Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL) Inc (ASX:PLL, NASDAQ:PLL, XETRA:) and project partner Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX:SYA) have produced the first batch of spodumene concentrate (SC6) from the North American Lithium Project in Quebec, ahead of fully restarting the operation.
The project produced about 70 tonnes of SC6 as part of commissioning, with the first shipment of saleable product targeted for the third quarter this year.
"This initial production from NAL underscores the diligence and dedication of the management team to restart the mine and concentrator both on time and on budget,” Piedmont Lithium executive vice president and chief operation officer Patrick Brindle said.
“NAL is the most advanced lithium project in terms of development in the US and Canada, and we expect the operation to provide the only major source of new SC6 production in North America in the near term."
North American Lithium joint venture
The North American Lithium Project (NAL) is part of a portfolio of North American projects held by Sayona Quebec, a joint venture (JV) between Piedmont and Sayona Mining.
Piedmont holds an economic interest in the JV, but also an offtake agreement to purchase the greater of 113,000 tonnes of SC6 or 50% of the JV’s production.
PLL also has related agreements with LG Chem and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) to provide spodumene concentrate from NAL beginning the second half of 2023.
Sayona is targeting four shipments totalling 85,000 to 115,000 metric tonnes of SC6 by the end of 2023.