Name of the Project
Kachi lithium brine project.

Location
Catamarca, in Argentina.

Project Owner/s
Lithium developer Lake Resources.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study (PFS) has demonstrated Kachi’s potential to deliver high-purity product – based on a sustainable and scalable process – required by battery makers.

The PFS envisages a long-life, low-cost operation with a production target of 25 500 t/y of battery-grade lithium carbonate using direct lithium extraction technology based on ion exchange, which, in turn, is based on an indi­cated resource of one-million tonnes lithium car­bonate equivalent.

The process involves the treatment of about 23-million cubic metres a year of brine at 250 g/ℓ lithium, with an overall plant recovery of 83.2%. The eluate from the process is further concentrated and purified, and then fed into a conventional lithium carbonate plant.

No solvent extraction plant is required to remove boron.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $1.05-billion and an internal rate of return of 25%, with a payback from first product delivery of five years.

Capital Expenditure
The project entails an investment of $544-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Lake Resources has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with motoring major Ford Motor Company over the potential supply of lithium from the Kachi project.

Under the MoU, the two companies will negotiate a potential offtake agreement for up to 25 000 t/y of lithium.

This is the second MoU signed by Lake in recent months, and follows a similar one with Japan’s Hanwa Co for the supply of up to 25 000 t/y of lithium carbonate over a ten-year period.

Lake chairperson Stu Crow has said that the two MoUs, along with the UK and Canada Export Credit Agencies’ indicative provision of debt finance, for about 70% of the Kachi project’s capital requirements, provide a framework of support for Lake’s TARGET 100 Program, which aims to produce 100 000 t/y of high-purity lithium chemical to market by 2030.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Lilac Solutions (lithium extraction testwork); and Hatch (engineering and design services).

Contact Details for Project Information
Lake Wells, tel +61 2 9299 9690 or email hello@lakeresources.com.au.