Core Lithium Ltd. announced that the first spodumene concentrate was produced from the recommissioned processing plant of the company’s Finniss lithium operation, marking a key operational milestone in the staged restart. The achievement follows the recommencement of mining activities at the Grants open-pit mine in May and the recommissioning of the crushing circuit in August to establish sufficient crushed ore stockpiles for processing.
Core said the processing plant in Australia’s Northern Territory remains in the commissioning and optimization phase as it works towards reliable and sustained production. This work will focus on optimizing plant performance, operational reliability, and throughput as the operation transitions through the restart and ramp-up process. Grants provide a near-term production pathway and a rapid source of ore feed for the processing plant, supporting the progressive restart of Finniss and the generation of early cash flow. At the same time, development of the BP33 underground mine continues in parallel.
“Producing concentrate through the upgraded plant in such a short timeframe demonstrates the capability of our team and the value of the existing infrastructure at site,” said Core Managing Director Paul Brown. “We have now successfully achieved first concentrate, and our focus is on continuing the commissioning and optimization of the processing plant as we progressively build towards reliable and sustained production.”
The recommissioning of the processing plant follows the completion of targeted upgrades designed to debottleneck the processing circuit and optimize recovery. Upgrades include screen refurbishments, enhancements in the roll crusher and tails thickener circuits, improvements to the ferrosilicon distribution system, and consolidation of crushing and DMS plant operations into a single control room. Together, these upgrades are expected to support improved mineral liberation and recoveries, while increasing plant throughput capacity by approximately 20% to 1.2 metric tons per year.
With the logistics chain already operational, Core said it continues to target its first shipment of newly produced spodumene concentrate during the December quarter of 2026, with production and shipments expected to continue into 2027.
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