Commissioning Completed at Bald Hill Lithium Processing Plant in Australia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 23, Australian mining company Mineral Resources released its production report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. The dense medium separation (DMS) plant at its Bald Hill lithium mine in Western Australia has completed commissioning and is ramping up toward a target capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year of spodumene concentrate at 6% lithium oxide grade. From July to September 2026, the mine produced a total of 27,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate and sold 21,000 tonnes, with processing recovery rising to 63%. It is expected to reach planned production levels in the second quarter of fiscal year 2027.

The Bald Hill lithium mine suspended operations in November 2024. Mineral Resources restarted production in May 2026, resumed spodumene concentrate production in June, and completed the first post-restart concentrate shipment in July. As mining and processing operations gradually recover, the plant's feed supply is shifting from previously stockpiled ore to newly mined ore. Following completion of commissioning of the dense medium separation system, the plant has entered a phase of continuous capacity ramp-up.

During the reporting period, the average realized selling price for Bald Hill spodumene concentrate was US$1,903 per dry metric tonne, calculated on a 6% lithium oxide grade basis. As the plant remains in the production ramp-up phase, the quarterly FOB cost was US$1,498 per dry metric tonne. The company expects full-year FOB costs for fiscal year 2027 to be within its guidance range of US$1,150 to US$1,250 per dry metric tonne.

The Bald Hill mine has an open-pit mining area, crushing facilities, dense medium separation and spiral separation equipment. The spodumene concentrate produced is transported by road to the Port of Esperance for export. Mineral Resources is studying expansion options for the existing processing plant to further increase concentrate output and extend the mine's operating life, and plans to commence infill drilling in the third quarter of fiscal year 2027 to provide data for the first ore reserve estimate.