Sigma Lithium Corporation, dedicated to powering the next generation of electric vehicles with environmentally and socially sustainable high-purity lithium, has announced that it has commenced commissioning of its Greentech Plant on schedule and within budget.
Highlights:
Sigma Lithium successfully commissioned the first module of the Phase 1 production plant (the Greentech Plant), on schedule and within budget:
- Crushing circuit (dry module) commissioning commenced last week with all tests successfully completed and is expected to be completed by February 2023.
- Dense media separation circuit (wet module) commissioning expected to initiate in February 2023 and expects to be completed by April 2023.
- Sigma Lithium remains on track to commence commercial production in April 2023.
- Sigma Lithium also commissioned the system that will pump water from Rio Jequitinhonha 6 km away to the sewage treatment plant to clean the water of its solid fecal residues, making it suitable for the Greentech Plant.
- Sigma Lithium expects to start generating free cash flow in 2Q23, producing battery grade environmentally and socially sustainable lithium concentrate (battery grade sustainable lithium).
- Sigma Lithium has been conducting continued exploration work with the goal of further increasing the mineral resources, focusing on outlining a deposit which will comprise a Phase 4, expected to be larger than 20 million t, with the resource estimate update expected to be completed in 2023.
- Substantial increase in the estimated mineral resources strengthens the position of Sigma Lithium’s 100% owned Grota do Cirilo project as the largest and highest quality hard rock mineral deposits in the Americas and among the largest in the world.
Ana Cabral-Gardner, Co-CEO and Co-Chairperson of Sigma Lithium, said:
“We have rapidly advanced the commissioning of the Greentech Plant, as planned, on schedule and on budget this month. Our technical team, led by Calvyn Gardner and Brian Talbot, has worked tirelessly and relentlessly this quarter to make that happen. Our stelar team is what makes Sigma so unique. Simultaneously, our ESG teams have worked intensely to ensure the communities of Itinga and Araçuaí have been concomitantly lifted through Sigma’s transformative new social initiatives: allocating funding to build 2000 rainwater collection systems and to empower 10 000 women through microcredit,”
Co-CEO and Co-Chairperson Calvyn Gardner adds:
“We have been working laser focused towards delivering battery grade sustainable lithium following the conclusion of the commissioning of our Greentech Plant in April 2023.”