Australia’s lithium sector is entering a more disciplined phase. After years of rapid expansion driven by electric vehicle demand and record spodumene prices, producers are now prioritising cost control, operational stability and processing efficiency alongside output growth. Australia nevertheless remains the world’s largest lithium producer, accounting for around 40% of current global output.
In Western Australia’s Pilbara region, PLS Group’s Pilgangoora operation has become a key example of that transition. One of the world’s largest hard rock lithium deposits, Pilgangoora holds more than 207 million tonnes of reserves and has evolved into a large-scale test case for how lithium producers manage ore variability and processing performance in a more volatile market environment, according to Australia Lithium Mining to 2035, a report by Mining Technology‘s parent company, GlobalData.
That evolution accelerated through the P1000 expansion project, which increased spodumene concentrate production capacity at Pilgangoora by around 47% to as much as one million tonnes per annum (mtpa) through upgrades to the concentrator and associated infrastructure. The project achieved first ore in January 2025, with ramp-up completed during the March quarter of 2025.
Alongside higher throughput, P1000 also marked the deeper integration of sensor-based ore sorting into the operation’s core processing flowsheet. Rather than functioning as a bolt-on optimisation tool, sorting is increasingly being used to manage geological variability, stabilise downstream processing and improve concentrate consistency at scale.
The sorting systems, supplied by TOMRA Mining, were first introduced through the earlier P680 installation before being expanded under P1000. PLS is also progressing studies for the proposed P2000 expansion, which could lift Pilgangoora’s production capacity beyond 2mtpa through the construction of a new processing plant.
Gavin Rech, area sales and technical manager at TOMRA Mining, has worked closely on Pilgangoora’s sorting journey from early deployment through to steady-state operations at scale. Speaking with Mining Technology, Rech discusses what the P1000 experience reveals about the changing role of ore sorting in hard rock lithium processing and why Pilgangoora is increasingly being viewed as a reference point for future lithium flowsheet design.
Alejandro Gonzalez (AG): What does the P1000 expansion reveal about the evolving role of ore sorting in lithium processing?
Gavin Rech (GR): Large expansion projects tend to be assessed through a narrow lens: did the tonnes come on, did the capital stay within bounds and did ramp-up behave as expected? Those metrics matter, but they don’t fully capture what P1000 represents.
P1000 clearly demonstrates a structural shift in how hard rock lithium is processed at scale. Sorting is no longer being evaluated as an optional enhancement; it is being designed in as a foundational element of the flowsheet. At Pilgangoora, that shift is visible in how sorting interacts with upstream mining decisions and downstream plant stability, rather than sitting off to the side as an auxiliary process.
The expansion showed that when sorting is integrated properly, at the right scale and in the right location, it changes the operating philosophy of the plant. Decisions about ore domains, blending and material movement are made with the expectation that sorting will be there, operating continuously, not selectively. This marks a maturation point for the technology in lithium.
AG: What has Pilgangoora demonstrated about the reliability of ore sorting at scale?
GR: One of the lingering questions around ore sorting has always been whether it could perform reliably outside selective, high-grade or niche applications. Pilgangoora has provided a clear answer to that question.
Operating at this scale, sorting is not shielded from variability; it sees everything. Different ore domains, changing feed characteristics, high utilisation targets. The fact that the sorting circuit has operated as a continuous, primary process step under those conditions is significant.
What it demonstrates is that sensor-based sorting is not inherently fragile or intermittent. When engineered and supported correctly, it can meet the same availability expectations as other front-end plant equipment. This level of reliability allows operators to depend on sorting as a consistent part of the processing circuit. Rather than being treated as a specialised technology, it becomes an integrated and trusted component of day-to-day operations.
AG: How has large-scale sorting changed the way Pilgangoora manages ore variability and feed consistency?
GR: Geological variability is a defining characteristic of hard rock lithium, and traditionally, that variability has been absorbed, often painfully, by the wet plant. Sorting shifts where that variability is managed.
By rejecting barren and contaminant material early, sorting narrows the range of material that reaches downstream processing. That doesn’t eliminate variability, but it makes it more predictable and controllable. The wet plant experiences fewer extremes, fewer surprises and more consistent feed behaviour.
At Pilgangoora, that stability has been one of the most tangible operational benefits. It shows up not just in metallurgical performance but also in how confidently the plant can be operated across different ore domains without constantly retuning downstream circuits.
AG: How has sorting changed the way Pilgangoora approaches contact ore and marginal material?
GR: Contact ore has always sat in an uncomfortable middle ground, not clearly waste but often too risky to process conventionally without impacting recoveries or product quality. Sorting changes that equation.
At Pilgangoora, sorting provides a way to condition that material before it becomes a downstream problem. By removing a portion of barren or problematic material early, contact ore becomes something that can be approached deliberately rather than defensively.
From a planning perspective, this opens up options. Material that might previously have been deferred or discounted can now be incorporated into mine plans with greater confidence. Over the long term, that flexibility matters more than any single short-term efficiency gain.
AG: The lithium sector has seen no shortage of pilot projects and trials. At what point does ore sorting become infrastructure rather than innovation?
GR: There is a clear difference between something that works in principle and something that operators trust implicitly. That transition usually happens quietly, when people stop talking about the technology and start assuming it will perform.
At Pilgangoora, sorting has crossed that line. It has moved beyond trial status, not because of a single performance metric but because of repetition and proven performance. Consistent availability, predictable behaviour and operator familiarity built up over years of operation.
Once a technology reaches that point, it stops being framed as innovation and starts being treated as infrastructure. That is where sorting now sits at Pilgangoora and that is a meaningful signal for the broader lithium sector.
AG: How important has ongoing collaboration between TOMRA and PLS been in moving sorting from deployment to a core operational process?
GR: The performance of any complex system is shaped as much by how it is supported as by how it is designed. Sorting is no different.
At Pilgangoora, full-time on-site support, combined with remote connectivity, has allowed issues to be addressed before they become disruptions. That model creates a feedback loop: performance data informs adjustments, adjustments improve stability and stability reinforces confidence in the system.
Just as importantly, the collaboration between TOMRA and PLS has evolved over time. The relationship shifts from commissioning support to continuous optimisation, which is where long-term value is actually realised.
AG: How does the data generated by sorting systems contribute to operations and decision-making across the value chain?
GR: In volatile markets, uncertainty carries a cost. Sorting data helps reduce that uncertainty by providing visibility into what is actually happening at the front end of the plant.
Feed characteristics, rejection behaviour and consistency trends all become measurable rather than inferred. That information feeds into operational decisions, blending strategies and longer-term planning.
Downstream, consistency in concentrate quality becomes a commercial advantage. Sorting doesn’t just influence tonnes; it influences confidence, internally and with customers, which becomes increasingly important as markets tighten.
AG: Looking beyond Pilgangoora, what lessons does the P1000 experience offer future lithium projects?
GR: The clearest lesson from P1000 is that scale matters, not just in tonnes but in intent. When sorting is designed as a core process from the outset, it delivers a different outcome than when it is added reactively.
For future lithium projects, Pilgangoora provides a reference point for what is possible when sorting is treated as infrastructure rather than experimentation. Reliability, consistency and long-term flexibility become design assumptions, not aspirations.
In that sense, P1000 doesn’t just represent an expansion project. It represents a shift in how the industry thinks about front-end processing in hard rock lithium.
