Name of the Project
North American Lithium (NAL) restart project.

Location
La Corne township in Québec’s Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, Canada.

Project Owner/s
NAL and Authier are part of Sayona Québec, owned 75% by Sayona Mining and 25% by Piedmont Lithium Inc

Project Description
NAL comprises a contiguous group of 42 mineral titles (41 claims, one mining lease) spanning 1 493 ha. NAL is the only lithium operation with a concentrator and carbonate plant on the same site in North America.

The  project consists of a 4 200 t/d spodumene concentrator, the extension of the current openpit, an ore stockpiling and blending area, waste and overburden stockpiles, the expansion of existing conventional tailings, new dry‐stack tailings facilities, the expansion of the mine garage, administrative buildings and other infrastructure. The spodumene concentrate produced will range from 5.4% to 5.82%.

The operation will have a 20-year life-of-mine (LoM), with average concentrate production of 226 000 t/y during the first four years of operation. Average ore feed to plant is estimated at 1.4-million tonnes a year. Average LoM concentrate is estimated at 190 039 t.

The April 2023 definitive feasibility study combined the NAL operation and nearby Authier lithium project, demonstrating the Abitibi lithium hub's long‐term financial and technical viability.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an estimated pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, for lithium carbonate production of C$2-billion and an internal rate of return of 4 701%.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Sayona announced the first shipment of NAL spodumene (lithium) concentrate to the international lithium market in August 2023, marking a major milestone and paving the way for the first revenues within two years of NAL’s acquisition. 

Latest Developments
The team at NAL has delivered a strong quarter, with record concentrate production and significant improvements in safety performance, Sayona Mining MD and CEO Lucas Dow has said.

NAL produced 52 141 t of spodumene concentrate in the September quarter, keeping the company on track to achieve its full-year guidance of between 190 000 t and 210 000 t.

NAL is approaching steady-state operations.

“The full benefit of the crushed ore dome is now starting to be realised by providing a buffer between the mill and crusher circuit, ensuring that, regardless of any stoppages in the crusher circuit, the mill continues to receive feedstock to allow operations to continue,” he has said.

The crushed ore dome is designed to act as a secondary supply source of crushed ore to the mill to maintain process plant utilisation. The dome has a storage capacity of about 6 000 t of crushed ore.

Mill utilisation, however, averaged 91% in the September quarter. This was partially offset by slightly lower feed grade and lower recovery with the increased use of wet high-intensity magnetic separators.

During the quarter, NAL started making larger shipments, with a pooled cargo of about 30 000 t, which, in turn, resulted in a freight saving of about $50/t on shipments to the international market.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sayona Mining, tel +61 7 3369 7058 or emailinfo@sayonamining.com.au.