Pilbara Minerals has appointed Como Engineers as lead contractor for the engineering, design and study management services pertaining to the feasibility study on its Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalite Project.
The feasibility study will be completed mid-2016. The Pilgangoora facility is located near Port Headland, and is expected to be developed into a standalone 2 Mtpa operation that will produce lithium (spodumene) concentrates targeting the glass and ceramics industry. The lithium will also be used in the rapidly growing lithium battery market.
Como Engineers is an Australia-based engineering, metallurgy and construction services group, and will be responsible for engineering, design and metallurgical study management services for the process plant and infrastructure components of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS).
The process plant and infrastructure design contract includes the mine site footprint and encompasses metallurgical input, implementation planning, capital and operating cost estimates, risk and operations management, as well as design of roads and supporting infrastructure and implementation planning.
With the appointment of Como Engineers, Pilbara Minerals says it has now commissioned all the major consultant groups needed to deliver the key components of the Pilgangoora Definitive Feasibility Study. All contractors and engineers have agreed to and tendered a Scope of Work.
Besides Como Engineers, who will undertake process plant and infrastructure as well as metallurgical testwork management, MiningPlus will be responsible for the mining component; Trepanier will look after geology and resources; ATC Williams will be responsible for tailings management facility and geotechnical aspects of the project, while hydrogeology and hydrology will be the responsibility of Groundwater Resource Management.
Pilbara Minerals says the first phase of the comprehensive metallurgical testwork program has already commenced and is planned to be completed at the end of the March 2016 quarter with the second phase program covering the variability testing, locked cycle flotation and dense media separation testwork to be completed in May.
Besides lithium, the Pilgangoora project is also expected to extra tantalum from the ore.
Pilbara Minerals’ Executive Director, Neil Biddle, said the severe downturn in the resource sector has made it easier to secure the best possible industry professionals for the job at very competitive rates.
“We look forward to working with this highly skilled team to move Pilgangoora into production as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Our aim is to have Pilgangoora in full production by 2018, positioning it to capitalise on the extremely robust market outlook for lithium.”