Core Lithium has awarded NRW a A$50m ($34.7m) contract for surface mining services at the Grants deposit, part of the company’s Finniss Lithium Project in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Mobilisation is expected to begin immediately, with mining and ore production scheduled for May 2026.
The Finniss Lithium Project is situated roughly 23km south of Darwin and 33km west of Berry Springs. The tenement covers an area of more than 500km².
The contract covers all essential activities for delivering material to the Grants run of mine according to a standard rate schedule.
It marks a significant step in restarting operations at Finniss following the company's recent approval of its final investment decision.
This initiative integrates Grants' open-pit mining with the Finniss mine plan, facilitating rapid production at reduced initial capital expenditure.
Approximately 784,000t of ore is accessible under the optimised Grants Pit design, which is expected to yield around 134,000t of 5% spodumene concentrate (SC5).
Along with these developments, BP33 underground box cut and civil infrastructure activities have started.
These projects create a structured pathway for Finniss' restart, offering a phased, low-risk increase in operations.
The combined efforts at Grants and BP33 aim to establish Finniss as a cost-effective, long-term lithium operation.
Initial ore from Grants will be processed and transported in the September quarter, with the first spodumene concentrate shipment planned for early in the December quarter and subsequent shipments extending into 2027.
Core Lithium managing director Paul Brown said: “The award of the Grants open-pit mining contract marks a key step in the restart of the Finniss Lithium Operation and clearly demonstrates our shift from planning to execution.
“Grants provides a low-risk, near-term source of ore using existing infrastructure, enabling a rapid and capital efficient pathway back into production. With mobilisation commencing immediately, this contract underpins our restart schedule and near-term cash generation objectives.”
In February 2026, the company signed a binding agreement for the sale of its remaining spodumene concentrate stockpile from the Finniss Lithium Project to Glencore International.
