Australian lithium miner ready to tap into solar to cut costs and emissions

Pilbara Minerals expects to commission a 6MW solar power plant before the end of the year, saying it will mark the first step in decarbonising its Australian lithium mining operations.

Power provider Pacific Energy in mid-2022 began construction of the plant, which aims to help power the company’s diesel fuel-dependent Pilgangoora project, located about 1,400 kms north of Perth.

The company blamed some delays in getting the plant up and running on international port closures and shipping constraints, but says it now sees a completion date between October 1 and December 31.

Pilbara is counting on solar power to initially replace about 3.8 million litres of diesel fuel and cut Co2 emissions by 9,900 tonnes a year as it boosts lithium output to meet rising demand from electric vehicle makers.

It joins a growing number of solar farms in the Pilbara mining region, including the 60MW Chichester solar farm supplying power to two Fortescue Metals iron ore projects, and the 34MW Gudai-Darri solar farm which will power Rio Tinto’s new iron ore mine.

The Pilgangoora ore body is one of the largest hard rock lithium deposits in the world and is considered strategically important within the global lithium supply chain, as it ramps up to meet booming demand for batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage.

Pilbara Minerals’ operation at Pilgangoora consists of two processing plants: the Pilgan Plant, to the north, which produces a spodumene concentrate and a tantalite concentrate, and the Ngungaju Plant, to the south, which produces a spodumene concentrate.

Strong demand and pricing on international markets for lithium led Pilbara Minerals to its first-ever full-year profit of $561.8 million

“Fiscal year 2022 has been an incredible year for Pilbara Minerals, with our Pilgangoora Operation capitalising on the surging demand for lithium raw materials that we have experienced over the course of the year,” ceo Dale Henderson said.

The company is now looking to grow production by a further 100,000  tonnes a year to  between 640,000-680,000  tonnes annually, according to Henderson.