Lithium

The Territory is Australia’s only lithium producer outside of Western Australia and is well-placed to help meet longer term lithium demand.

Prospectivity

The Territory has significant lithium resources and exploration potential associated with spodumene-bearing pegmatites in the Bynoe pegmatite field, located close to the port of Darwin, where the Territory’s first lithium mine is in production.

Ongoing exploration by multiple companies is expected to grow the resource base in the Bynoe field. Core Lithium Ltd, Lithium Plus Minerals Ltd, Ragusa Minerals Ltd, Charger Metals NL, Evergreen Lithium Ltd and DeSoto Resources Ltd are having early-stage exploration success for lithium in the Pine Creek Orogen, including the Bynoe field. Total lithium resources increased by 84% in 2023, with resource upgrades by Core Lithium's Finniss project and a maiden Indicated and Inferred mineral resource defined by Lithium Plus Minerals Ltd at the Lei deposit 5 km from Core Lithium’s BP33 deposit.

Numerous earlier stage exploration projects are also underway in the Barrow Creek and Anningie pegmatite fields in the Aileron Province of Central Australia. Askari Metals Ltd, Australasian Metals Ltd, Encounter Resources Ltd, Core Lithium Ltd, Eastern Metals Ltd, Lithium Springs Ltd, Oceana Lithium Ltd and Tivan Ltd are exploring in the Aileron Province in central Australia including the Barrow Creek and Anningie pegmatite fields.

Download the Lithium opportunities factsheet PDF (4.6 MB).

Mines

Finniss Operations - Core Lithium Ltd

Core Lithium Ltd commenced production at the Territory’s first lithium mine at the Finniss project near Darwin in late 2022. Mining has progressed at the Grants open pit mine with production guidance of 90–95 kt of spodumene concentrate in 2023/24, plus 46 kt of lithium fines. Concentrate is trucked 88 km to Darwin Port for export.

An updated feasibility study is underway at BP33 deposit, after a doubling of the mineral resource in 2023. Staged development is planned to start at BP33, with other deposits to follow.

Region	Mine	Annual production	Resource	Company
Pine Creek Orogen	Finniss Operations	18,104 tonnes (2022-23)	30.6 Mt @ 1.31% Li₂O	Core Lithium Ltd

Projects

In approvals process

Region	Project	Resource	Company
Pine Creek Orogen	Finniss (BP33)	10.5 Mt @ 1.53% Li₂O	Core Lithium Ltd

JORC resources

Region	Deposit	Resource	Company
Pine Creek Orogen	Lei	4.1 Mt @ 1.43% Li₂O	Lithium Plus Minerals Ltd

Exploration results

Region	Prospect	Exploration results	Company
Pine Creek Orogen	Blackbeard	59 m @ 1.54% Li₂O, 41 m @ 1.63% Li₂O	Core Lithium Ltd
Pine Creek Orogen	Finniss (BP33)	90.17 m @ 1.80% Li₂O	Core Lithium Ltd
Pine Creek Orogen	Lei	50 m @ 1.83% Li₂O	Lithium Plus Minerals Ltd
Pine Creek Orogen	Enterprise	5 m @ 1.13% Li₂O	Charger Metals Ltd

More information

NTGS reports and publications

Lithium opportunities factsheet NT_Feb 2024
Lithium GEMIS search
Rawlings (2019). Update on the Finniss lithium project. AGES 2019 Proceedings.
Rawlings (2017). Lithium-rich pegmatites of the Bynoe field. AGES 2017 Proceedings.
Frater (2005). Tin-tantalum pegmatite mineralisation of the Northern Territory. NTGS Report 16.

Last updated:

10 April 2024

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