Millennial Lithium has a 40 million dollar-project in Salar de Pastos Grandes, Salta and it has produced the first lithium batch.
Has its quality met the expectations?
Yes, we had anticipated a product equivalent to technical grade, around 95% of Li from the pre-purification circuit, and from the purification stage an equivalent to ”battery grade” higher than 99.5 %. Anyway, from the first full implementation of the pilot plant, we have achieved 99.86 % of Li from the pre-purification circuit and 99.96% of Li after the purification. Having fulfilled the objective from the first trial was good, but having surpassed these margins is extraordinary.
What are the following stages ?
We are operating in parallel with the pilot studies while preparing the engineering as well as the construction and marketing strategy. The pilot studies will optimize the process, ensuring high quality and consistency as they quantify and improve lithium recovery. From the engineering, we have developed a detailed Project Execution Plan with a timeline to meet and an Advanced Execution Plan.
We are in the process of preparation of the work packages and Requests for Quotations (RFQ) for the different areas and disciplines of engineering and construction.
What were the main difficulties that arose during the implementation of this venture?
One of the main difficulties was the funding delay all across the lithium sector. And this was due to a basic misunderstanding : the difference between growth rates in renewable energy storage and electric vehicle ( EV) markets that will need batteries and metals for batteries and the time that will take to expand the existing production. Finding, developing and building new facilities for the lithium production was another difficulty This lack of understanding brought about a crucial delay in the financing of expansions and new projects .And it represented years of delay between the growing need for batteries and the availability of the key materials to build them, mostly lithium.
Is the production carried out through conventional procedures or is it developed with any differentiated feature?
The Millennial Project was designed around the goal of achieving production and sale of the battery degree product in the shortest possible time so as to comply with this objective and take advantage of the expected growth of the market.
To achieve this, we have identified and developed a feasible resource and, therefore, easier and faster to implement than the new emerging technologies.
The long-term aim is to be able to use that cash flow so that, later on, new technology can be adapted for the expansion of the production. But of course, as long as it can be shown that this technology can be as respectful or even more environmentally friendly than the conventional process and that it can save costs.
What is the projected production capacity?
The Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is for 24,000 metric tons per year lithium carbonate with battery quality at 100%, or 25,000 tons per year of battery and technical grade product. Later on, that capacity could be expanded, as required by the market, making the current design larger or by possibly adapting new technology, as explained above.
The Cauchari East Lithium project is also being carried out. What have been the results at the moment?
Preliminary results of the Cauchari East exploration have reported a good potential for the discovery of a commercially feasible resource. Millennial goes on working to meet the environmental requirements and CSR requirements of the province of Jujuy to be able to carry on with that programme.
Has the implementation of both Pastos Grandes and Cauchari East projects asked for similar requirements or has one of them presented greater difficulties ?
Having previously identified the lithium brine mineralization in the area, Pastos Grandes project had a development advantage that enabled Millennial to move very quickly. Although Caucharí East is adjacent to the world-class resources of Minera Exar and Sales de Jujuy (Orocobre), it is a deep exploration target that demands large studies to discover and quantify lithium resources.
Will the lithium produced be used for the production of any storage source in particular?
At this stage, the key concept of Pastos Grande project is to produce high-purity lithium carbonate. This chemical compound is an essential requirement for the kinds of lithium-ion batteries that are currently used in most of the applications.
This is the lithium market that will be produced in Pastos Grandes.
Later developments could include the lithium hydroxide required for CMN-type batteries, lithium chloride, or other compounds as the lithium metals forerunners.
Any last comment to make ?
Having a complete Feasibility Study and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approved by the State, Pastos Grandes project of Millennial Lithium is among the small group of leading projects to meet the explosive growth of the demand of this vital element, the lithium. We look forward to giving interesting news as the project moves forward towards the commercial production.
