Special Report: Galan has applied to scale up the pilot program at its Hombre Muerto West in Argentina which is currently in the final stages of construction.

The expanded pilot program will include the construction of 120 hectares of evaporation ponds to scale up production to 4,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate equivalent.

Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) expects the increased piloting scale to de-risk pond construction methodology and evaporation path while delivering accelerated, first phase 6% lithium concentrate.

Battery grade lithium carbonate has already been produced from this lithium concentrate during laboratory testing.

Additionally, the larger pond system may be included in the pond design for the full-scale HMW project, which would significantly shorten construction and production timelines.

Full-scale HMW production profile permitting – 20,000tpa of LCE – is on track to be lodged in the first quarter of 2023 while construction of the expanded pilot plant could start in the second half of 2023.

“The key drivers of this expanded pilot permit application fit our steady and staged approach, but also the team’s progressive thinking around alternatives to fast-track lithium production from the HMW project,” managing director JP Vargas de la Vega said.

“The scaling to semi-commercial pilot plant testing delivers significant ancillary and de-risking benefits, including the construction of larger ponds which are similar to those planned to be utilised during HMW’s full-scale production stage.”

Expanded pilot

The scaled-up pilot is expected to deliver targeted first-phase, high-quality 6% lithium concentrate on a semi-commercial scale by ramping up brine evaporation at the HMW project.

It is also designed to de-risk the targeted full-scale pond construction methodology and evaporation path, as well as provide better defined cost information for final HMW Project capital and operating estimates.

Along with the evaporation ponds, the expanded pilot plant application includes reagents treatment area, administration and warehouse facilities, laboratory, power supply (including solar plant) and the original small pilot facility to trial production of lithium carbonate.

HMW project is located on the western shore of the Hombre Muerto Salar, a world-renowned lithium bearing salar located in the Argentinean Puna plateau region of the high Andes.

It covers a total of 7.5km of strike, up to 2.5km in width and depths of up to 719m.

Resources were recently doubled to 5.8Mt of contained LCE, most of it – 6.5Mt of Contained LCE – within the very high confidence Measured Resource category.

 

 

 

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.

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