Liontown builds throughput momentum

The report comes ahead of completing Kathleen Valley’s definitive feasibility study (DFS), which is on track to be released in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Simplifying the process plant’s flowsheet has resulted in the possible ramp up of throughput capacity at the project, while reducing the amount of plant crushing equipment required.

Liontown stated this increase would allow for a higher conversion of its resources to reserves.

Ore grade improvements are expected within the mine’s first 10 years of operations.

Indicated mineral resource at the Kathleen Valley project also jumped from 105 million tonnes in May 2020 to 109 million tonnes in March 2021.

Liontown has completed a review of the project’s environmental social governance (ESG) policies, mine scheduling and geotechnical modelling, process flowsheet enhancements and metallurgical test works.

Liontowm managing director David Richards said the progress of the DFS highlighted the potential of Kathleen Valley as a future lithium project.

“We are continuing to see excellent progress, with ongoing work reinforcing Kathleen Valley’s attributes as a high-grade, large-scale, long-life lithium project in a Tier 1 location,” he said.

“Kathleen Valley is ideally placed to be a key player in the global energy transformation, which is gaining momentum as major auto-makers and players in the lithium-ion battery supply chain continue to ramp-up their commitments to help reduce the global carbon footprint.”

Liontown’s pre-feasibility study (PFS) last year outlined a $1.12 billion net present value for the mine.

The Kathleen Valley project is 680 kilometres north-east of Perth and connects to highways that lead to ports at Geraldton and Esperance.