The company said that Phase 1 of the production plant has been designed to produce up to 240,000 tonnes per year of lithium concentrate. That’s 9% more than its original production plan for the 1.2 billion-real project, which would be about $257 million at today’s exchange rate.
Sigma lithium plans to ramp up plant production to 460,000 tonnes per year — or 66,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent — in phase II, which is slated to begin by the end of 2023.
Grota do Cirilo is the largest lithium hard rock deposit in the Americas, and the company has been producing concentrate of the battery metal at the site on a pilot scale since 2018.
The Vancouver-based miner expects to start production at Grota do Cirilo in the fourth quarter of this year, joining the ranks of commercial lithium producers just as prices of the metal skyrocket as supply struggles to keep up with electric-vehicle demand growth.
Leader EV maker…
