Sayona Mining Limited and Piedmont Lithium Inc announced the successful resumption of commercial spodumene concentrate production at the North American Lithium (NAL).
According to Sayona and Piedmont, NAL’s US$80 million restart was completed on schedule and within budget, and it is the only major source of new spodumene production projected in North America over the next two years.
Sayona plans to produce 226,000 metric tonnes per year, with commercial shipments beginning in the third quarter of 2023.
“Since announcing our restart intentions in 2021, our project team has maintained a forward-looking focus to improve lithium capture, achieve more consistent runtimes, and streamline operating costs from the past-producing operation. Improvements were made as planned in our timeline and budget, and we are eager to see the impact the upgrades bring to both product quality and operational efficiency as we prepare for our first commercial shipments of spodumene concentrate expected in July of this year,” Sayona Managing Director Brett Lynch said.
Piedmont’s President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Phillips added, “We applaud the work of the operating team in bringing the restart of NAL to fruition. This marks an exciting milestone not only for Piedmont Lithium and Sayona Mining, but the North American market for which we are working to supply critical lithium resources. NAL is positioned to be a key contributor to the electric vehicle and battery supply chains as demand for lithium continues to rapidly expand along with the electrification economies in both Canada and the U.S.”
NAL is one of three Sayona Quebec projects, a joint venture between Sayona and Piedmont. Sayona expects four shipments from NAL totalling 120,000 metric tonnes by the end of 2023, supplying key battery and electric vehicle manufacturers such as LG Chem and Tesla.
NAL, powered by renewable hydroelectricity, is well positioned in Quebec’s Abitibi region, with easy access to rail, highway, and port facilities for bringing lithium concentrate to market.
The mineral resources of Sayona Quebec’s Abitibi Hub projects are expected to enable NAL production. Sayona developed mineral resource estimations and published them in compliance with the JORC Code (2012) and NI 43-101 standards. Sayona Quebec will deliver a revised Final Feasibility Study for NAL and its Authier Lithium Project. In addition, NAL and Jourdan Resources Inc. are planning a new, large-scale, extended drill campaign in 2023 for both NAL and the nearby Vallée Lithium Project. The program aims to create a mineral resource base capable of supplying more tonnage and higher-quality material to the NAL concentrator.
A pre-feasibility study (PFS) is currently underway to evaluate downstream output at NAL through the completion of the project’s lithium carbonate plant, which the operation’s previous owners partially built. The PFS results are expected in H1 2023. Following the PFS research, further investigation of downstream production of lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide in Quebec may occur.
