Kodal Minerals expects steady production and plans its first shipment to China by March 2025. Credit: Marija Plamen/Shutterstock.

UK-based Kodal Minerals has produced the first Li₂O spodumene concentrate at its Bougouni Lithium Project in southern Mali.

The milestone was achieved with the commissioning phase of the full stage one dense media separation (DMS) processing plant at the project.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The initial production of spodumene concentrate, assaying at 5.53% Li₂O, aligns with Kodal’s planned production profile and was accomplished ahead of schedule.

This early success paves the way for the DMS processing plant to ramp up to its nameplate capacity in the coming weeks.

The commissioning process progressed through various stages including water commissioning and the introduction of pegmatite ore into the plant.

The focus now is on reviewing and balancing the processing circuits and density loading of the DMS units.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Construction costs have remained within the $65m capital development budget, with only minor optimisation works outstanding.

The Bougouni Lithium Project is fully financed through Hainan Group’s $117.5m (858.76m yuan) funding agreement.

Mining activities at the project’s Ngoualana open pit have continued to build the run-of-mine (ROM) stockpile, which now exceeds 350,000 tonnes (t) of ore with an average grade of 1.17% Li₂O.

Kodal Minerals anticipates achieving steady state production and is preparing for its first product shipment to China by the end of March 2025.

Kodal Minerals CEO Bernard Aylward said: “The first production of spodumene concentrate at Bougouni marks a major milestone for Kodal and I would like to thank our entire team for this achievement, which wholly reflects the dedication and effort of all those involved.

“We are confident that this progress will continue into the commercial production phase and our project team will continue to work towards our 10,000t per month target at Bougouni.

“The operational focus over the coming weeks will be the finalisation of commissioning and stress testing of the DMS processing plant as we ramp up to achieve nameplate capacity and steady state production. We look forward to confirming our first shipment of lithium spodumene concentrate to Hainan in China by the end of this quarter.”