Mali is poised to become a key player in the lithium industry with the Bougouni mine, which is slated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2024. New drilling results published by UK company Kodal Minerals have revealed significantly larger resources than expected.
The findings suggested that the dense media separation plant's lifespan could be extended by four years, potentially boosting total spodumene concentrate production to 585,000 tonnes from 2024 to 2036.
Originally projected to produce 125,000 tonnes annually for four years, the plant is now expected to reach 230,000 tonnes per year from 2026, due to the addition of a flotation system.
"The Boumou prospect at our flagship Bougouni Lithium Project continues to exceed our expectations, and these new wide, high-grade intersections provide further support for the interpretation of the continuity of the pegmatite mineralization," said Bernard Aylward, CEO of Kodal Minerals.
Further promising results from the Boumou prospect on the same site, with ore grades up to 1.74% lithium, exceed expectations.
We may soon hear even more positive news regarding lithium mining in the West African country. At the end of May, the government entered into an agreement with China's Ganfeng Lithium to manage one of Africa's largest lithium mines, Goulamina.
Under the agreement, the Chinese company will construct a spodumene factory, with production scheduled to commence by the end of this year, as stated by Mali's economy ministry.