Nemaska Lithium's Phase 1 Plant on Schedule, Budget

Nemaska Lithium Inc. (TSX:NMX,OTCQX:NMKEF). is providing an update on the advancement of its phase 1 plant, as well as the construction and site preparation of the Whabouchi mine, both located in Quebec, Canada.
Phase 1 plant
The phase 1 plant is on schedule and on budget. To date, 20 technical operators have been hired and training is under way on the operations of the phase 1 plant. These highly skilled technicians have educational backgrounds in mechanical, chemical and electrical disciplines, as well as a range of technical work experience, including chemical plant start-up.
Once in operation, Nemaska Lithium expects to run the phase 1 plant on a 24-hour/seven-day-a-week schedule starting in first quarter 2017 at a production rate of 435 tons per year lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). The first shipment of lithium hydroxide produced from Johnson Matthey Battery Materials (JMBM) lithium sulphate is expected Q1 2017. Commercial-sized representative samples of lithium hydroxide produced from Whabouchi mine concentrate are expected to ship to JMBM and other customers in second quarter 2017 for qualification purposes.
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Whabouchi mine site
Bulk sample and modular dense media separation (DMS) mill
Construction of the dense DMS modular mill designed to produce a 6-per-cent-dilithium-oxide DMS concentrate is on schedule. Equipment installation is being finalized and commissioning will follow. Twelve DMS plant operators have been hired and training is commencing in December. Blasting of the 60,000-tonne mine representative bulk sample has commenced and will be processed through the modular mill. In addition, Nemaska Lithium intends to produce a 6-per-cent-Li2O concentrate using flotation circuit with a contractor located in the province of Quebec. Both concentrates will be shipped to Shawinigan, where Nemaska Lithium intends to process them into battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate for customer evaluation and qualification.
Whabouchi mine infrastructure construction
Construction of the main mine building continues and is scheduled to be fully enclosed in the near future allowing for continuing construction of the facility throughout the 2016 to 2017 winter.
“We are advancing the project on all fronts and I am very pleased with our progress to date,” commented Guy Bourassa, president and chief executive officer of Nemaska Lithium. “We expect to be producing a 6-per-cent-Li2O concentrate and processing it into battery grade lithium salts next year, which is approximately 18 months ahead of our planned commercial production. This will enable us to actively engage customers and demonstrate the quality of our products while we are still building our commercial facilities. As per our last feasibility study, we are projecting to be a low-cost producer of lithium salts, and we are on the cusp of demonstrating product quality and economics. I expect 2017 to be a year of meeting many milestones.”
Feasibility update and National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource estimate update
Nemaska Lithium recently announced the results of its updated NI 43-101-compliant resource estimate on the Whabouchi deposit (see Dec. 1, 2016, press release) which included the results from the recently completed drill campaign. This resource estimate saw the measured and indicated open-pit resource increase to 36.620 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.48 per cent Li2O. DRA Global/Met-Chem has been mandated to update the reserves of the Whabouchi mine in a new feasibility study due in January, 2017.
About Nemaska Lithium
Nemaska Lithium intends to become a lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate supplier to the emerging lithium battery market that is largely driven by electric vehicles, cellphones, tablets and other consumer products. The spodumene concentrate produced at Nemaska Lithium’s Whabouchi mine will be shipped to the corporation’s lithium compounds processing plant to be built in Shawinigan, Que. This plant will transform spodumene concentrate into high-purity lithium hydroxide and carbonate using the proprietary methods developed by the corporation and for which the corporation holds three granted patents and several patent applications that are pending in different countries, covering different aspects and improvements of its proprietary technology for preparing high-purity lithium hydroxide and carbonate.
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