Alkemy Capital Investments and its subsidiary Port Hedland Lithium have completed a Class 4 Feasibility Study for Australia's first stand-alone lithium sulphate processing facility. The facility will be located at the Boodarie Strategic Industrial Area near Port Hedland, Australia's largest export port. The study was completed ahead of schedule to meet the due diligence requirements of global OEMs interested in contracting with Alkemy's refineries.

The Boodarie refinery is designed to process spodumene concentrate from various potential Australian mines, producing a lithium sulphate monohydrate (LSM) for TVL's Wilton refinery in the UK. The initial capital cost for Train 1 is estimated at US$322 million, with gross revenues per annum projected at US$396 million. The internal rate of return (IRR) is 18%, and the post-tax net present value (NPV) for Train 1 is $293 million. The NPV for all four trains is estimated at US$1.0 billion, bringing the total NPV for both projects to US$3.7 billion when all four trains are built.

The Boodarie facility will refine approximately 180,000 tpa of locally mined spodumene concentrate to produce 40,000 tpa of lithium sulphate, with lithium content equivalent to 24,000 tpa lithium hydroxide. The lithium sulphate produced by Port Hedland Lithium will be further processed by TVL before being sold to end customers. The refining process in Australia reduces waste material exported and lowers shipping costs and carbon emissions.

TVL is also establishing Europe's largest low-carbon merchant lithium hydroxide refinery at Wilton in the UK. The four trains at Wilton will produce 24,000 tpa of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, feeding directly into European and international battery cell manufacturers. The new supply chain from Pilbara to Teesside leverages the strengths of Australia in mining and minerals processing and the UK in chemical refining.

The Feasibility Study was prepared by Wave International, an engineering consultancy firm with experience in developing lithium refinery projects worldwide. Ryan Hanrahan, CEO of Wave International, commented on the strong interest in the intermediate chemicals model from end users and the investment community.

Alkemy and Port Hedland Lithium are making progress in advancing their lithium refineries and are in discussions with potential feedstock suppliers and customers. The completion of the Boodarie Feasibility Study is a major milestone for the project, bringing validation to their plans.