Pilbara Minerals Limited and Calix Limited have issued an update on the mid-stream demonstration plant being constructed under a joint venture (JV).
Since the JV’s formation on 28 November 2022, significant progress has been made in the detailed front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the proposed mid-stream demonstration plant in support of a Final Investment Decision (FID), which is expected to be presented to the Boards of both Calix and Pilbara Minerals for approval in the near future.
Because the FID date was initially set for the end of the 2023 fiscal year, both JV parties have agreed to bring forward certain project expenditures related to detailed engineering previously scheduled for post-FID to ensure the project’s delivery schedule and development continue unimpeded. Both parties remain committed to completing the studies to support the FID, which are now nearing completion, with a decision likely by the end of July.
The Australian Government has allocated $20 million in financing towards establishing the mid-stream demonstration plant as part of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI). Pilbara Minerals and the Australian Government (Department of Industry, Science and Resources) signed the MMI Grant Agreement on 28 April 2023. Pilbara Minerals received an initial payment of A$8 million towards the project on 31 May 2023.
The successful demonstration of the mid-stream process may result in the construction of a commercial scale facility as part of Pilbara Mineral’s future mid-stream strategy and in future
The calcination technique is being commercialised, with the JV licencing it to the global spodumene processing industry.
