Australia-listed lithium developer Arizona Lithium on Monday announced that it had started constructing its first commercial direct lithium extraction facility at the Prairie project, in Saskatchewan, Canada.
This marks the transition from pilot operations to commercial-scale lithium production.
The well pad construction is important in preparing for the anticipated drilling of production and disposal wells in the first half of next year, the company explained in a statement.
“The ability to receive permits to construct the pad, highlights the expediency of the responsible and efficient Saskatchewan regulatory framework, which is built on years of oil and mining development,” commented MD Paul Lloyd.
“The ability to get things done is a prime example of why Saskatchewan is consistently named a top ranked jurisdiction for mining investment and why we believe our project in Saskatchewan will be one of the first to market in North America,” he added.
Arizona is targeting about 2 000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent production at the Prairie project.