Kodal Minerals PLC (AIM:KOD) CEO Bernard Aylward talked with Proactive about a major milestone for the company—the production of its first lithium spodumene concentrate at the Bougouni lithium mine in southern Mali.
Aylward shared insights from his recent site visit, expressing satisfaction with the initial spodumene concentrate grading 5.53%, which is within the company’s target range. He emphasized the team’s achievements in bringing the project to this stage in less than a year.
With the commissioning phase ongoing, Aylward discussed the next steps, which include ramping up processing, fine-tuning the dense media separation (DMS) circuit, and maintaining a steady ore supply from the open pit. He highlighted that construction at the site is nearly complete, with only minor site works remaining.
Mining and processing operations have now transitioned to a 24/7 schedule, ensuring a continuous flow of material to support commercial production. Looking ahead, Kodal Minerals aims to scale up production, meet its offtake commitments, and advance exploration at the Boumou prospect to expand its resource base. Additionally, the company is planning a stage two flotation plant, targeting an investment decision in 2025 with potential development through 2026.
Proactive: Joining me is Kodal Minerals CEO Bernard Aylward. Bernard, very good to speak with you. You have exciting news—you've produced the first lithium spodumene concentrate at your Bougouni mine in southern Mali. You've just got back from the site, so this is a really big milestone for the company?
Bernard Aylward: Yeah. Morning, Stephen. Morning, everyone. Yes, it’s a fantastic milestone for us. As you say, I've just returned from a site visit. I'm here in Mali, where I visited the Bougouni lithium mine. Seeing the plant in action, visiting the open pit, and actually putting my hands on spodumene concentrate from our plant is a fantastic feeling.
Everything is looking good so far. We’re still in the commissioning phase, ramping up production, and we hope to reach nameplate capacity in a short period.
Proactive: And we have pictures of you with that spodumene, Bernard—exciting stuff. Can you take us through the next steps to commercial production at Bougouni?
Bernard Aylward: Well, as we've outlined, we are in the commissioning phase at the moment. The focus is on ramping up tonnage through the crusher and into the mill. We need to fine-tune the dense media separation (DMS) gravity and density separation. There's some work to do there, but we were really pleased with the first product, which graded at 5.53%.
That’s within our target range, and achieving it straight away is a great result for our team. One of my main purposes for the site visit was to extend my congratulations to our team for their excellent work. It’s been a very quick build—less than a year—and the plant is performing well. The open pit team has done a great job ensuring we have enough ore to keep the mill running. It was a very good site visit, but we’re always looking at ways to improve.
Proactive: How is construction at the site progressing in the meantime?
Bernard Aylward: We’re very close to completion. Some site works remain, such as office construction, camp accommodation, and finalizing drainage controls around the pit and plant areas. However, in terms of being able to mine and process ore, we are complete.
Proactive: And regarding open pit mining at the Ngoualana deposit—you’ve built up a significant stockpile, haven’t you?
Bernard Aylward: Yes, we have. We’re about three months ahead of the plant at this stage. Our goal for the mining team is to maintain that buffer, ensuring the plant always has a consistent feed. We much prefer it that way—rather than the plant pressuring the mine for ore.
Proactive: Mining and processing operations have now commenced on a 24/7 basis, is that right?
Bernard Aylward: That’s correct. We’re in full operational mode, running both day and night shifts. So far, everything is progressing well.
Proactive: What will be the company’s focus as 2025 progresses?
Bernard Aylward: That’s a great question. Our immediate focus is on ramping up production and reaching steady-state operations as soon as possible. We want to ensure a steady flow of material to the port and meet our offtake commitments.
Beyond that, we are continuing to drill and advance the Boumou prospect, aiming to expand our resource base and underpin long-term growth.
For 2025, we are also focused on progressing our stage two flotation plant. We aim to establish a strong framework for this project and move toward an investment decision, with potential construction in 2026.
Proactive: Bernard, I hope you'll keep us updated on any progress. Congratulations again on this latest development.