Lithium and tantalite mining company Pilbara Minerals has completed its P680 expansion project with a new crushing and ore sorting facility at the Pilgangoora operation in WA.
The facility, which crushes and separates the lithium ore from waste, is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere and the largest in the world for lithium processing, said Pilbara Minerals.
With an ore sorting capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes per hour, the technology is expected to increase Pilgangoora’s production capacity by 30%.
It also underpins the next phase of expansion to one million tonnes per annum through the P1000 project.
The P680 project is a key part of Pilbara Minerals’ phased growth strategy to unlock the full potential of the Pilgangoora asset.
The $404m (A$622.68m) project was supported through loans from Export Finance Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, representing a total sum of $250m from the Australian Government.
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During the two-year construction phase, more than 350 direct jobs were created. Around 300 additional jobs above the pre-P680 baseline are expected to be sustained over the operating life of the mine.
Pilbara Minerals’ managing director and CEO Dale Henderson commented: “Financing support from the Australian Government for the development of critical minerals underpinned the P680 Project and signals the government’s strong commitment to ensuring Australia capitalises on the economic opportunities presented by the global clean energy transition.”
WA minister for energy Reece Whitby, who attended the opening ceremony, added that the additional jobs will “underpin our State’s ambitions of becoming a major player in the global energy transition”.
Pilbara Minerals states that its new development represents the next frontier for hard-rock lithium processing. This could boost WA’s part in global lithium production, which reached 170,800 tonnes in 2023 and will see a compound annual growth rate of more than 13% by 2030.
