International Lithium recently released the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for its Raleigh Lake Lithium Project that outlined a highly favourable set of metrics for the project.
Located in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Raleigh Lake Lithium Project would consists of a conventional open pit operation and associated processing plant. The project has significant resources of over 814,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent and would operate for 14 years.
The PEA suggests that International Lithium’s project should be highly economic. The study found both an after-tax Net Present Value (NPV) of CAD$342.9 million and an after-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 44.3%. The PE Asensitive analyses indicate a NPV of CAD$216 million with anIRR of 30.1% at a long-term lithium price of CAD$12,000 per tonne. This is still a highly favourable result when compared to similar mining projects.
The launch of the PE Aalso demonstrates the importance of International Lithium in the market; the company has been active in developing domestic and international projects. This project presents another opportunity for the company to expand its presence in the lithium market.
Given the favourable economics of the project and the strength of International Lithium, this is a project to watch carefully in the coming years. The company has yet to take a final decision on the project but with positive results this could be the start of a new phase for International Lithium.