Pilbara Minerals’ P680 Expansion Project is complete, with the new crushing and ore sorting facility at the Pilgangoora Operation officially opened.

The facility is a significant technical development and represents the next frontier for hard-rock lithium processing.

It is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest in the world for lithium processing, with an ore sorting capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes per hour.

The delivery of this facility is the culmination of several years of research, test work and project implementation by Pilbara Minerals.

The milestone was marked by an official ceremony attended by Energy Minister Reece Whitby, Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Chief Executive Officer Craig Doyle, and Nyamal Elders Willie Jumbo and Biddi Norman.

The facility crushes and separates the lithium ore from waste and is the final component of the P680 Project which increases Pilgangoora’s production capacity by about 30 per cent.

It also underpins the next phase of expansion to 1 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) through the P1000 Expansion Project.

The P680 Project was delivered on time and on budget and is a key part of Pilbara Minerals’ phased growth strategy to unlock the full potential of the Pilgangoora asset.

More than 350 direct jobs were created during the two-year construction and approximately 300 additional jobs above the pre-P680 baseline workforce which will be sustained over the operating life of the mine.

Pilbara Minerals Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Dale Henderson said the completion of the P680 Project marked an important milestone in the Company’s growth journey.

The $404 million P680 Project was supported through loans from Export Finance Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, representing a total sum of $250 million from the Australian Government.

The scale benefits delivered through these phased expansions further strengthen Pilbara Minerals as a low-cost producer and position the company to fully capitalise on future demand.