Name of the Project
Pilgangoora Operation – P680 project expansion.

Location
Australia.

Project Owner/s
Pilbara Minerals.

Project Description
The project aims to increase the Pilgangoora Operation’s nameplate production capacity from about 580 000 t/y to 680 000 t/y of spodumene concentrate (P680 project).

The P680 project includes primary rejection, and crushing and ore sorting to deliver a total nameplate production capacity at the Pilgangoora operation of between 640 000 t/y to 680 000 t/y.

The primary rejection facility includes an additional heavy-media separation (HMS) circuit, installed between the coarse-ore stockpile and existing Pilgan plant HMS circuit, which will produce a coarse, low-grade lithia reject material, representing 20% to 25% of plant feed.

The primary rejection circuit will increase spodumene concentrate production from the Pilgan plant by about 100 000 t/y.

The crushing and ore-sorting facility will replace the existing contracted crushing services over time and is expected to lower operating costs while providing increased crushing capacity of about five-million tones a year to satisfy future expansion plans for the proposed P1000 project.

P1000 has a targeted production capacity of up to one-million tonnes a year and remains subject to a separate final investment decision, as well as suitable market conditions and regulatory approvals.

The final investment decision for the P1000 project is targeted for late December 2022.

Potential Job Creation
The project is estimated to create 355 jobs each year in the first two years of construction and an additional 320 jobs each year, on average, during operation.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project requires a capital investment of $297.5-million, including $50-million of pre-investment capital towards future expansions of up to one-million tonnes a year of spodumene concentrate production.

Planned Start/End Date
Commissioning of the primary rejection facility is expected to start in the September quarter of 2023, with additional production capacity to follow three months later.

Commissioning of the crushing and ore-sorting facility is expected in the fourth quarter of 2023, with dull capacity expected in the second quarter of 2024.

Latest Developments
The federal government will commit up to A$250-million in loans to support Pilbara Mineral’s Pilgangoora operations. 

The support comprises a A$125-million loan each from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and Export Finance Australia (EFA), (which will sit) alongside commercial bank financing for their operations.  

The funding will be used on the P680 expansion project to the Pilgan plant, delivering an additional 100 000 t/y of spodumene concentrate production at an estimated capital cost of A$103-million.

Funding will also go towards the construction of the five-million-tonne-a-year crushing and ore sorting facility at a capital cost of A$194-million.

The new crushing plant and ore sorting facility is expected to be completed and begin commissioning in the December quarter of 2023.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Pilbara Minerals, tel +61 8 6266 6266.