DRA has been awarded the preliminary engineering and design of the processing facilities for the Pilgangoora Lithium Project, located in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. The project is being developed by Altura Mining of Perth and is recognised as an advanced-stage, near-term lithium project in Australia. Mining will be conducted by open pit methods, and a processing facility is planned with feed capacity of 1.4Mt/a, producing a spodumene concentrate grading approximately 6% lithium oxide.
DRA will be responsible for all engineering disciplines to a 30% level of detail, together with capital and operating cost estimates, to a 10% level of precision.
Chad Botha, Director for DRA’s Pacific Region, comments: “We are especially pleased to have been awarded the engineering and design of this significant project. Over the past year, DRA has worked closely with the Altura Mining team on the earlier feasibility study of the project, and the award of this next level of detail is testament to the sound relationship which exists between our two organisations”.
“This assignment adds to DRA’s considerable track record in the design and delivery of hard rock lithium projects, especially in the application of heavy medium separation systems and other gravity recovery techniques. DRA delivered the beneficiation plant for the Mt Cattlin Lithium Project in Western Australia for Galaxy Resources. In addition, DRA subsidiary, Met-Chem of Montreal, Canada, has been engaged in the development of hard rock lithium projects in Quebec, including both beneficiation and hydrometallurgical facilities.
Altura Mining is planning an aggressive project delivery schedule, with production of first concentrate in Q3 2017.