Core Lithium Ltd has awarded a surface mining services contract to NRW Pty Ltd for open-pit mining at the Grants deposit, part of the company’s wholly-owned Finniss Lithium Operation in the Northern Territory of Australia.
The scope of works under the circa-A$50 million ($35 million) contract includes all key activities related to the delivery of material to the Grants Run of Mine (ROM) under a standard schedule of rates.
The contract award is an important first step in the restart of operations at the Finniss operation, after the company’s recent final investment decision approval. The incorporation of Grants’ open-pit mining into the Finniss mine plan provides a near-term production pathway and a rapid feed source for the Finniss processing plant, enabling an accelerated production timeline at a lower initial capital cost, it said.
The optimised Grants Pit design provides access to circa-784,000 t of ore within the existing open pit and is expected to deliver approximately 134,000 t of SC5 product. Ore from Grants will be processed and hauled during the September quarter, with the first spodumene concentrate shipment targeted early in the December quarter, with further shipments into 2027.
In addition to the award of the surface mining contract, the company has commenced the BP33 box cut and civil infrastructure site works. This provides a clear execution pathway for the Finniss restart delivering a staged, lower‑risk ramp‑up profile, according to the company. Grants represents a low-risk bridging opportunity while the BP33 underground development progresses in parallel, it added. Combined, the Grants and BP33 developments position Finniss as a lower cost, long-life, brownfield lithium operation with a shorter path to nameplate production.
Commenting on the contract award, Core’s Managing Director, Paul Brown, said: “The award of the Grants open-pit mining contract marks a key step in the restart of the Finniss Lithium Operation and clearly demonstrates our shift from planning to execution.
“Grants provides a low risk, near term source of ore using existing infrastructure, enabling a rapid and capital efficient pathway back into production. With mobilisation commencing immediately, this contract underpins our restart schedule and near term cash generation objectives.
“With final investment decision approval and funding now in place, our focus is firmly on delivery. This contract positions Finniss to deliver the first spodumene concentrate in the December quarter.
“We are making strong progress across the balance of our restart workstreams, and we expect to finalise additional key contracts in the near-term as we bring Finniss back into production.”
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