Altura Mining has started trucking lithium spodumene concentrate from the Altura lithium mine to Port Hedland, Western Australia, in readiness for the first shipment.

The trucking comes less than a fortnight after Altura reported first production from its flagship 100%-owned project and completes yet another important milestone in the project’s development to place Altura as one of the significant lithium spodumene producers in the world.

Qube Logistics, who are responsible for all logistics from mine to port, have started hauling the product which is being stockpiled at its purpose-built storage facility in Wedgefield, Port Hedland. The storage facility has a capacity of 40,000 t with Altura presently having rights to 30,000 t. At full production levels (Stage 1) Qube will manage the haulage of approximately 18,000 t/month to Port Hedland using a combined fleet of single and double road trains.

Altura’s Managing Director James Brown said the start of haulage was another important step for the Company. “We will continue to focus on working towards this first shipment and subsequent shipments for the remainder of 2018. We remain fully focussed on the ramp-up, so we can get the project operating at its optimum level as soon as possible.”