On 12 July, ReElement Technologies announced a partnership with UK-based Jupiter Lithium to develop Nigeria's first large-scale lithium deposit, aiming to locally produce spodumene concentrate and explore further lithium chemicals production.
Jupiter Lithium has a lithium deposit located 100km from Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, spanning 442km². Jupiter Lithium plans to transition from a mining contractor to a large-scale mining operater, including building a spodumene concentrator facility expected to produce 55,000 tonnes of SC6 lithium spodumene concentrate annually by Q1 2025, and ramp up to 167,000 tonnes per year in two years.
In a related initiative, Jupiter Lithium has signed a memorandum of understanding with South African mining giant Bevex Mining Services to establish a modular plant, bringing in Dense Media Separation (DMS) technology for lithium exploration and processing near the mining site.
Under the memorandum of understanding, ReElement will design a refinery to process spodumene concentrate into high-purity, battery-grade lithium carbonate and other chemicals. ReElement is actively working with partners to select a site and explore financing options with regional investors. No investment or capital expenditure estimates have been disclosed at this time.
Author: Hongqiu Su | Battery Metals Analyst Associate | London Office, Shanghai Metals Market
Email: lilysu@smm.cn
