Liontown (ASX:LTR) has completed open pit mining at its Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation, with the final truckload of ore leaving the Kathleen’s Corner pit and marking the end of about 3 years of open pit operations.
The company said the open pit was delivered on schedule and played a key role in establishing the foundations of the operation, supplying waste rock for construction of critical infrastructure including the run-of-mine pad and tailings storage facility, while also providing early ore for plant commissioning and ramp-up.
“Completing the open pit on schedule is a significant achievement. The plan was set five years ago as part of our DFS and delivering to that plan is a testament to the strength, skill and determination of our team and contractor Iron Mine Contracting," Liontown’s managing director and CEO, Tony Ottaviano, said.
"The open pit exceeded recovery targets in its final six months of operation and built substantial strategic stockpiles, providing feed security as underground operations ramp-up. Our underground mine is progressing to plan, with the flexibility to prioritise high-margin ore and scale efficiently in response to market demand. I want to thank Iron Mine Contracting for their strong performance over the past three years, which has been instrumental in achieving this milestone on schedule.”
Strategic stockpiles to support underground transition
Liontown said open pit production in the past 2 quarters exceeded targets, allowing the build-up of additional strategic stockpiles of clean ore and ore sorting potential material. These stockpiles are expected to enhance operational flexibility and provide mill feed security as underground mining ramps up to full production of 2.8Mtpa, with feed support extending through to early FY27.
Underground operations are progressing to plan, with development and production tracking to schedule and systems performing reliably. The company said consistent clean ore is being delivered to the mill, with flexibility to scale output in line with market demand.