Arizona Lithium has received approval from the Ministry of Energy and Resources in Saskatchewan, Canada, for phase one production at the Prairie lithium project.
This initial phase will see the project launch production from pad #1 utilising a commercial-scale direct lithium extraction (DLE) unit with a capacity of 150 tonnes per annum (tpa) of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).
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The Prairie project is the first lithium brine project in Saskatchewan to attain this level of progress, and also the first lithium brine venture in North America to receive approval for the commencement of initial production.
Saskatchewan Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young said: “The Prairie lithium project in south-east Saskatchewan has been leading the charge in lithium resource and process developments and we are pleased to see the Prairie lithium project reach this milestone in its approval for initial production.”
Arizona Lithium’s updated well network model, informed by the 2024 drilling and completion programme, has increased the project’s indicated resource producible per year by 120% to 17,000tpa LCE, up from the previous 7,700tpa LCE.
Arizona Lithium managing director Paul Lloyd said: “These approvals are another massive milestone in project development. The regulatory framework in Saskatchewan provides project developers with a clear permitting path and ability for projects to establish operations.
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By GlobalData“In addition to this, our updated well network model provides us a clear path as to how we can continue to increase production from across the Prairie project.”
The Prairie lithium project, situated in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of the Williston Basin, benefits from proximity to essential infrastructure such as electricity, natural gas, fresh water, highways and railroads.
Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding said: “Global demand for lithium has risen significantly over the past five years and is expected to continue to increase well into the future. Saskatchewan has the resources the world needs and can sustainably meet this demand.
“Seeing this type of continued capital investment in our province is just another example of how Saskatchewan is building capacity, creating jobs, and bringing food and energy security to countries around the world.”
In August 2024, Arizona Lithium produced battery-grade lithium carbonate from its Prairie project, which was independently verified by Saltworks.
