Name of the Project
Bougouni lithium project.

Location
Southern Mali.

Project Owner/s
Mineral exploration and development company Kodal Minerals.

Project Description
Bougouni’s mineral resource comprises three advanced prospects – Sogola-Baoulé, Ngoualana and Boumou.

Stage 1 of the project will include the processing of coarse-grained spodumene material from the Ngoualana deposit, feeding one-million tonnes a year of lithium ore to a dense-media separation (DMS) processing plant. A conventional circuit will be used to maximise spodumene recovery of more than 125 000 t/y of spodumene concentrate. 

Stage 1 will have an initial four-year life-of-mine (LoM).

Stage 2 will comprise a downstream 350 000 t/y flotation plant that will exploit the finer-grained spodumene resources at Sogola-Baoulé and Boumou, and Bougouni's longer-term exploration prospects. Processing material from Boumou and Sogola-Baoulé deposits will feed two-million tonnes a year of lithium ore to the flotation plant; output from the deposits is estimated at 230 000 t/y.

Stage 2 will have 12-year LoM.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Stage 1 involves low capital expenditure of $60-million to $70-million.

Stage 2 will cost about $175-million and will be funded with cash flow from Stage 1.

Planned Start/End Date
Kodal Minerals produced the first spodumene concentrate in February 2025.

Latest Developments
Kodal Minerals has reported that operations continue as usual. This follows recent press speculation concerning security developments in and around the capital of Bamako.
The company recently successfully started trucking its spodumene concentrate product to the Port of San Pedro, in Côte d’Ivoire, carried out by a Malian transport contractor.
More than 10 000 t of spodumene concentrate has been transported to the port, ready for shipping, with more trucks arriving daily.

Management is on site for a scheduled Presidential inauguration of the Bougouni project.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Kodal Minerals, tel +44 20 3463 2260.