The power generation plant at London-listed Kodal Minerals’ flagship Bougouni lithium project, in southern Mali, is now operational, paving the way for full commissioning of the Stage 1 dense media separation (DMS) processing plant in the coming weeks.

The construction and commissioning of the DMS processing plant at the Ngoualana openpit mine at the project is continuing ahead of lithium spodumene production, which is expected in the first quarter.

The project is fully funded through the $117.5-million Hainan funding transaction announced in November 2023. This funding transaction includes a $100-million investment into Kodal Mining UK (KMUK), which is 51%-owned by the Hainan group and 49% by Kodal, which is the developer of the project.

Kodal said on January 20 that construction costs remain within the $65-million capital development budget.

A fully functional power generation plant is the first important step in the DMS processing plant commissioning phase. It provides the means to test all the drives, electrical and instrumentation systems within the DMS processing plant.

The power plant generators arrived on site in mid-December, whereafter the site team completed the installation, cabling and testing of the equipment.

Both crusher modules are also now fully installed, and cabling for all drives has been terminated at the motor control centre. Both modules can now be operated through the power generation plant, providing Kodal with the opportunity to build a stockpile of crushed ore in advance of the full commissioning of the DMS processing plant.

Construction is close to completion and design verification checks have started. This will be followed by directional testing of all the drives through the motor control centre.

Once all drives are operational and instruments tested, the DMS processing plant will be commissioned using water and air to ensure all systems and control loops operate as designed.

The erection of structural steelwork at the DMS processing plant is fully completed.

When these tasks are complete, full commissioning will start with the introduction of ore, Kodal said.

The water supply system has already been commissioned and is now operational. This process included obtaining the permit from local authorities, installation of the Baoulé river water pump and piping, and completion of the raw water pond adjacent to the plant.

All other equipment, materials and spares are on site.

Openpit mining activities at the Ngoualana deposit are advancing ahead of commissioning. At last count, a total of more than 240 000 t of ore with an average grade of 1.17% lithium oxide (Li₂O) was mined in preparation for commissioning, representing almost three months of ore processing.

There are also more than 50 000 t of low-grade ore, grading at about 0.40% Li₂O, that have been stockpiled separately from the high-grade material. The low-grade ore will be used initially during the early commissioning phase to bed down the circuit performance before introducing high grade ore.

Longer term, the low-grade stockpile will provide a buffer that can be blended with the high-grade ore in the unlikely event that mining operations are impacted. Kodal said that the mining plan objective is to ensure that mined ore is always a step ahead of processing rates throughout the mine’s life.

The on-site laboratory is now fully operational as well and will improve the efficiency of ore mining in the pit as grade control samples will not need to be sent off-site for analysis. The laboratory will also provide all testing required for the operation of the DMS plant, the company said.

“We are looking forward to commissioning of the DMS processing plant in the coming weeks ahead of first commercial production later this quarter. Achieving this crucial ‘power-on’ milestone is a critical step for Kodal and its aim of being one of the first lithium producers in West Africa and the first London-listed lithium producer,” Kodal Minerals CEO Bernard Aylward said.