Galan Lithium Limited announced the submission of an application to significantly increase the scope of the piloting stage for its 100%-owned Hombre Muerto West Project (HMW Project) in Catamarca Province, Argentina. If the application is successful, the construction of the expanded pilot pond system could commence in mid-2023, allowing Galan to accelerate the ramp up of brine evaporation at the HMW Project. The scaled-up piloting to 4ktpa LCE is expected to deliver targeted first-phase, high-quality 6% Li concentrate on a semi-commercial scale.

It is also designed to de-risk the targeted full-scale pond construction methodology and evaporation path, as well as provide better defined cost information for final HMW Project capital and operating estimates. Along with the additional 120 Ha of evaporation ponds, the scaled up pilot plant application includes reagents treatment area, administration and warehouse facilities, laboratory, power supply (including solar plant) and the original small pilot facility to trial production of lithium carbonate. If the extended brine evaporation piloting is successful, and subject to the approval of the exploitation permit of the HMW Project, the concentrated brine from the piloting stage could be added into the HMW Project production scale-up (currently under evaluation), effectively shortening the overall ramp up timeframe of the full-scale HMW Project development.