ASX-listed Arizona Lithium has updated its phased development plan for the Prairie lithium project in Saskatchewan, Canada, announcing on Thursday that the project is advancing towards production with the commencement of facility construction and commissioning of Phase 1 at Pad #1 in 2025.

Arizona Lithium MD Paul Lloyd stated that the company had made progress in securing key infrastructure for the project. “In 2023, a prefeasibility study highlighted lithium production across three pad locations from the Prairie project. In 2024, we partnered with three landowners to secure these sites and immediately went to work permitting and clearing the ground,” Lloyd said.

“A major drilling programme across the three pads significantly de-risked the project and positioned us to move forward with development.”

The Prairie project will be developed in three phases, with Phase 1 focusing on the installation of a commercial-scale direct lithium extraction (DLE) unit at Pad #1. The facility will have a production capacity of 150 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent  and will process about 1 000 m³ a day of brine. The lithium produced in this phase will be used to de-risk end-market opportunities, with battery-grade samples currently being tested by interested parties in Asia.

“Processing raw brine at this scale is critical to understanding the temperature, pressure, and chemical constituents required for 24/7 operation of a commercial-scale DLE unit," the company stated.

The success of Phase 1 is expected to guide the expansion of production capacity in phases 2 and 3, ensuring a cost-effective and rapid scale-up.

Arizona highlighted that the Prairie project is one of the world's largest DLE facilities and aims to support the growing demand for lithium in the global battery supply chain. “Modularisation allows for efficient scaling, minimising risk while maximising production potential,” Lloyd added.

Besides Prairie, Arizona also owns the Big Sandy lithium project in the US.