Spodumene concentrate containing lithium leaves Geraldton Port as part of Liontown Resources, LG partnership

A WA lithium provider and an internationally renowned battery manufacturer’s partnership has led to the first shipment of spodumene concentrate leaving Geraldton port. As a result of a partnership between South Korean battery company LG Energy Solution (LGES) and WA’s Liontown Resources, the first 33,000 tonnes of the mineral left the port on Wednesday. Spodumene concentrate contains lithium, which is used to create batteries, including those in electric vehicles as well as smaller devices. Liontown Resources chief commercial officer Grant Donald said it was a partnership, with both organisations looking to help each other. “LGES has been the foundational off taker, but also a supporter with finances, and for us, it’s really about trying to work together to create more capacity in batteries to support their offering to their customers, who ultimately can also be our customers,” he said. “The hope is also to potentially work downstream together to convert this product into the lithium chemicals that direct feed stock for their supply chain.” The mineral was sourced from Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley mine, about 650km east of Geraldton, where it was transported to the port for export. The export marks the largest cargo shipped from the mine since it began production. In July, LGES invested $US250 million in Liontown as part of the agreement. The organisations estimated more than 2.2Mt could be sent by the end of their 15-year partnership. LGES metals procurement lead Sungbin Seo said the deal had implications to be a gamechanger for renewable energy. “This is a great milestone we’ve achieved together, not only our company but for a worldwide, greener future,” he said. “It’s part of our commitment to growing the sustainable future.” Both companies said they were looking into growing the partnership, including the creation of a chemical plant. A location has not yet been finalised, but options were being considered. On Monday, representatives from LGES, Liontown Resources, the State Government and the City of Greater Geraldton all boarded the Malaysian vessel Bunun Queen, to get a firsthand look of the operation. Member for Geraldton Lara Dalton said supporting the industry was important. “The State’s really supportive of critical minerals, particularly lithium, and we have policy to be able to support the support the industry, which is excellent,” she said. “From a local level, we just like to see that the capacity for the port having mixed types of cargo being exported from Geraldton, which is really important.”