PIEDMONT Lithium could become the world’s lowest-cost lithium producer and an independent spodumene converter providing a US-based source of lithium for the rapidly growing global EV market.
The company recently announced results of a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for its proposed lithium hydroxide chemical plant and an updated scoping study for its mine and integrated project in North Carolina to service electric vehicle (EV) production in the US Auto Alley.
With operations wholly based in the US, Piedmont would provide local and European auto plants with a more secure supply chain of high-quality LiOH. Currently China accounts for 80% of the world’s LiOH production and nearly 100% of spodumene conversion.
The results showed that the two project options (“Merchant” where Piedmont converts and manufactures LiOH from the global spodumene supply market at its chemical plant; and “Integrated” where Piedmont mines spodumene itself from its mineral resources site before concentrating and converting it at the plant) are set to deliver excellent results with lower operating costs over the 25-year project life.
The Merchant project will provide the increasing number of spodumene concentrate producers in Australia, The Americas, Europe and Africa an alternative non-Chinese processing route for their material for the first time. Piedmont is actively engaged with several parties to progress the securing of feed material for the plant.
Piedmont has also updated the Integrated Project Scoping Study for its spodumene-to-hydroxide business located in North Carolina, USA.
Piedmont holds a 100% interest in the Integrated project located within the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt, which historically provided most of the world’s lithium between the 1950s and the 1980s.
