- Essential Metals (ESS) appoints engineering services firm Primero to undertake a scoping study for the Pioneer Dome lithium project in WA
- The study will evaluate the economic “robustness” of the project before moving to feasibility studies in 2023
- Essential will also soon update the Dome North deposit’s mineral resource which, along with the scoping study, will support financing and offtake discussions with interested parties
- The scoping study is expected to be completed by the end of December and the company is targeting production for 2025
- Shares in Essential Metals are up 3.53 per cent to trade at 44 cents at 10:25 am AEST
Essential Metals (ESS) will undertake a scoping study for the Pioneer Dome lithium project in Western Australia.
The company appointed engineering services firm Primero, who has been assisting Essential with its metallurgical test work programs, to undertake the study.
The study will commence using a mining inventory of approximately 7.5 million tonnes at 1.2 per cent lithium oxide and will be adjusted once a mineral resource estimate (MRE) update has been completed for the Dome North deposit in November.
Essential expects the plant throughput will be approximately 1.2 million tonnes per annum, for an initial mine life of just over six years.
Ultimately, the study will evaluate the economic robustness of the project before moving to more detailed feasibility studies in 2023.
Essential Metals expects the study to be completed by the end of December but this depends on the completion of the Dome North MRE update and the mining optimisation study.
Meanwhile, the company is progressing discussions with potential offtake and project partners who’ve expressed an interest in participating in the project.
The current MRE-focused drilling program and metallurgical test work will give the company a guide on concentrate output and mine life which will form the main discussion with interested parties.
From there, the scoping study’s outcomes will form a basis to finalise frameworks and select partner(s) best suited to advance the project towards lithium production which is targeted for 2025
Shares in Essential Metals were up 3.53 per cent to trade at 44 cents at 10:25 am AEST.