5E Advanced Materials, Inc., a boron and lithium company with Critical Infrastructure designation from the U.S. government for its 5E Boron Americas Complex, has provided an update on its progress towards becoming a globally major producer of boron and lithium.
Commissioning efforts continue, with the plant and well-field nearly finished. The initial boric acid production timeline is now contingent on receiving final approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under 5E’s Underground Injection Control Permit (UIC Permit).
On 13 August 2020, the EPA granted the Company’s UIC Permit for boron and lithium extraction. According to 5E, the permit had numerous criteria that had to be met before mining could begin.
Various conditions include:
- Posing a bond
- Installing monitor wells and conducting monitoring
- Preparation of alert levels to be used during operations
- Installing the initial injection/recovery wells
- Perform tests on both the monitoring and injection/recovery wells
- And closing all historic wells within the mining area
The Company filed relevant reports and documents to the EPA for approval in CYQ4 2022. The EPA is reviewing the documents, and the Company anticipates receiving authorisation to begin mining once they are completed. Once the authorisation is secured, 5E said the well-field and processing plant would be ready.
