- Pilbara Minerals (PLS) is speeding up its completion timeline for a lithium salt plant in Western Australia
- The plant, if successful, seeks to turn Australian lithium ore into cheaper feedstock for EV batteries
- If the partnership can prove its technology works, the plant will be made larger in size
- Calix’s novel technology will be used alongside Pilbara Minerals’ expertise in finding and mining ore
- PLS shares are up 4.29 per cent and trading at $5.10 at 1:22 pm AEST
Australian lithium heavyweight Pilbara Minerals (PLS) has made tangible progress on its development plant alongside JV partner Calix (CXL) with the deadline for final investment decision (FID) now brought forward.
Pilbara Minerals will stick to its plans alongside Calix for all preliminary engineering studies and documentation required as well as adhering to the advertised completion schedule for the project.
The plant’s purpose is to produce lithium salts – the precursor for electric vehicle batteries – via a novel process using Calix’s calcination technology.
It will be located at the WA-based Pilgangoora acreage on a 55 per cent participating interest to Pilbara Minerals.
The plant is also co-funded in part by a Canberra-based fund, the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, to the tune of $20 million.
The plant aims to provide a lower-cost way to refine lithium from Australian ore and in its early stages reflects a smaller-scale exploratory trial. In the instance outcomes are commercially superior for Pilbara Minerals’ midstream operations, the JV is set to move ahead with a fully scaled-up version.
PLS shares were up 4.29 per cent and trading at $5.10 at 1:22 pm AEST.