Biggest Lithium Mines in the World

By John Edward

In a recent article, Mining Technology listed a few lithium mines which are in the running for becoming the top producers of the metal in the world. Here’s a look at the top six of these lithium mines on the basis of their proven or probable reserves:

1.

Sonora Lithium Project – 243.8Mt

The Sonora lithium project is located in Sonora (Mexico) and is touted as the biggest lithium deposit in the world. The lithium mine is being developed by Sonora Lithium (SLL) which is a joint venture of Bacanora Minerals (77.5%) and Ganfeng Lithium (22.5%).

The mine is estimated to hold proven and probable reserves of 243.8Mt, containing 4.5Mt of lithium carbonate-equivalent (LCE). According to the bankable feasibility study for the La Ventana concession, which is expected to account for 88% of the mined ore from the project, the estimated mine life will be around 19 years.

Sonora is expected to be an open-pit operation which is likely to be developed in two stages. The first stage is expected to have a production capacity of 17,500 tonnes per annum (TPA) of lithium carbonate, while stage two is expected to double the production capacity to 35,000tpa.

2.

Thacker Pass Lithium Project – 179.4Mt

The Thacker Pass lithium project is said to be the second biggest lithium mine in the world and is located in Humboldt County, Nevada (US). It is 100% owned and operated by Lithium Americas. The mine is estimated to contain proven and probable reserves of 179.4Mt containing 3.1Mt of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) and is expected to have a life cycle of 46 years. The pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the project was completed in August 2018 and proposed a two-phase mine development plan using open-pit methods. Phase one was expected to be commissioned in 2022 with a production capacity of 30,000tpa of battery-grade Li2CO3, while phase two is expected to increase the capacity to 60,000tpa with a commissioning date of 2026.

3.

Wodgina Lithium Project – 151.94Mt

The third largest lithium mine in the world is said to be the Wodgina lithium project which is also located in Western Australia. The mine is 100km southeast of Port Hedland and was earlier fully owned by Mineral Resources. However, the company entered an agreement with Albemarle Corporation in August 2019 to form a 60:40 joint venture in order to develop the mine. The open-pit mine is estimated to contain probable reserves of 151.94Mt grading 1.17% Li2O.

Industrial General Contractor Specializing in Equipment Installation and Maintenance

Millwrighting

l Piping

l Ironwork

l Concrete

l Electrical

l Boilermaking

l Building Construction

l Design/Build

l Offices Nationwide

crmeyer.com 800.236.6650

Offices: Byron, GA Escanaba, MI Muskegon, MI Coleraine, MN Tulsa, OK Chester, PA Oshkosh, WI Green Bay, WI Rhinelander, WI

4.

Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project – 108.2 Mt

Situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the Pilgangoora lithium-tantalum project is 100% owned and operated by Pilbara Minerals. It is said to be the fourth biggest lithium mine in the world. The proven and probable reserves of the mine are estimated to be 108.2Mt grading 1.25% Li2O and 120 parts per million (ppm) Ta2O5 and 1.17% Fe2O3. After a planned second stage expansion, Pilbara Minerals expects to increase the production capacity of the mine to 5Mtpa, allowing it to produce 850,000tpa of 6% spodumene concentrate. 1.5% Li2O. The mine is owned by Kidman Resources (50%) and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM, 50%) under a joint venture named Covalent Lithium. Upon commissioning in 2020, the mine was expected to produce 411,233t of spodumene concentrate a year over its 47-year mine life.

5.

Earl Grey Lithium Project – 94.2 Mt

Also known as the Mt Holland lithium project, the Earl Grey lithium project is located in the Forestania Greenstone Belt in Mt Holland (Western Australia). It is allegedly the fifth largest lithium mine in the world and is estimated to contain proven and probable reserves of 94.5Mt grading

6.

Greenbushes Lithium Project – 86.4Mt

The Greenbushes lithium project is said to be the sixth-largest lithium mine in the world and is located in Greenbushes (Western Australia). It is owned by the Chinese mining company Tianqi Lithium and operated by Talison Lithium. The latter is 51% owned by Tianqi Lithium. The mine is estimated to contain proven and probable reserves of 86.4Mt grading 2.35% Li2O.

The Greenbushes mining operation has three processing plants – one producing technical grade lithium concentrates and the other two producing chemical grade lithium concentrate. Ore containing Li2O is fed into the processing plants, which upgrade the lithium mineral, using gravity, heavy media, flotation and magnetic processes, into a range of lithium concentrates for bulk and bagged shipments. †

Chinese Managing Cobalt Mines In DRC By Remote Control

By John Edward

In order to secure cobalt supplies for producing electric vehicles, China is using smart sensors, high-speed communication tech, and live streams to control cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to an article by Stephen Chen for the South China Morning Post, Chinese mine operators monitoring cobalt mines in Africa can remotely control on-site activities in real time from their mobile phones or laptop in China. Engineers at the state-owned company that runs these cobalt mines have unprecedented instant access to production data. This is made possible through the use of cutting-edge information technology, which is helping China secure supplies of cobalt. It is important to note that Cobalt is an essential element in the electric car industry. The mineral boosts the energy storage density, life cycle, and safety of lithium-ion batteries.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produces roughly 70% of the world’s cobalt. According to industry estimates, more than 80% of the cobalt mines in Congo are now owned by Chinese companies.

In recent years, China has pushed for immediate access to operational data from on-site equipment in these cobalt mines – most of which are in remote areas – with the large-scale application of smart sensors and high-speed communication technology. A manager in Beijing can, for instance, determine the position, speed, and load of each truck with their smartphone.

Cui Bing, a senior engineer who is overseeing the construction of digital mining infrastructure with the North Mining Limited company (also known as Norine), added in a paper published in the domestic peer-reviewed journal Mining Technology last month that the system “also streams live video feeds collected by cameras at critical locations back to headquarters”.

Beijing give direct orders to local executives in the cobalt mines

Using these live video streams, management in Beijing can give direct orders to local executives on the basis of what’s happening on-site. The company is headquartered near the Forbidden City and is a subsidiary of Norinco – China’s largest arms exporter. It has made one of the largest investments in DRC’s cobalt mines. “We have maintained distance-free contact with the mines overseas,” Cui and his colleagues said.

China is the world’s largest producer of lithium batteries and has almost no cobalt reserves of its own. According

to a study conducted by the country’s natural resources ministry, the international trade volume of cobalt-related minerals between China and the DRC was already at 95% of the world’s total in 2020. This was undoubtedly driven by the electric car boom.

According to a study published in Acta Geoscientica Sinica journal on December 2, “If the overseas supply of upstream raw material is cut off, the advantages of midand-downstream products will no longer exist. Under the background of increasing tension between major powers and the West’s attempt to ‘de-Sinicise’ the global industrial chain, it can severely restrict the development of strategic emerging industries in our country.”

In the DRC, some critics have accused Chinese companies of overexploiting the country’s natural resources. To combat the same, the government in Kinshasa has imposed new taxes on foreign mining companies. Lawmakers are also mulling new laws to regulate mining activities. Needless to add, these restrictions mean an increase in the cost of cobalt for Beijing. They could also affect the mass production of lithium batteries.

The central African country has witnessed decades of war between the government and resistant forces. Armed robberies are fairly common. Increasing productivity in such a highly unstable environment poses a massive challenge for Chinese companies.

In the past, information systems in African mines were largely separate from Chinese headquarters. Most data were collected by local employees and processed manually before being sent to Beijing, according to Cui’s team. “Each mine operates like an isolated island,” they said in a paper. This is in stark contrast to China, where many mines employ new technology such as AI and 5G to automate operations. The equipment in the cobalt mines can include ore excavators and automated machines for selection and fine processing. †`

Proud to be your reliable partner.

19260

We have long supported the region’s mining industry by providing safe, reliable and competitively priced electricity. In 2021, half of the energy we provide to all of our customers will come from renewable sources. Together, we power northeastern Minnesota’s economy.

Iron Ore to focus on Stimulus, Shrugs Off China’s Rising Covid-19 Concern

By Robel Ramos

The iron ore market has opted to concentrate on China’s efforts to stimulate its property sector rather than on the rising issues over the potential economic fallout due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country and public anger at efforts to control the outbreaks.

The spot price of benchmark 62% iron ore for delivery to north China dropped slightly on November 28, 2022, to end at $98.60 per ton from the previous close of $99.25. The figures have been assessed by the commodity price reporting agency Argus.

The recent dip was matched by the December iron ore futures traded in Singapore, which dropped to $98.14 per ton from $99.15 on November 25, 2022. However, iron ore contracts traded on Dalian Commodity Exchange ended at 753.50 Yuan ($104.65) per ton on Monday. The price was a gain of 2% from the close on November 25, 2022.

The slight dip in the global prices of spot iron ore and the modest gain for the main Chinese domestic price shows the various perceptions held by traders in those markets. A lot of international traders may be more concerned by the country’s adherence to its very strict zero-Covid measures than China’s domestic investors.

However, the overall message from the price action seems to be that the rising cases of Covid-19 and the street protests against the government’s adherence to its stern zero-Covid strategy are insufficient to change the entire positive outlook for iron ore.

Protests against the country’s policies on Covid-19 took place over the weekend in different cities, with analysts saying they were the biggest since the violent 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The impact of any ongoing street demonstrations may become more vital if they continue, persist, and escalate or if they lead to either even stricter measures against the Covid-19 virus or easing restrictions in a bid to appease public opinion.

Outside of the uncertainties brought about by the Covid-19 virus, the picture nonetheless looks brighter for iron ore as the country, the biggest buyer of the steel raw material in the world looks determined to revive its ailing property sector. China’s biggest commercial banks reportedly pledged to provide at least $162 billion in new credit to property developers last week, the latest in a series of steps taken to restore confidence in the housing sector. The question for the market, however, is whether or not

the efforts to stimulate the housing construction and infrastructure sectors are enough to encourage steel demand or if a slowing global economy cuts demand from areas like those in the manufacturing sectors.

Positive Signals for Iron Ore

There are a lot of positive signals for iron ore with China’s port inventories below levels prevailing at the same time a year ago even though they have been going up in recent weeks.

Stockpiles were at 138 million tons in the seven days to November 25, up from 135.45 million a week prior, but below the 150.90 million in the same week a year ago.

Iron ore inventories will typically pick up in the northern winter as steel mills build up stocks ahead of the strong demand for steel in the coming spring. In February 2022, iron ore inventories peaked at 160.95 tons, hinting that there is scope for them to keep building in the coming months. The country’s iron ore imports appear to be going for a relatively strong outcome in November, with Refinitiv estimating the seaborne arrivals at 106.8 million tons, while commodity analyst Kpler expects a slightly lower but still strong 99.13 million tons.

For the month of October, official customs data for iron ore imports are at 94.98 million tons. Thus, it is more likely that November’s outcome will be relatively stronger.

The vessel-tracking data and customs numbers do not align completely due to the difference as to when cargoes are assessed as having been landed and cleared but the tracking data gives valuable information about the direction of imports.

While stimulus efforts are increasing both in size and scope, the market stays at risk from the global health scare situation. †

SOLVING YOUR MOST COMPLEX CHALLENGES.

With SEH, you are a true partner and collaborator.

Engineers | Architects | Planners | Scientists 800.325.2055 | sehinc.com/subscribe