PFS Plant Location Research Leads to Resolution to Find Carbonation Plant in Mining Centre of Copiapó

CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM: CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF), an exploration and growth firm advancing sustainable lithium initiatives in Chile, declares the outcomes of a plant location examine accomplished as a part of the continuing pre-feasibility examine (PFS) for the Laguna Verde Mission, which is because of full later this 12 months. The PFS is being led by Worley, a worldwide skilled providers firm of vitality, chemical compounds and assets consultants, from its Santiago workplace which has high-level expertise within the lithium sector. Xi´an Lanshen New Materials Know-how Firm (“Lanshen”) has been chosen to offer the lithium processing plant design and tools, and Worley to design the steadiness of plant and infrastructure.

Highlights:

• A plant location examine was accomplished by Worley, which evaluated the optimum plant location configuration for the Laguna Verde venture, based mostly on a capability of 20,000 tonnes each year of battery grade lithium carbonate equal (LCE)
• This supplied a trade-off evaluation between finding your complete plant at Laguna Verde versus splitting plant amenities between Laguna Verde and the close by mining centre of Copiapó
• The choice of finding the DLE plant and eluate focus levels on the Laguna Verde website, and the carbonation plant at Copiapó is very beneficial, ensuing within the resolution to proceed with this selection
• A concentrated eluate with 6% lithium, the utmost focus earlier than lithium salts start to precipitate, shall be transported to Copiapó for impurity elimination and carbonation levels
• This configuration leads to a minor enhance in volumes transported whereas benefiting from Copiapó’s well-developed infrastructure and higher entry to a talented workforce
• In accordance with the Lanshen plant design, roughly 70% of the operational workforce shall be employed on the carbonation plant, finding it in Copiapó gives main benefits in hiring an area work drive together with variety outcomes comparable to larger feminine participation, whereas contributing to the native financial system
• The footprint on the venture website, which is at 4300m above sea degree, shall be significantly diminished, from energy provide, storage, camp and plant amenities, building part impacts, and environmental impacts
• The carbonation plant in Copiapó would finally be expanded to additionally deal with concentrated eluate from the Viento Andino venture
• The PFS, now due for completion earlier than the tip of This autumn this 12 months, will embrace up to date capex and opex estimates and can additional decide the optimum manufacturing growth technique

Steve Kesler, Government Chairman and Interim Chief Government Officer, CleanTech Lithium PLC, stated:

“We undertook a plant location examine as a part of our ongoing PFS for the Laguna Verde venture ensuing within the resolution to find the DLE and eluate focus levels on the venture website, and the carbonation plant in Copiapó. This may have numerous advantages comparable to lowering the footprint and impacts at Laguna Verde, and benefiting from current infrastructure, energy provide and expert workforce in Copiapó. The plant at Copiapó can then be expanded to deal with materials from our Viento Andino venture and doubtlessly others. The choice on plant configuration will feed instantly into the broader PFS which is because of be accomplished later this 12 months.”

Additional Data

The Firm engaged Worley, utilising its native Santiago based mostly workplace, to undertake the PFS for the Laguna Verde venture, and chosen Lanshen as designer and provider of your complete DLE processing plant. Worley lately carried out numerous trade-off or choices research to think about essentially the most beneficial configuration of the venture and a plant location choice examine which assessed three eventualities for location of the plant, of which two of the eventualities, labelled Situation 1 and Situation 3 within the report, supplied the related trade-off comparability:

• Situation 1: Finding your complete plant based mostly on the Laguna Verde venture website
• Situation 3: Finding DLE and eluate focus levels on the venture website, and the impurity elimination and carbonation (downstream plant) at Copiapó

Laguna Verde is related to Copiapó through a 270km paved worldwide freeway, as proven in Determine 1. Copiapó is a serious regional mining centre in Chile with a inhabitants of 175,000, having nicely established infrastructure, a talented workforce, and current provide hubs for reagents and different supplies. Whereas basing your complete plant on the venture website is possible and most lithium initiatives within the lithium triangle are continuing on such a foundation, the great transport hyperlink and relative proximity to Copiapó made a trade-off examine beneficial.

Determine 1: Regional Map

An evaluation of the distinction in transport volumes was undertaken displaying a minimal total distinction between the 2 eventualities. For Situation 3 the place impurity elimination and carbonation levels are in Copiapó, there shall be no transport of reagents or bulk chemical compounds to Laguna Verde which has a optimistic environmental and neighborhood influence.

A qualitative evaluation was then undertaken by the Firm throughout the vary of metrics as proven in Determine 2. There are solely two metrics through which Situation 1 the place your complete plant is situated at website has a considerably optimistic comparability. The primary one is storage in the course of the building part, in that it’s going to require a single storage facility relatively than storage at each places for instruments, supplies and spare elements. The second is disposal of solids, which is essentially Sodium Chloride (NaCl or desk salt) that’s dissolved within the eluate and eliminated within the impurity elimination stage earlier than carbonation. In Situation 1, these could be re-dissolved within the spent brine and re-injected. In Situation 3, the report assumed NaCl would have to be disposed in Copiapó at a value. Nevertheless there needs to be a prepared marketplace for NaCl and additional analysis of that is required.

Determine 2: Qualitative Comparability- All on website (1) and cut up vegetation (3)

Throughout a variety of different metrics the Situation 3 of finding the downstream plant at Copiapó has main benefits. In accordance with Lanshen, roughly 70% of the operational labour drive will work on the downstream plant, which gives a far superior choice for expert workforce based mostly in Copiapó. The footprint on the venture website shall be significantly diminished, from energy provide, storage, camp and plant amenities, building part impacts, and environmental impacts. The Board has accepted the examine and the choice to separate the plant amenities between the venture website and Copiapó would be the foundation for the PFS.

Beaumont Cornish Restricted (“Beaumont Cornish”) is the Firm’s Nominated Adviser and is authorised and controlled by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish’s tasks because the Firm’s Nominated Adviser, together with a accountability to advise and information the Firm on its tasks below the AIM Guidelines for Corporations and AIM Guidelines for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Inventory Trade. Beaumont Cornish will not be performing for and won’t be accountable to another individuals for offering protections afforded to clients of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to the proposed preparations described on this announcement or any matter referred to in it.

Notes

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF) is an exploration and growth firm advancing sustainable lithium initiatives in Chile for the clear vitality transition. Dedicated to net-zero, CleanTech Lithium’s mission is to provide materials portions of sustainable battery grade lithium merchandise utilizing Direct Lithium Extraction know-how powered by renewable vitality. The Firm plans to be a number one provider of ‘inexperienced’ lithium to the EV and battery manufacturing market.

CleanTech Lithium has two key lithium initiatives in Chile, Laguna Verde and Viento Andino, and maintain licences in Llamara and Salar de Atacama, situated within the lithium triangle, a number one centre for battery grade lithium manufacturing. The 2 main initiatives: Laguna Verde and Viento Andino are located inside basins managed by the Firm, which affords important potential growth and operational benefits. All 4 initiatives have direct entry to current infrastructure and renewable energy.

CleanTech Lithium is dedicated to utilizing renewable energy for processing and lowering the environmental influence of its lithium manufacturing by utilising Direct Lithium Extraction with reinjection of spent brine. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative know-how which removes lithium from brine, with greater recoveries than typical extraction processes. The strategy presents brief growth lead instances with no intensive website building or evaporation pond growth so there may be minimal water depletion from the aquifer. www.ctlithium.com

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