Overview
Stage | Construction |
Mine Type | Open Pit & Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
- Uppers Retreat
- Backfill
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 12 years (as of Jan 1, 2022) |
Construction underway at Finniss and on track for export of first spodumene concentrate in the first half of 2023.
First spodumene ore was uncovered at Grants on 15 September 2022.
A nightshift has been implemented to accelerate construction of the Dense Media Separation (DMS) plant which is on track to support spodumene concentrate production in H1 2023. |
Source:
p. 2,86
Core Lithium owns 100% of the Finniss Lithium Project.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Finniss Lithium Project (Grants and BP33 Lithium Deposits) is hosted within a rare element pegmatite that is a member of the Bynoe Pegmatite Field. The Bynoe Pegmatite Field is situated 15km south of Darwin and extends for up to 70km in length and 15 km in width. Over 100 pegmatites are known within clustered groups or as single bodies. Individual pegmatites vary in size from a few metres wide and tens of metres long up to larger bodies tens of metres wide and hundreds of metres long.
The pegmatites are predominantly hosted within the early Proterozoic metasedimentary lithologies of the Burrell Creek Formation and are usually conformable to the regional schistosity. The Bynoe pegmatites are classified as LCT (Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum) type and are believed to have been derived from the ~ 1845 Ma S-Type Two Sisters Granite which outcrops to the west.
Fresh pegmatite is composed of coarse spodumene, quartz, albite, microcline and muscovite (in decreasing order of abundance). Spodumene, a lithium-bearing pyroxene (LiAl(SiO3)2), is the predominant lithium- bearing phase and displays a diagnostic red- pink UV fluorescence. The pegmatite is not strongly zoned, apart from a thin (1-2m) quartz-mica-albitewall facies and some barren internal quartz veins.
The geological interpretation is considered robust due to the nature of the mineralisation. The mineralisation is hosted within the pegmatite. The locations of the hangingwall and footwall of the ........

Mining Methods
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
- Uppers Retreat
- Backfill
Summary:
Stage 1 mine plan comprises open pit production from Grants and Hang Gong and underground at Grants, BP33 and Carlton prospects.
Grants Open Pit
Mining of Grants will be undertaken by a Mining Contractor using conventional open pit mining methods.
The pit will be mined in two stages; Stage 1 will target early ore by reducing the volume of pre-strip waste to be mined with Stage 2 a cutback out to the final pit limits.
Mining will predominately occur concurrently within both stages over a 9-month period to ensure continuity of ore supply to the crusher with Stage 1 anticipated to start only 2 months before Stage 2. First ore will be mined in Month 6 of the mine schedule, with mining activities continuing in Grants until Month 31.
Hang Gong Open Pit
The Hang Gong pit design was completed using the same design parameters as Grants with a combination of dual lane and single lane ramps utilised. The pit will be mined as a single phase.
Combined with Grants, the two open pits only contain 5% Inferred Resources & together they support 3 years and 45% of the contained metal of life of mine processing requirements.
Hang Gong Pre-strip commences in Month 60 (Year 5, Month 12) for 10 months before ore is exposed. Mining continues for an additional 19 months until mineral inventory is exhausted, with mining activities ceasing in Month 88.
All material (ore and waste) will require drill and blast, exce ........

On May 2, 2022, Core Lithium Ltd. announced the execution of a Crushing Services ContractwithCSI Mining Services (CSI) for the Finniss Lithium Project (Project) near Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Run of mine ore will be stockpiled prior to feeding into the CSI crusher circuit. The crushed ore will then be stockpiled before being processed by the Dense Media Separation plant to make spodumene concentrate for export.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Projected Production:
Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
Spodumene
|
kt
| 175 | 1,210 |
All production numbers are expressed as concentrate.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Stripping / waste ratio
| ......  |
Waste tonnes, LOM
| ......  |
Ore tonnes mined, LOM
| ......  |
Tonnes processed, LOM
| ......  |
Annual processing capacity
| ......  |
* According to 2021 study.
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Reserves at July 12, 2022:
All Mineral Resource estimates were reported at a 0.5% Li2O cut-off.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
5.5 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.4 %
|
74.8 kt
|
Probable
|
5.1 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.3 %
|
68.3 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
10.6 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.3 %
|
143 kt
|
Measured
|
5.6 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.46 %
|
82,000 t
|
Indicated
|
7.69 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.35 %
|
103,800 t
|
Inferred
|
5.57 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.12 %
|
62,400 t
|
Total Resource
|
18.86 Mt
|
Li2O
|
1.32 %
|
248,200 t
|
Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of July 26, 2021:
HME Type | Size | Leased or Contractor |
Truck (underground)
|
45 t
|
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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