Name of the Project
Prairie lithium project.

Location
Williston basin of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Arizona Lithium.

Project Description
Prairie holds a resource of 6.3-million tonnes comprising 4.5-million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent in the indicated category and 1.8-million tonnes in the inferred category.

A prefeasibility study (PFS) has reported initial production of 6 000 t/y, consisting of three inaugural well pads, each producing 2 000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent over a 20-year mine life.

The robust PFS economics for Phase 1 can be replicated, and additional modules will increase production to between 20 000 t/y and 25 000 t/y in Phase 2, and multiples thereof in Phase 3.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
In the base case, the project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $448-million and an internal rate of return of 23.9%, with a payback of 2.2 years.

Capital Expenditure
Phase 1 – $290-million, including contingency.

Planned Start/End Date
Initial production is slated for the first half of 2025.

Latest Developments
Arizona Lithium has announced the start of production drilling at its Prairie lithium project on schedule, marking a milestone in Canada’s lithium industry.

The start of drilling operations on Pad #1 signifies the beginning of Canada’s first commercial lithium production plant, Arizona Lithium has said.

The drilling programme, spanning three pads, will extend over the coming months. Production and disposal testing of the wells on Pad #1 is slated to start in June. The initial phase involves the drilling of vertical wells, which will explore the Souris river and Dawson Bay formations for commercial viability. The rig has been delivered to site, the first well has been spudded and the rig is now drilling in the lithium wells.

“These are very deep holes being drilled by a heavy-duty oil drilling rig. It will take over 40 service providers and hundreds of people to execute a drilling and completion programme like this," Arizona Lithium MD Paul Lloyd has explained.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Arizona Lithium, tel +61 8 6313 3936 or email info@arizonalithium.com.