Ok. It sounds like perhaps this is pointing to a solution for...

Ok. It sounds like perhaps this is pointing to a solution for low grade concentrate, at least in part. So perhaps changing something that may have been discarded into a commercial product. This may then very well make more sense if they can use something they were not going to be able to sell and then turn it into a saleable product.

The plant as you quoted is then still only estiminated to produce 3000t+ of lithium phosphate. It will likely only do that using low grade material or instead of 10-15kt regular saleable spodumene concentrate.

Sorry, I said 10-15t of spodumene required in my previous post - left out the "k" (should have been 10-15kt or 10 000 to 15 000t).

There may be a fair bit of discarded leftover low grade material lying around. If you take something deemed to be worthless and turn it into a product worth perhaps about 60% of lithium hydroxide or carbonate, then it makes sense to recover and sell this. Using it to convert saleable spodumene concentrate though looks to make less sense.

I think the recovery process from ore to spodumene concentrate is only about 70% of lithium contained. That means there could be a reasonable about of lithium in the leftovers to recover.

It is still going to take a number of years to get something back from this investment, but at least it makes sense to pursue.