Pilgangoora gets enviro nod - Pilbara

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum project, in Western Australia, has been granted environmental approval, marking the final major approval milestone for the project.

Lithium developer Pilbara Minerals MD and CEO Ken Brinsden noted that the completion of the extensive environmental approvals process by the Department of Mines and Petroleum, was a significant milestone for the company, securing the necessary approvals to allow full-scale construction to begin.

“Pilbara has achieved an enormous amount in a very short period of time, and with these final environmental approvals now in place, the company is firmly on track to becoming the next major lithium raw materials supplier globally.”

Brinsden noted that with project financing around the corner, shareholders could look forward to steady news flow, as Pilbara completed major construction milestones and moved into the full-scale development phase.

The A$214-million Pilgangoora project is expected to produce an average of 314 000 t/y of 6% spodumene concentrate and 321 000 lb/y of tantalite, over a mine life of around 36 years.

The project is estimated to have a post-tax net present value of A$709-million and an internal rate of return of 38.1%, and is expected to generate life-of-mine revenues of A$9.23-billion.