With procurement, permitting, and construction operations moving well, Sayona Mining Limited is on track to restart production at its flagship North American Lithium (NAL) facility in Q1 2023.
In a statement, Sayona Mining said as of the end of November, procurement was 99 per cent finished, with almost all significant components arriving on site. All necessary installation components, including the Belt Filter, have been given contracts, and crucial components like the Apron Feeder and Derrick screens have been installed.
Considerably, following the recent award of the last permit, all environmental permissions have now been received, significantly reducing the risk of NAL’s resumption.
Commitments to the end of November reached C$47.3 million vs budgeted commitments of C$48.4 million, with significant cost savings being sought. Only one lost?time incident has been reported yet, a slippage owing to snow, with Sayona re?emphasising its Zero?Tolerance policy on safety.
Mining contractors, Québec?based L. Fournier & Fils began operations in October, with work proceeding. Sayona Mining has recently hired several top professionals, including Guy Belleau as the new CEO of Sayona’s Québec subsidiary, and there is currently roughly 100 staff on site. Sayona’s hiring philosophy is built on diversity and inclusiveness, with 31 per cent of employees being female.
The mining industry is also expanding. Four excavators, ten mining trucks, three drill rigs, and various support and servicing equipment are in use, with 32 operators working each shift. Contractor mobilisation has reached 90 per cent.
Six production blasts have been conducted since the start of mining operations on 22 November 2022, producing 378,458t of total blasted material and 77,020 tonnes of ore. Total ore inventory on the Rom pad is currently 157,907t grading 0.87 per cent Li2O, up from the prior Rom pad and In-Pit inventory.
Earthwork at the ROM pad was reorganised to facilitate the classification of ore piles, based on grade and mining dilution percentage. A production road upgrade and safety berm upgrades were done. Overburden removal is underway in the phase 2 pit expansion area. On the north side, water management ditches were finished.
Sayona is now adjusting the short?term mining sequence from the Pre?Feasibility Study mine plan to ensure a seamless launch for commercial production.
Sayona has also participated in community engagement events, such as collaborating on a “Business Exchange Day” with the Interregional Economic Circle of Indigenous Peoples (14-16 November) and attending the first in-person Québec Mines Convention since 2019 (21-23 November).
Sayona Mining Managing Director Brett Lynch said time is the key to getting NAL into production. Lynch expressed his delight with the work done thus far, with the operation on pace to produce the first saleable spodumene (lithium) concentrate in Q1 2023.
“Our planned expansion at NAL, together with the growth of our northern lithium hub centred on the Moblan Lithium Project, have positioned Sayona well for 2023 as we work to cement Québec’s position as North America’s key supplier of essential battery minerals for the clean energy revolution,” Lynch stated.
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