A ROARING ACHIEVEMENT

THE KATHLEEN VALLEY OPERATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA HAS BECOME AUSTRALIA'S FIRST UNDERGROUND LITHIUM MINE.

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Since commencing spodumene concentrate production in July 2024, Liontown Resources' Kathleen Valley mine in Western Australia has been firing on all cylinders.

From approving the declaration of commercial production at the Kathleen Valley processing plant - which took effect from January 1 to producing 116,854 dry metric tonnes of spodumene in the first half of the 2024-25 financial year (H1 FY25), Kathleen Valley has gone from strength to strength.

Adding to Liontown's recent milestones is the achievement of the first stoping ore at the Mt Mann orebody within Kathleen Valley in April, marking a significant step in the transition from open-pit mining to underground operations.

Approximately 1500 tonnes (t) of ore was extracted as part of an initial stope designed to extract approximately 12,000t of ore, an amount equivalent to about two days of plant production.

The first firing was completed alongside Byrnecut as per an underground mining services contract awarded in August 2023. The contract is so far the largest for Kathleen Valley, with an approximate value of $1 billion over a four-year period. It includes operating costs, sustaining capital and capital associated with the operation of the underground mine.