Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) has achieved a significant milestone by commencing underground lithium production at its Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation's Mt Mann orebody in Western Australia, marking Australia's first underground lithium mining operation.
Key Highlights:
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First underground production stope successfully fired, extracting approximately 1,500 tonnes of ore.
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The initial stope is designed to extract about 12,000 tonnes, roughly equivalent to two days of plant production.
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Recent trials confirmed excellent processability of the underground ore with grades around 1.5% Li2O and lithium recoveries exceeding 70%.
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Underground mining is expected to provide cleaner ore extraction, lower ore dilution, higher recoveries, and improved ore fragmentation for optimized processing.
