Piedmont Lithium Ltd (ASX:PLL) (NASDAQ:PLL) has awarded the definitive feasibility study for its planned spodumene concentrate operations in North Carolina, USA, to a combined team including Primero Group and Marshall Miller & Associates.
Marshall Miller will lead quarry design activities while Primero will advance the concentrator design, infrastructure design, and be responsible for overall study management.
The DFS will target production of 160,000 tonnes per year quarry and spodumene concentrator as well as co-products including quartz and feldspar.
The study will incorporate the results of the pilot level test-work ongoing at SGS Canada.
“Positioned for construction in mid-2021”
Piedmont president and CEO Keith Phillips said: “We are very pleased to be formally commissioning the definitive feasibility study for our concentrate operations and to be working with industry leaders such as Primero and Marshall Miller.
“We will launch the DFS for our chemical operations in quarter one of 2021 and will be positioned to begin construction in mid-2021, which should be ideal timing given the vast demand for lithium hydroxide we expect beginning in the 2022-2023 time period.”
The company will be one of the lowest-cost producers of high-quality battery-grade lithium hydroxide outside China and will offer a secure and sovereign supply of lithium hydroxide for US and European OEMs seeking to localise supply chains and protect the supply of raw materials.
DFS expected mid-2021
Piedmont expects to complete the DFS in mid-2021 and will pursue an investment decision for the concentrate operations shortly thereafter.
The company remains fully committed to development of an integrated lithium hydroxide business in North Carolina and a DFS of a planned lithium chemical plant will commence in quarter one 2021.
