Covalent Lithium (Covalent), WesCEF’s joint venture with Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), marked a major milestone this financial year, with commissioning of the concentrator and first production of spodumene concentrate (concentrate) commencing at the Mt Holland site.

The Covalent project is a unique partnership, establishing a fully integrated mine, concentrator and refinery, in Western Australia. Covalent will produce lithium product with strong environmental, social, and governance credentials, consistent with customer expectations.

With the Mt Holland mine and concentrator officially opened in March 2024, Covalent is now focused on finalising construction and commissioning of the Kwinana refinery.

The refinery will provide Covalent the ability to process concentrate locally in Western Australia, producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide for the global electric vehicle market.

The refinery is expected to produce up to 50,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually - enough to support the manufacture of more than one million electric vehicles each year.

WesCEF is well positioned to supply international markets and assist in the global transition to a clean energy future through its investment in Covalent.

WesCEF and SQM each market and sell their share of Covalent production, with WesCEF exporting its first shipment of concentrate in March 2024. This concentrate will be processed overseas. When the refinery is commissioned, WesCEF and SQM will each market lithium hydroxide independently.