- Liontown Resources (LTR) starts open pit mining at its Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia
- Perth-based Iron Mine Contracting will provide open pit mining services at the Kathleen’s Corner and Mt Mann sites
- Liontown MD and CEO Tony Ottaviano says the first blast at the Mt Mann open pit marks a significant milestone in the development of the project
- The company has also awarded Iron Mine the rights to construct its tailings storage facility (TSF)
- LTR shares are trading at $1.57 at 12:20 pm AEDT
Liontown Resources (LTR) has started open pit mining as planned at its wholly-owned Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia.
The company said mine plan optimisation work recently undertaken reduced the operational complexity of the mine plan from both an open-pit and underground mining perspective.
Liontown Managing Director and CEO Tony Ottaviano said the first blast at the Mt Mann open pit marked a “significant milestone” in the development of the project.
“Completion of the first blast and commencement of open pit mining operations at Kathleen Valley is a significant milestone for Liontown, signifying our transition from explorer to mining operator,” Mr Ottaviano said.
“Achieving this milestone ahead of schedule is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Liontown and Iron Mining contracting teams.”
Liontown has called on Perth-based Iron Mine Contracting to provide the open pit mining services at Kathleen’s Corner and Mt Mann open pits. The services include performance drilling and blasting, loading and hauling construction, as well as maintenance and pit dewatering services.
The services are being provided under a preliminary works agreement that lets Iron Mine mobilise the site and start operations while both parties still work through the finalisation of the open pit mining contract.
In addition to the open pit mining services, Iron Mine has been awarded the construction rights of the tailings storage facility (TSF).
“We are excited to be working with the experienced team at Iron Mine Contracting. We have every confidence in their ability to deliver results and look forward to partnering with them to bring our Kathleen Valley Lithium Project to life,” Mr Ottaviano added.
Liontown said that due to strong lithium market conditions, there was an opportunity to monetise material not previously anticipated to be processed as a direct shipping ore (DSO) product. This would result in the delivery of early revenue during the pre- and post-commissioning phases of the project.
The company targets first production in mid-2024.
LTR shares were trading at $1.57 at 12:20 pm AEDT.