Just a week after commissioning started at the concentrator, Pilbara Minerals has now seen its first production of concentrate from the company’s Pilgangoora project. The successful production of the initial spodumene and tantalum concentrates is a significant commissioning milestone, marking a key step on the path to full production as Pilbara Minerals begins its transformation from developer to become a pre-eminent global lithium and tantalum raw materials producer.
The concentrate, which was tantalum and spodumene, has not yet been tested for quality or specifications.
“This is a great result, which marks the culmination of the incredible hard work our entire team has put in to transform the amazing resource at Pilgangoora into a globally significant lithium raw materials production base – with Stage 1 of the project having been delivered in less than four years since the first drill hole,” Pilbara Minerals managing director and CEO Ken Brinsden said.
While the commissioning process just started at Pilgangoora’s concentrator a week ago, the company expects all remaining construction activity to be completed in the coming weeks. After the flotation and dense media separation circuits are commissioned, which is set to take place over the next six weeks, Pilbara will shift its focus to ramping up the plant’s overall production capacity.
Pilbara will deliver its first shipment of spodumene concentrate in August, as the company is finalizing the last details of offtake agreements made with Ganfeng and General Lithium.