central and South. Pegmatites of the principal domains have a strike length of up to 1.4 km, and mostly range in thickness from 1-30 m, although pegmatites in the Central domain may be up to 70 m thick. Two outlying pegmatite groups, Monster and Southern have strike lengths of up to 350 m and 500 m respectively. Pegmatites strike sub-parallel to the dominant north-northwest trending fabric of the greenstone belt with variable dips ranging from shallow to subvertical to the east.
The pegmatite domains at Pilgangoora are composites of several intrusive phases emplaced sequentially over the duration of the late-stage Turner River orogeny. Lithium grade in the pegmatite domains is subject to two main influences, one primary and the other secondary. The primary ore types comprise mainly coarse spodumene, K-feldspar and quartz, and the abundance of spodumene relative to the other two gangue phases is likely the main control on grade variations in zones grading better than 2% Li2O.
The main modelled mineralised domains are hosted in an area stretching 8,500m (north-south from Lynas Find and Monster down to South End), ranging between 5 ........

Summary:
Mining operations at the Pilgangoora Operation commenced in October 2017. The mining method currently used on site and proposed for continuing future operations at 6.3Mtpa plant feed rates is selective open pit excavation using drill and blast on 5 to 10m benches and load and haul on 2.5m flitches. 100t to 250t class hydraulic excavators in backhoe configuration loading into 100t to 150t class rear dump haul trucks are used to separately mine ore (pegmatite) and waste (basalt and ultramafic).
Ore contaminated with low to moderate levels of waste is stockpiled for future processing through the ore sorting facility. Blast hole drilling is by tracked rigs enabling pit access from surface contour to pit bottom. The mining method is considered appropriate for the deposit geometry and production rates and has been in use since commencement of mining in 2017. Access is available to all designed pits, waste dumps and stockpiles and the minimum mining width for pushbacks is 40m.
The pit design parameters to achieve stable walls (as determined by geotechnical assessment of the expected rock domains) are:
- For Central, East and Far East deposits: 55° batters in weathered and 75° in transitional and fresh rock domains; benches established every 20m maximum with a minimum berm width of 10m; and 20m geotechnical berms every 100m vertical height;
- For the Monster deposit: 55° batters in weathered and 70° in fresh rock domains: and benches established eve ........

Source:
Source:

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Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Production:
The DSO program was suspended in Q2 FY2019 and subsequently terminated.
Commodity | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Spodumene
|
kt
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Tantalite
|
t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
All production numbers are expressed as concentrate.
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Annual production capacity
| ......  | ......  | ......  | | | |
Annual processing capacity
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 2 Mt | 2 Mt | 2 Mt |
Ore tonnes mined
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 812,142 wmt | 2,431,117 wmt | 344,549 wmt |
Waste
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1,129,883 wmt | 8,422,540 wmt | 4,835,178 wmt |
Total tonnes mined
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1,942,025 wmt | 10,853,657 wmt | 5,179,727 wmt |
Tonnes processed
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 642,215 dmt | 1,464,652 wmt | |
Stripping / waste ratio
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1.39 | | 3.8 |
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Reserves at June 30, 2023:
Mineral Resources: the reported cut-off grade adopted is 0.20% Li2O.
Ore Reserves are based on an expected value calculation to report tonnages above a zero $/t net expected value, excluding mining cost. The cut-off to define ore is therefore variable in metal grades but equates to an approximate cut-off grade of 0.3% Li2O.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Commodity |
Proven & Probable
|
214.2 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.19 %
|
2.5 Mt
|
Proven & Probable
|
214.2 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
103 ppm
|
48 M lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
214.2 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
0.99 %
|
|
Measured
|
22.1 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.34 %
|
0.3 Mt
|
Measured
|
22.1 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
146 ppm
|
7 M lbs
|
Measured
|
22.1 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
0.44 %
|
|
Indicated
|
315.2 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.15 %
|
3.6 Mt
|
Indicated
|
315.2 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
106 ppm
|
74 M lbs
|
Indicated
|
315.2 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
0.53 %
|
|
Inferred
|
76.6 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.07 %
|
0.8 Mt
|
Inferred
|
76.6 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
124 ppm
|
21 M lbs
|
Inferred
|
76.6 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
0.54 %
|
|
Total Resource
|
413.8 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.15 %
|
4.8 Mt
|
Total Resource
|
413.8 Mt
|
Ta2O5
|
112 ppm
|
102 M lbs
|
Total Resource
|
413.8 Mt
|
Fe2O3
|
0.53 %
|
|
Source:

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Mine Management:
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Staff:
Employees | Contractors | Total Workforce | Year |
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2023
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2022
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2021
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2020
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2019
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2018
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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News:
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