Project Overview
After mining permit approvals are secured, open pit mining is expected to deepen and expand the current mine pit to the southwest. The existing rock and soil will be drilled, blasted, and loaded into haul trucks. Rock that does not contain lithium-bearing spodumene ore will be separated and is expected to be stored at on-site rock storage facilities (RSFs) or re-purposed for other uses.
Ore will be hauled by truck to the run-of-mine (ROM) pad used to feed the on-site mineral processing facility at an average rate of ~3.1 million tons per year (~8,900 tons per day). Spodumene concentrate will be transported by truck and/or rail to an offsite conversion plant at a rate of 420,000 tons per year.
Project Sequence
The mine's project plan also has a schedule that considers the sequence of events, or mining phases throughout the mining process. Albemarle plans to initially permit mining activities for a 10-year period.
Predevelopment Activities (1.5 years)
- Mine pit dewatering
- Re-routing utilities
- Site grading
Construction (2.5 years)
- Construction of surface mine facilities, material stockpiles, mine services infrastructure, and mineral processing and water
treatment plants
- Open pit development mining with only minor mining and stockpiling of ore
- Test ore processing in the mineral processing facility
Operations (9 years)
- Open pit mining of ore and rock
- Mineral processing facility operations
- Transporting spodumene concentrate and tailings offsite via rail or trucks
Mine Closure Activities
- Removal or reclamation of all surface mine facilities
- Transporting rock to the pit as backfill
- Activities identified in the mine closure plan
