Altura signs native title agreement for Pilgangoora lithium project
7th July 2016
By:
Mia Breytenbach
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed
lithium developer Altura Mining has agreed to the terms of a native title agreement (NTA) with the Njamal People, the traditional owners of the land at Altura’s 100%-owned Pilgangoora lithium
project, in the Pilbara region of
Western Australia.
The signing of the NTA was the final prerequisite approval to allow for the grant of the two
mining leases covering Altura’s planned development of the lithium
project.
This agreement also reflected the professional manner in which the parties had directed
resources to produce an outcome that had set the baseline for the continued development of the relationship between both groups, the company noted in a press statement on Thursday.
“Altura is now well-positioned to deliver the
project in line with the previously disclosed aggressive timeframe, with key factors such as a balance sheet, an amenable resource, a defined process
flow sheet, a significant binding offtake and a clear strategy to market,” the company said.
Pilgangoora was recognised as an advanced-stage, near-term lithium
project, with
mining to be conducted by openpit methods. Altura planned an aggressive
project delivery schedule, with production of first concentrate due in the third quarter of 2017.
A processing facility was planned with a feed capacity of 1.4-million tons a year, producing a spodumene concentrate grading about 6% lithium oxide.
As Altura fast-tracked the
project to production in 2017, the company’s updates on the recent activities at the
project included last month’s awarding of the definitive feasibility study process
design to multidisciplinary global
engineering group
DRA; the mobilisation of three drill rigs for the expansion of
resources and reserves; the identification of eight prospective lithium target areas within the existing tenement package; as well as four tons of mineralised core for process
flow optimisation testwork, with significant improvements achieved, including the adoption of high-pressure grinding roll
technology in the
crushing circuit.
Developments also included a
water exploration drilling programme culminating in several production bores being identified and tested, agreements reached with the local authority to upgrade the haul
road, with
design of the haul
road having started, and the issuing of
power plant tenders.
Altura had also prepared a
mining proposal for submission to the Australian Department of Mines and
Petroleum this month.
In April, the company had signed its binding offtake agreement over Pilgangoora with
China’s Lionenergy. Under the terms of the offtake agreement, Lionenergy would take a minimum of 100 000 t/y of spodumene concentrate for an initial five years, with any extensions to this date to be negotiated between the two companies, while the companies would also negotiate any additional offtake tonnage in excess of the 100 000 t/y.
http://www.miningweekly.com/article...ngoora-lithium-project-2016-07-07/rep_id:3650
