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Credit: Pilbara Minerals

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 Western Australia (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 $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.  

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.

The Greenbushes lithium operation is set to become the first Australian mine to undergo a third-party independent assessment against the IRMA standard for responsible mining.

IRMA is a voluntary mining standard that champions best practice to protect people and the environment.

The two-stage IRMA audit will be carried out by SCS Global Services, an IRMA-approved independent audit company. It will comprise a desktop review (Stage 1) followed by an on-site audit (Stage 2).

“By volunteering Greenbushes for independent audit against the world’s most rigorous global mining standard, Talison is providing unprecedented transparency into the operations of an Australian mine,” stated Aimee Boulanger, IRMA executive director.

Talison has welcomed any potential changes that come with the audit. Located 250km south of Perth in Western Australia (WA), Greenbushes has been a leading Australian lithium mine for more than 40 years.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has acquired a 17.36% stake in ASX-listed company Sarytogan Graphite, which is exploring a graphite deposit in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region, for A$5m (€3m). 

It marks EBRD’s inaugural direct equity investment in Central Asia’s graphite and critical raw materials industry. 

The funds will be used to support the company’s development activities. This includes financing a feasibility study and addressing its working capital needs. 

The Sarytogan graphite deposit is one of the largest graphite reserves globally, with the potential to emerge as a leading source of natural graphite in the region and beyond. Sarytogan Graphite has declared an ore reserve of 8.6 million tonnes at 30% total graphitic content based on its pre-feasibility study. 

The project aligns with the EBRD’s updated mining sector strategy, which emphasises the mining industry's role in fostering greener economies.

Image Resources has secured mining proposal approval from the Australian Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for the Atlas mineral sands project. It has also received approval of the offset environmental management plan and the Banksia Woodlands Rehabilitation Environmental Management Plan.

These approvals pave the way for the construction and operation of the project, located 170km north of Perth in the North Perth Basin.

Currently, the Atlas project awaits approval for its groundwater operating strategy, however, this does not prevent start of on-ground construction of the processing plant, nor the removal of mine topsoil and overburden above the water table.

Atlas managing director and CEO Mr Patrick Mutz said receipt of the penultimate approvals “serves as the trigger for mobilisation of contractors and equipment to Atlas”.

Horizon Minerals has given the green light for the final investment decision for the Boorara gold project in WA.

Entirely owned by Horizon, the project lies 15km east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, adjacent to the Super Pit, in WA’s gold fields.

Horizon noted that drilling would start from the first half of August followed by an increase in mining operations from mid-August.

Horizon has also announced that mining will commence at Phillips Find, where two open pits are being developed under a joint venture agreement with BML Ventures. First gold production is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to permitting.

Horizon’s managing director and CEO Grant Haywood said: “BML will be managing and sole funding the Phillips Find JV which greatly derisks the project for the company…and allows us to keep our focus on our Boorara startup.”