Name of the Project
Hombre Muerto West (HMW) lithium project.

Location
South American lithium triangle, which spans the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Project Owner/s
Galan Lithium.

Project Description
The HMW project is separated into four production phases. 

The initial Phase 1 definitive feasibility study (DFS) focused on the production of 5 400 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent. The Phase 2 DFS targets 21 000 t/y lithium carbonate equivalent in 2026, followed by Phase 3 production of 40 000 t/y lithium carbonate equivalent by 2028 and the Phase 4 production target of 60 000 t/y lithium carbonate equivalent by 2030. 

Phase 4 will include lithium brine sourced from HMW, and Candelas – Galan’s other 100%-owned project, in Argentina.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Phase 1 delivers an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $460-million and an internal rate of return of 36%, with a payback of two years from the start of construction.

Capital Expenditure
The Phase 1 project is estimated at $104-million, in addition to the $278-million contemplated in the Phase 2 study, with the total Phase 1 and Phase 2 capital cost estimated at $382-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Phase 1 in 2025, and Phase 2 in 2026.

Phase 2 construction is expected to start in the second half of 2024 and will run until the first half of 2026, with first production from Phase 2 targeted for the second half of 2026.

Latest Developments
Galan Lithium has opted to recalibrate its construction schedule for the HMW Phase 1 project, citing cash preservation amid current market conditions.

The decision postpones the expected start of production from the lithium brines project to the second half of next year.

Galan has received strong international market interest in the HMW lithium concentrate. 

Lithium inventories continue to accumulate in the HMW Phase 1 ponds, which would provide feedstock for the HMW processing plant. It currently has an in situ inventory of 2 800 t of lithium carbonate equivalent.

Overall completion of the HMW Phase 1 project is now at about 40%, with the ponds system at 60% capacity. The designed ponds system can allow for an inventory, until the second half of 2025, of up to 10 000 t/y lithium carbonate equivalent without the need for processing.

About 750 000 m² of evaporation area has now been built. The current evaporation area is sufficient to produce a lithium chloride volume of about 3 000 t/y lithium carbonate equivalent. The key processing parameters, including brine-well average flow rates, lithium grades and evaporation rates, are all aligned with Phase 1 of the DFS. 

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Ad-Infinitum (feasibility study work and lithium recovery method); SRK Consulting (mineral resources and reserve estimates); AIA Engineering, Consulting Services International and EIC Engineering (pond designs and water contour channels); M3 Engineering and Technology Corporation (reviewing and documenting the recovery method and the civil material takeoff quantities for ponds and water contour channels, developing the engineering design of the reagents and filtering plant); M3 (project layout, infrastructure designs, capital cost and operating-cost estimates and economic evaluation); and Wood Mackenzie and iLiMarkets (price estimates of the lithium carbonate and lithium chloride concentrate).

Contact Details for Project Information
Galan Lithium, tel +61 8 9322 6283 or email admin@galanlithium.com.au.