Mariana lithium brine JV to produce 10 000 t/y – study
The Mariana lithium brine joint venture (JV) project between China’s Ganfeng Lithium and Canadian junior International Lithium has the potential to produce 10 000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) and 84 000 t/y of sulphate of potash (SOP), a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has found.
The mine is located in the province of Salta, Argentina, and will operate for 25 years.
The PEA estimates that the JV will have to invest $243-million to build the mine and determined that the LCE and SOP operation will generate strong economic returns,
At a 10% discount rate, the Mariana project has net present value of $192-million and an internal rate of return of 20%, after tax.
“It is our belief that additional value can be created for the project by use of appropriate membrane technology onsite in Argentina, and we will be supportive of initiatives to use this method to complement the current plans for evaporation. Additionally, we are hopeful that the estimate of 10 000 tonnes per annum of production and a 25-year mine life are on the conservative side, given the 1 248 000 t of indicated resource and the 618 000 t of inferred resource reported in 2016. Nevertheless, these solid numbers in the PEA give us great encouragement that Mariana has been worth investing in and that, provided that Ganfeng and we can together finance the project appropriately, it is capable of delivering a significant return to our shareholders,” commented International Lithium chairperson and CEO John Wisbey.
Ganfeng owns 82.754% in the JV and International Lithium 17.246%, although the junior could increase its interest by a further 10% through a back-in right, which will cost it C$7-million.
The PEA was prepared by Advisian, a division of the WorleyParsons Group.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers
VISIT SHOWROOM
ISO-certified Condra manufactures overhead cranes, portal cranes, cantilever cranes and crane components: hoists, drives, end-carriages, brakes and...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
