Galan starts filling Pond 2 at its US$2bn Hombre Muerto West lithium brine project in Argentina

Filling of Pond 2 and evaporation underway at Hombre Muerto West
10 production wells completed so far, only six were required for Phase 1
Glencore due diligence advances

Special Report: Galan Lithium is making steady progress in advancing its low-cost, high-grade Hombre Muerto West lithium project in Argentina, with Pond 2 now being filled as part of the company’s 5,400tpa lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) Phase 1 target.

Last year’s definitive feasibility study (DFS) update earmarked a four-phase ramp-up to full production, with Phase 2 production set for 21,000tpa LCE in 2026, 40,000tpa by 2028 for Phase 3 and 60,000tpa LCE for Phase 4, which will then include Galan Lithium’s (ASX:GLN) other brine project at Candelas.

Valued at US$2 billion, HMW is the highest-grade lithium brine project in Argentina (6.6Mt LCE resource grading @ 880mg/L lithium) and boasts an internal rate of return (IRR) of a whopping 43%.

Pond filling and development

GLN is currently filling the Pond 2 at HMW and the evaporation process is underway, as well as earthworks and liner installation. Evaporation at Pond 1 already contains 500t of LCE, and Pond 3 construction work is also well under way.

The company has also confirmed that a recent ruling by Argentina’s Catamarca Province Court of Justice will have no impact on the company’s Phase 1 project and is not expected to impact Phase 2.

The resolution relates to the use of fresh water in the southeast area of the HMW salar where the Los Patos River runs through, yet has no impact on Galan’s Phase 1 permits and environmental impact assessments, as the company has no plans to source water from the Los Platos River but rather directly from in situ dedicated non-potable water wells.

The proposed HMW production process to produce high-grade lithium chloride concentrate (6% Li, or 32% LCE) uses very little fresh water anyway and considerably less than conversions to lithium carbonate or hydroxide, which underpins the low environmental impact of its chloride strategy.

“We are very proud of the solid progress being made by the HMW Phase 1 construction team and Galan is well on its way towards their long-term production journey for its low-cost, low-risk lithium chloride development strategy,” GLN managing director Juan Pablo (JP) Vargas de la Vega says.

“We remain firm in progressing our lithium chloride strategy and are confident that our production approach, including key tenement acquisitions, permitting and offtake arrangements put Galan in a good place to becoming the next lithium producer in Argentina in H1 2025.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Galan Lithium, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.