Bald Hill Lithium mine under maintenance mode

14th November 2024 Bald Hill Lithium mine under maintenance mode

Australian Mining has informed that Mineral Resources announced that its Bald Hill lithium mine in Western Australia will shift into care and maintenance mode due to current low lithium prices.

Strategic Acquisition

Mineral Resources acquired Bald Hill for $260 million in late 2023 to ensure profits remained within Australia. By transitioning the mine into care and maintenance, MinRes aims to preserve cash flow and safeguard the spodumene orebody’s value until the global lithium market rebounds.

Operational Pause & Optimisation

Mining and mobile maintenance activities will cease on November 13, with operations at the spodumene concentrate plant and accommodation village halting by early December. During this period, MinRes will continue to optimise mine plans and operating structures for a future restart.

Final Shipment & Employee Impact

The last shipment of spodumene concentrate is scheduled for December. Unfortunately, around 300 employees will be affected, but Mineral Resources is committed to redeploying staff across its other WA sites. Where redeployment isn’t possible, redundancy packages will be offered.

A dedicated team of 10 employees will stay on-site to manage the scale-down and ongoing care and maintenance.

Positive Outlook on Bald Hill’s Potential

Despite the temporary shutdown, Mineral Resources has boosted Bald Hill’s mineral resource by 168%—now standing at 58.1 million tonnes at 0.94% lithium oxide.

Chris Ellison, Mineral Resources Managing Director, stated: “Bald Hill represents a significant value opportunity for Mineral Resources once lithium market conditions improve. The decision to place it on care and maintenance is prudent and aligns with our recent cost reduction efforts.”

Mineral Resources remains focused on monitoring lithium prices and operational costs to resume operations when the market stabilizes.

Source of feature photo: Mineral Resources official webpage

Next WMC Congress

World Mining Congress

2026

The 27th World Mining Congress will be organized in 2026 in Peru.

Learn more
27th
Next IOC Meeting

IOC / WMC Meeting

2024

The 105th IOC/WMC meeting will be organized on April 14th, 2024 in Santiago de Chile.

Learn more
105th

Our news Others news

19th December 2024 Volkswagen Group invests $48M for a 9.9% stake in Patriot

Lithium battery. Source: Photo by Vardan Papikyan on Unsplash

Volkswagen Group’s has announced that it has partnered with Patriot Battery Metals in a landmark deal.…

17th December 2024 Rio Tinto explores the extraction of gallium

Open pot mine. Source: Unsplash.

Rio Tinto has announced that as part of its innovative R&D initiative, it is exploring the…

13th December 2024 Rio Tinto is going to invest in the Rincon lithium project

Lithium battery. Source: Photo by Vardan Papikyan on Unsplash

$2.5 billion investment Rio Tinto has announced its approval of a $2.5 billion investment to expand…

11th December 2024 Boliden acquired Neves-Corvo and Zinkgruvan operation

One hounded dollar bill. Source: Unsplash.

Lundin Mining has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Neves-Corvo operation in Portugal and Zinkgruvan…

6th December 2024 Zijin Mining expands with the acquisition of La Arena Mine

Open pit mine. Source: Photo by omid roshan on Unsplash

Jinteng Mining, a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group, has officially taken ownership of the La Arena…

4th December 2024 St. Barbara’s Day Mining Wishes!

Old time miners. Source: Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash

Mining wishes On this special day, we extend our heartfelt wishes to all those who dedicate…

4th December 2024 Los Azules Project with an Environmental Impact Assessment approval

Open pit mine. Source: Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash

Environmental Impact Assessment McEwen Copper Inc., a subsidiary of McEwen Mining Inc. announces in its press…

29th November 2024 Major Gold Discovery in China!

Gold bars. Source: Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

$82.9 billion deposit China has unveiled gold reserves worth $82.9 billion in Hunan province, as reported…

27th November 2024 Raw Materials Week 2024 approaches

Raw Materials Week 2024 We invite everyone to participate in the Raw Materials Week 2024. The…

22nd November 2024 Sayona Mining and Piedmont Lithium Announce $623M Merger

Lithium battery. Source: Photo by Vardan Papikyan on Unsplash

Sayona Mining is acquiring Piedmont Lithium in a transformative all-stock deal, creating North America’s largest hard-rock…