Mineral exploration and development company Kodal Minerals has commenced production of spodumene concentrate at its Bougouni lithium project in southern Mali.
The first spodumene concentrate was produced ahead of schedule during the commissioning phase of the Stage 1 Dense Media Separation (DMS) processing plant.
Located about 180km south of Bamako, the Bougouni lithium project covers an area of 350km2 in the Birimian terrain of West Africa.
Kodal Minerals completed $117.75m financing for the lithium project in November 2023.
Initial assay results confirmed a concentrate grade of 5.53% Li₂O, in line with the planned production profile.
The commissioning process has progressed through various stages, including water commissioning, ore introduction, and process optimisation. The DMS processing plant is expected to ramp up to full capacity in the coming weeks.
Mining operations at the Ngoualana deposit are ongoing, with a run-of-mine (ROM) stockpile of over 350,000 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 1.17% Li₂O prepared for processing. The Bougouni site has now transitioned to 24/7 operations.
Construction of the processing plant and associated infrastructure has been completed within the $65m capital development budget, with only minor optimisation works remaining.
Kodal Minerals has also confirmed that the transfer of the mining licence has been lodged with Mali’s Mines Department (DNGM) and is pending final approval.
The first lithium spodumene product has been successfully tested at the site’s laboratory, confirming the target grade. Kodal Minerals expects to achieve steady-state production and dispatch its first shipment to China by the end of March 2025.
Kodal Minerals CEO Bernard Aylward said: “The first production of spodumene concentrate at Bougouni marks a major milestone for Kodal and I would like to thank our entire team for this achievement, which wholly reflects the dedication and effort of all those involved.
“We are confident that this progress will continue into the commercial production phase and our project team will continue to work towards our 10,000 tonnes per month target at Bougouni.”
