Wesfarmers : Lithium one step closer with mine opening

Wesfarmers' ambition to produce lithium hydroxide is one step closer with the opening of the Mt Holland mine and concentrator, as work continues at pace on the final stage in the value-add process - the refinery.

Once complete, the Covalent Lithium integrated operation will produce 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide annually - that's enough to power one million electric vehicles each year.

^{From left to right: Ian Hansen MD of WesCEF, Senator Varun Ghosh and Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers}

Wesfarmers Managing Director Rob Scott said the lithium joint venture would deliver long-term value to shareholders, benefitting from global decarbonisation efforts.

"When we made our initial investment into Mt Holland four years ago, we saw an opportunity to enter the lithium market and leverage our expertise in chemical processing here in Western Australia," Mr Scott said.

"We are continuing to advance studies to expand the Mt Holland mine and concentrator, and the next key milestone for Covalent is completing construction of the Kwinana refinery."

Federal Treasurer Hon. Jim Chalmers MP and Minister for Resources and Minster for Northern Australia Hon. Madeleine King MP have both this year visited the refinery, located close to the Kwinana port.