Allkem Limited announced that Stage 2 of the Olaroz Lithium Facility had completed initial production, with wet lithium carbonate cake produced at the filter presses.
The Olaroz Stage 2 development has a nameplate capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year (tpa) of technical-grade lithium carbonate. Sales de Jujuy SA, a joint venture company owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) and JEMSE, a Jujuy State organisation, manages Olaroz.
With the first production completed and mechanical completion at 99.5%, the focus will be on finishing the commissioning process by gradually raising production quantities and product quality during a 12-18 month ramp-up phase. After ramp-up, the combined Olaroz Stage 1 and Stage 2 infrastructure will have a nameplate capacity of 42,500 tpa of lithium carbonate.
“We are very proud to have achieved the milestone of first production at Olaroz Stage 2 proving the operational viability of the carbonation process. The successful expansion of Olarozreflects our growth strategy and commitment to ensure long-term social and economic sustainability of our business for customers and stakeholders. This achievement demonstrates the expertise of our team who will now focus on completion of commissioning and ramp up to full capacity,” Allkem Managing Director and CEO Martin Perez de Solay said.
The Olaroz Stage 2 project involved the construction of 15 extra brine wells, 31 evaporation ponds, three lime plants, a reverse osmosis water plant, a soda ash plant, a carbonation plant, accommodation and other services.
The Olaroz Stage 2 project is designed to provide up to 9,500 tpa of technical grade lithium carbonate feedstock to the Company’s Naraha lithium hydroxide plant. The Naraha plant in Japan, which was recently commissioned, is a joint venture between Allkem and TTC.
