MinRes ships first lithium at Mt Marion

The joint venture partners behind the Mt Marion lithium mine near Kalgoorlie have heralded an inaugural shipment of ore to China, with Mineral Resources becoming the state’s third lithium producer.

In a joint statement today, Neometals, Mineral Resources and Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium announced the first shipment of 15,000 tonnes of lithium ore from the Port of Kwinana to China overnight.

Neometals owns a 13.8 per cent stake in Mt Marion, with MinRes and Ganfeng each holding 43.1 per cent interests. MinRes is operator of the mine.

“The successful first shipment from Mt Marion is a significant milestone for Neometals and our project partners, and we are proud to have been part of progressing the project from final investment decision to first shipment within 18 months,” Neometals managing director Chris Reed said.

MinRes managing director Chris Ellison said the inaugural shipment was the outcome of hard work and dedication by the construction and operations teams of MinRes.

MinRes is now the third company to be classed as a lithium producer in Western Australia, joining Talison Lithium, which operates at the Greenbushes mine in the South West, and Galaxy Resources, which began producing lithium at its Mt Cattlin mine near Ravensthorpe last year.

Galaxy has also bolstered its development team in Sal de Vida lithium project of Argentina with new appointments, while plans for a $54 million capital raising at 54 cents per share are also reportedly in the works.

Neometals shares closed 3.8 per cent lower to 37 cents each, while MinRes shares were 0.3 per cent lower to $12.45 each.