Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia has one of the world's largest reserves of lithium, and most of its production comes from mines in Western Australia. The Greenbushes mine in the southwest of Western Australia is the country's oldest and biggest lithium mine. It is also the world's largest hard-rock lithium mine. Other major lithium mines in Western Australia include the Wodgina, Mount Marion, Mount Cattlin, Pilgangoora, Bald Hill, and Ngungaju mines.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location of lithium mines in Western Australia | Greenbushes, Wodgina, Mount Marion, Mount Cattlin, Ravensthorpe, Pilgangoora, Ngungaju Plant, Bald Hill |
| Companies mining lithium in Western Australia | Tianqi Lithium, Talison Minerals, IGO Limited, Orocobre, Core Lithium, Pilbara Minerals, Mineral Resources, Altura Mining, Galaxy Resources, Albemarle |
| Lithium production in Western Australia in 2021 | 1.95 million tonnes (Greenbushes Mine) |
| 1.8 million tonnes (Mt Cattlin Mine) | |
| 155,000 tonnes (Bald Hill Mine) | |
| 2 million tonnes (Pilgangoora Mine) | |
| 220,000 tonnes (Ngungaju Plant by September 2022) | |
| 46.6 thousand tonnes (Mount Marion) | |
| 44.1 thousand tonnes (Pilgangoora) | |
| 55.6 thousand tonnes (Wodgina) | |
| 420 million pounds (Mount Cattlin in 2019) |
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What You'll Learn
The Greenbushes mine
The Greenbushes deposit contains the highest-grade quality lithium spodumene in the world. The mine is estimated to have resources of 8.7 million tonnes (19 billion pounds) LCE and reserves of 6.8 million tonnes (15 billion pounds) LCE. In 2021, approximately 1.95 million tonnes (4.3 billion pounds) of lithium were extracted from the mine, contributing to 40% of the lithium mined in Australia that year. The mine is owned and operated by Talison Lithium, a joint venture partnership between the Tianqi Lithium Corporation (owning 51%) and the Albemarle Corporation (49%).
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Pilbara Minerals
Australia has one of the world's biggest lithium reserves, and most of its lithium production comes from Western Australia. The world's largest hard-rock lithium mine, the Greenbushes mine, is located in Western Australia and is co-operated by the Chinese company Tianqi Lithium and the Australian companies Talison Lithium and IGO Limited. Other major lithium mines in Western Australia include the Mt Cattlin mine, the Wodgina lithium mine, and the Mount Marion mine.
The Ngungaju Plant, located at the Pilbara Minerals Mine in Marble Bar, Western Australia, is expected to extract approximately 220,000 tonnes of lithium by the September quarter of 2022. The company's ability to quickly raise production to meet market demand, along with its proximity to Port Hedland, enables Pilbara Minerals to reach markets more quickly.
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Mt Cattlin mine
Australia has one of the world's largest lithium reserves, and Western Australia is responsible for most of its production. The country's oldest and largest lithium mine, Greenbushes, is located in Western Australia and produced 1.03 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate in the year leading up to July 2022. Other notable lithium mines in Western Australia include Mount Marion, Wodgina, and Mount Cattlin.
Mount Cattlin, an open-pit mine near Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, was developed by Galaxy Resources (now Allkem) and opened in 2010. The site contains an estimated 8.2 million tonnes of lithium reserves with a lithium oxide equivalent content of 1.23%. In 2021, the mine produced 1.8 million tonnes of lithium, a significant increase from the 192,000 dry tonnes produced in 2019. The Mount Cattlin spodumene project has been a reliable and affordable supplier of high-quality lithium concentrate since it resumed production in late 2016.
Mining at Mount Cattlin was temporarily suspended in 2013 due to a drop in lithium prices but restarted in 2016. In 2024, Arcadium Lithium announced that it would idle its Mount Cattlin spodumene mine to cut costs in a weak lithium market. The company cited high operating cash costs and low spodumene prices as reasons for the suspension, intending to increase cash flow by up to $100 million. Arcadium Lithium stated that it remains committed to its global portfolio of hard-rock assets and may resume operations at Mount Cattlin if the spodumene market rebounds.
The processed ore from Mount Cattlin is shipped out via the Port of Esperance, located about 200 kilometres east of the mine. The port handles the transportation of lithium concentrate produced at the Mount Cattlin plant to Asian clients.
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Bald Hill Mine
Australia has one of the world's largest lithium reserves, and most of its lithium production comes from Western Australia. In 2021, the country produced approximately 1.95 million tonnes of lithium, with the Greenbushes mine in Western Australia contributing 40% of the nation's lithium output.
The Bald Hill Lithium and Tantalum Mine is located in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia, approximately 50 kilometres southeast of Kambalda. The mine is owned by Mineral Resources, which also operates the Mt Marion lithium mine in the Goldfields and the Wodgina lithium mine in the Pilbara. Bald Hill has an annual production capacity of 150,000 to 155,000 tonnes of 5.5% spodumene concentrate. The mine has reserves amounting to 11.3 million tonnes, grading 1.01% lithium and 160 parts per million tantalum. The contained lithium resource is estimated to be 26.5 megatonnes, grading 0.96% lithium and 149 parts per million tantalum.
The Bald Hill lithium project is being developed in two phases, with the first phase focused on lithium production. The mine is underlain by Archaean meta-sediments and granitoids, with the Archaean rocks intruded by felsic porphyries and pegmatite sheets and veins. Ore is processed at the 1.2Mtpa lithium DMS circuit, where it is crushed to produce a P100 size of 10mm. The spodumene concentrate DMS circuit removes -1mm material and separates tantalum minerals through rougher spirals. The processing plant is currently operating at a daily feed rate of up to 230tph, higher than its designed feed rate of 161tph.
The Bald Hill Lithium and Tantalum Mine is estimated to have a mining tenure of 774 square kilometres and a mine life of nine years. The project extends over 59,000 hectares and comprises four mining leases, eight prospecting licences, eight exploration licences, a general-purpose licence, a retention licence, and other miscellaneous licences. Tawana Resources and Alliance Mineral Assets started lithium mining at Bald Hill in August 2017, with the first spodumene concentrate produced in March 2018. Commercial lithium production at the mine was achieved in July 2018.
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Wodgina Lithium Mine
Australia has one of the world's largest lithium reserves, and most of its lithium production comes from Western Australia. The Greenbushes mine in Western Australia is the country's oldest and biggest lithium mine. In addition to Greenbushes, Australia has several other lithium mines, including Wodgina, Mount Marion, and Mount Cattlin.
The Wodgina Lithium Mine, located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is approximately 120 km south of Port Hedland. The mine is owned and operated by a joint venture between Albemarle and Mineral Resources Limited (MinRes). MinRes acquired the mine from Global Advanced Metals in September 2016 and began mining operations in February 2017. Wodgina is one of the world's largest hard-rock lithium deposits, with a theoretical annual production capacity of 750,000 tonnes. The mine life is estimated to be 30 years.
The Wodgina Lithium Project involves the installation of a new spodumene concentrate plant and a lithium hydroxide plant. The project is expected to produce 750,000 tpa of 6% spodumene concentrate, which will be used to feed the lithium hydroxide plant. The lithium hydroxide plant will be developed in two stages, with the first stage expected to produce 50,000 tpa of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The Cassiterite pit of Wodgina, which contains the lithium reserves, is located on the 25km-long Wodgina Greenstone Belt. Conventional open-pit mining methods are used to recover DSO, and the mining fleet includes Hitachi and Caterpillar excavators and haul trucks.
The Wodgina Lithium Mine was inactive from 2019 to 2021 due to low lithium prices, but it has since resumed operations. The mine has a significant role in the global lithium supply chain and is well-positioned to support the world's focus on decarbonization and electrification. The project has received support from the Australian government, which granted it 'Major Project Status', streamlining the approval process and providing assistance with local and state approvals.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several lithium mines in Western Australia, with the Greenbushes mine being the largest and oldest in the country. Other mines include the Wodgina, Mt Marion, Mt Cattlin, Pilgangoora, Bald Hill, Earl Grey, and Ngungaju Plant Project mines.
The Greenbushes mine is operated by Talison Lithium, a joint venture between Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Albemarle. The Pilgangoora mine is owned by Pilbara Minerals, and the Wodgina mine is operated by a joint venture between Albemarle and Mineral Resources. The Mt Marion mine is co-owned by Mineral Resources and Ganfeng Lithium, and the Bald Hill mine is owned by Altura Mining.
The Greenbushes mine produced 1.03 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate in the year leading up to July 2022. In 2021, it contributed 40% of Australia's lithium production, which was approximately 1.95 million tonnes. The Pilgangoora mine produced approximately 2 million tonnes of lithium, while the Mt Cattlin mine produced 1.8 million tonnes in 2021. The Bald Hill mine produced 155,000 tonnes in 2021, and the Mt Marion mine produced an estimated 46.6 thousand tonnes in 2023.
Australia is the world's largest producer of lithium, and most of its production comes from Western Australia. Lithium mining in Western Australia has contributed to the country's success in the EV (electric vehicle) boom. It also provides a strategic advantage in the global lithium supply chain, as companies can quickly scale up production to meet market demands.
